Southeastern Woodland Indigenous Architecture

OKMULGEE MOUNDS EARTH LODGE | MACON, GA

 

OUR PURPOSE

Arvnwv means “Small Hawk” in Mvskwke* (pronounced mus-ko-kee), a language of our indigenous ancestors. The language was considered to be “God’s Language” due to its being given to the ancestors as a way to delineate, with no ambiguity to be found. An example of this comes in the form of one of our rivers. The Mississippi River weywkwfki* (pronounced o-e-yo-kof-ki) literally means “water muddy” in Mvskwke or read in English, Muddy Water.

*Not exactly accurate form of the letter itself in depiciton, there is no Mvskoke keyboard to depict the w letter. It is closer in depiction very curvy.

“The purpose is solely to revive & make contemporary the natural architectural infrastructure of our indigenous ancestors, while facilitating their progeny along a spiritual journey.”

 

OUR APPROACH

Our approach comes by way of diving into the ancient earthen architecture of our tribes and not only using them as inspiration, but bringing them and their symbolism back to the forefront so the meaning is not lost nor construed, much like the language. One example of that will be a piece derived from the Okmulgee (Mvskwke for Where They Sat Down) Earth Lodge. I began my spirit journey here so I would like to firstly celebrate the ancestors shining light on my awakening by memorializing the Eagle Effigy Mound within the Earth Lodge. This piece will be the first installment of 4 in the series of The Indigenous Southeastern Woodlands: Our Story.

 

Conical Burial Mound

KOLOMOKI MOUNDS | BLAKELY, GA

 
 
 
 
Dixie, Brown Boats Landing, 1907.

Dixie, Brown Boats Landing, 1907.

Image from Hidden Seminoles Book JULIAN DIMOCK'S HISTORIC FLORIDA, PHOTOGRAPHS - JERALD T. MILANICH AND NINA J. ROOT

 

OUR ANCESTORS

Our indigenous ancestors come from far and wide within Southeastern Woodlands of the North American region. In fact, my particular ancestry frequented all parts of Turtle Island from East of the Mississippi and South of present day North Carolina, even as north as Ohio. Our journey was nonetheless for survival after the Yamassee War of 1751, carrying the dreams of our future and culture with us in hides, dugout canoes and memories. Whatever we couldn’t carry returned to the heavens so that the ancestors may breathe it back into form. From the mud and into the lungs of a newborn papoose. With roots ranging from Choctaw (Chahta)/Cherokee to Seminole/Calusa, we huddled together and formed a Confederacy in order to see another day. We owe our existence to our Chiefs and Leaders such as the prominent Ayala or Cow King, Chief Neamathla, Chief Osceola, The Red Stick Faction, and Wilson Warriors just to know a few and of course our known and unknown ancestors. That day has come to tell our story, and I have chosen to tell the tales through furniture.