Let's Get 1 Million Indigenous People Moving!

Contributed by: Journey to Wellness
Date: 4/25/05

That's right, our Journeys to Wellness, the virtual walking tour from "Mountains to Mounds" is almost complete! I am pleased to announce we have made our way through two of the sacred sites of the most famous earth mounds created by the some of the First Natives. As of April 4th 2005, we have currently logged a group total of 2,663 miles (6.4 million group steps).
We have already visited Monks Mound in Cahokia, Illinois and the Serpent Mound in south-central Ohio (near Cincinnati). I hope all the walkers enjoyed the post card from Monks Mound, what a spectacular sight. Monks Mound is 100 feet tall and covers 14 acres. Cahokia's rulers governed from a temple atop this mound. Cahokia's population in 1050-1150 A.D. was likely to have been around 10,000 - 20,000 people, much larger than Paris at the time, one of Europe's major cities.

Atop a plateau overlooking the Brush Creek Valley in Ohio rests the Serpent Mound (as seen in this photo)- one of the largest in the United States. It is nearly a quarter of a mile long, and apparently represents an uncoiling serpent. The head of the serpent is aligned to the summer solstice sunset and the coils also may point to the winter solstice sunrise in the equinox sunrise. As of April 4th, 2005, we are currently 628 miles from arriving at the Toltec Mounds State Park in Scott Arkansas, and by the time this newsletter gets published, we will have likely reached the Chucalissa Archeological Museum in Memphis, Tennessee and then on to completing our 'Journey' at the Pinson Mounds State Archeological Area in Pinson Tennessee (3,526 miles from where we began in Fresno, California).

I think I can say with confidence that this has been a great experience and wonderful journey. Please stay tuned and I will be able to report the final total on our numbers and be able to highlight all of our participants in the next newsletter. Anyone who has an idea for the next journey is asked to contact Erika Ireland, clinic dietitian.