Posts
Cahokia Mounds Hiring Seasonal Staff
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is hiring seasonal ground maintenance and interpretive staff. This is a great opportunity to gain experience in Parks Management and get a World Heritage Site on your resume. These are full-time positions for a 6-month duration. Pay is $15 per hour. Hours are 7 am – 3 Pm, days will vary. Applicants MUST be at least 17 years of age and have a valid Driver’s License. Here is the link for one of the positions: CONSERVATION/HISTORIC PRESERVATION WORKER (illinois.jobs2web.com) The two Position IDs are # 24647 (for Maintenance) and # 24658 (for Interpretive.) Please do NOT send resume’s or letters via Facebook or email. Anyone wishing to be considered MUST apply online through the illinois.jobs2web.com, no other methods will be acknowledged.
For more information or questions, please contact Superintendent Lori Belknap at Lori.Belknap@Illinois.gov.
Cahokia Mounds hiring Conservation Education Representative
Cahokia Mounds is seeking a temporary seasonal position that will not exceed six months to augment permanent staff during the peak season. This Conservation Education Representative position will fill the need of developing, executing, and presenting programs, activities and events to the general public, school groups, and special interest groups. Prepares and delivers educational information designed to instill appreciation of Cahokia Mounds. Minimum qualifications are; requires knowledge, skill, and mental development equivalent to completion of 4 years of college, with courses in English or public speaking. Must be able to pass background check, have a valid driver’s license, and have the ability to travel.
All applicants who want to be considered for this position MUST apply electronically through the Illinois.jobs2web.com website and search for Posting Identification Number 12-35-24113. For more information contact Lori at 618-346-5164.
Nature/Culture Hike
Join Julie Zimmermann, PhD for the Cahokia Mounds Nature/Culture Hike on October 14, 2023, 1pm-4pm. You will learn about native plants and animals and how the Mississippian culture interacted with them and the environment. This 2-hour hike will take you along some of the less commonly traveled trails, so make sure to wear appropriate clothing, sturdy shoes suitable for hiking, and to bring water. Sunscreen, bug spray, and snacks are advised, though make sure any refuse is properly disposed of at the Interpretive Center.
It is imperative that no one climb the mounds, as unauthorized foot trails on the sides of the mounds are causing severe erosional problems on these ancient monuments.
Please meet Dr. Zimmermann in front of the Interpretive Center.
This event is free and open to the public.
Nature/Culture Hike
Join Julie Zimmermann, PhD for the Cahokia Mounds Nature/Culture Hike on June 3, 2023, from 9am-1pm. You will learn about native plants and animals and how the Mississippian culture interacted with them and the environment. This 2-hour hike will take you along some of the less commonly traveled trails, so make sure to wear appropriate clothing, sturdy shoes suitable for hiking, and to bring water. Sunscreen, bug spray, and snacks are advised, though make sure any refuse is properly disposed of at the Interpretive Center.
It is imperative that no one climb the mounds, as unauthorized foot trails on the sides of the mounds are causing severe erosional problems on these ancient monuments.
Please meet Dr. Zimmermann in front of the Interpretive Center.
This event is free and open to the public.
Spring Cover Photo Contest 2023
The Cahokia Mounds Museum Society (CMMS) is looking to you for a Spring-time photo of the site to use as a cover photo for the next issue of the quarterly newsletter the Cahokian. Photos can be from any year as long as you are the photographer. A first-place winner and honorable mention will be selected. First place will have their photo as the cover of the Cahokian and will receive a $50 gift certificate for the online gift shop. Honorable mention will have their photo featured inside the Cahokian and will receive a $25 gift certificate to the online gift shop. The Spring issue of the Cahokian is anticipated to be in homes by April 1, 2023.
To enter, simply post your photo to the Cahokia Mounds World Heritage Site Facebook page with the caption “#Contest.” You may also email your photo to the Administrative Assistant at museumsociety@cahokiamounds.org. The contest will take place from Jan. 3, 2023, to Feb. 24, 2023. The winners of first place and honorable mention will be announced on March 1, 2023.
For more information, please email museumsociety@cahokiamounds.org or call (618) 344-7316.
*Only one entry per person please.*
Winter Lecture Series
The second installment of the 2019 Winter Lecture Series is “The Embedded Nature and Context of Symbols in the Cahokia Cosmogram,” by John E. Kelly, PhD, Washington University. This will take place February 10, 2019, 2:00 pm in the Interpretive Center Auditorium.
“Cahokia and other Mississippian towns not only mirror the multi-layered nature of the cosmos, but also provide the cultural context for symbols fundamental to the various institutions and cults and their practices. This presentation examines the configuration of Cahokia as expressed in the design of its epicenter of Monks Mound surrounded by four plazas and the way this cosmogram accentuates and reinforces various symbolic elements, such as the circle and the square, which are also evident in other more portable media such as copper plates and marine shell gorgets and cups.”
This event is brought you by the Cahokia Mound Museum Society and the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. This is a free event and no preregistration is required.
The Young Spirit Dancers Dance Troupe
Brought to you by the Nebraska Urban Indian Health Coalition, this dance troupe will perform at Cahokia Mounds on August 8. There will be two 30-minute performances; at 1 pm and at 3 pm. This group was the first Native American youth group to perform at the Gallup Inter-tribal Ceremonial held at Gallup, NM in 2013. Since that time, they have had many notable performances including being the first Native American group to perform at Disneyland in 2014 and the National Museum of the American Indian in 2017. There is no registration or fee to attend this event.
City of the Sun 5k Trail Run
The annual City of the Sun 5K Trail Run will take place on November 4, 2018. This is a unique opportunity to run a 5K Trail course on a US National Historic Landmark and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The course begins and ends at the Interpretive Center but traverses some of the cultural and natural areas of the site. You’ll pass through grassy fields, around mounds, through the wooded areas, and through The Grand Plaza. Custom sun medals will only be awarded to the top 3 finishers in each category and to the overall winner in women’s and men’s category. You will receive a souvenir T-Shirt with your registration. Divisions are 19 and under, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70 and up. Timing provided by Toolen’s Running Start, Shiloh, IL. We also hold a 1 Mile walk on the sidewalk around the Twin Mounds. We offer custom medals to the top 5 walkers. You can register at Active.com. There is a cap on this race and it has been reached for the last two years, so please register early. For more information contact Lori at museumsociety@cahokiamounds.org or call 618-344-7316.
Contemporary Indian Art Show
Cahokia Mounds is hosting the Contemporary Indian Art Show July 14-15, 2018. 26 Native American artists from around the country will be here to submit two pieces of art into the Art Contest and sell their original art. Hours are 9-5 Saturday and Sunday. The Art Show is a free event to attend. The Opening Reception is a ticketed event that will take place Friday, July 13 at 6:30 pm, before the show opens to the public. During the reception, you will be able to mix and mingle with the artists while enjoying music, drinks, and light hors d’oeuvres. Vote for the People’s Choice Award, which will be given during the Award Ceremony. Tickets for this can be purchased on Eventbrite, on our website page, by phone, or by visiting the Gift Shop. A list of the artists can be found on the event page of the website, or on our facebook event page. For more information, call 618-344-7316. Tickets are $17 for Society Members, and $20 for Non Members.
Native American Storytelling May 5
Gayle Ross will be at Cahokia Mounds on May 5 at 2 pm as part of the 36th Annual St. Louis Storytelling Festival. This Festival is sponsored by the University of Missouri – St. Louis. Gayle is a descendent of John Ross, principal chief of the Cherokee Nation during and after the infamous Trail of Tears of the late 1830s. Her grandmother told stories, and Gayle’s storytelling springs from this rich heritage. During the past 20 years, she has become one of the most respected storytellers to emerge from the current surge of interest in this timeless art form. She has appeared at most major storytelling and folk festivals in the United States and Canada and in concert halls and theaters throughout the U.S. and Europe, often with some of today’s finest Native American musicians and dancers. To learn more about the UMSL Storytelling Festival, visit; http://extension.missouri.edu/storytelling. for more information about the storytelling event at Cahokia Mounds, call 618-346-5160.
Winter Lecture Series February 18
The second installment of the series takes place on February 18 at 2:00 pm in the Interpretive Center Auditorium. In this presentation, Dr. David Dye, Professor of Archaeology in the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Memphis, will present, “The Lower Mississippi Valley Dark Ages: Deities, Rituals, and Trade”. When the Hernando de Soto expedition crossed the Mississippi River in 1541, they discovered numerous towns and extensive fields scattered along meandering rivers and oxbow lakes. However, Marquette and Joliet, in their descent of the river in 1673, found an empty land devoid of the once prosperous chiefdoms, with the exception of the recently arrived Quapaw. The years sandwiched between the Spanish conquistadores and French explorers has been a poorly known “Dark Age” for archaeologists. On-going analysis of locally crafted ritual ceramics and introduced exotic goods, especially marine shell and symbolic weaponry, is beginning to help unveil the Lower Mississippi Valley’s turbulent history. In this talk, Dye argues for links with the early fur trade, which transformed Mississippian society, but also contained the seeds for its demise by the mid-seventeenth century.
Winter Lecture Series Kicks off January 28
The Winter Lecture Series is an annual winter event at Cahokia Mounds. One lecture is held per month in January, February, and March. These are generally one hour presentations on topics related to archaeology or Cahokia Mounds, followed by a brief Q&A period. The lectures are free and are held in the Interpretive Center auditorium at 2 pm. This series is brought to you by the Cahokia Mounds Museum Society.
The first lecture will be held on January 28 when Mark Wagner, PhD presents his lecture titled, “Bound to the Western Waters: Searching for Lewis and Clark at Ft. Kaskaskia, Illinois.” Fort Kaskaskia is a 1750s French state historic site in Randolph County, Illinois, that has long been believed to have been the site of a later American fort of the same name from which Lewis and Clark recruited 12 soldiers for their expedition to explore the American west in 1803. SIU Carbondale archaeological field school investigations at Ft. Kaskaskia in 2017 revealed that it indeed is a 1750s French fort but found no evidence that it had ever been visited by Lewis and Clark. Instead, we discovered the remains of the American Ft. Kaskaskia (1802-1807) on a separate hill top 300 m to the north. In this talk, Wagner discusses the history and archaeology of the two forts and plans for additional field school investigations at both sites in 2018.
Mark Wagner is the Director of the Center for Archaeological Investigations (CAI) and an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. His research interests include late eighteenth to early nineteenth century Native American and colonial period archaeology as well as the prehistoric Native American rock art of Illinois.
Annual Fund Drive 2017 Kicks Off!
The Annual Fund Drive is the only general appeal for funds per year. The drive raises money for the Cahokia Mounds Museum Society (the support group at Cahokia Mounds). These funds are used to pay expenses for all events such as Kids Day, outreach efforts such as Archaeology Day, land acquisition, and the summer archaeology field school taking place at Cahokia Mounds. These funds are vital to the ongoing mission of the Society to preserve and interpret ancient culture at Cahokia Mounds. Please support the site with your donation. With your donation of $120 or more, you receive this T Shirt available only to Annual Fund Drive donors. It features the fenestrated gorget, made from lightning whelk and found at Cahokia Mounds in 1969 by Charles Bareis. For more information, call Lori at 618-344-7316, or visit our website at www.cahokiamounds.org.
Bill Iseminger Receives Distinguished Award
Bill Iseminger, an Assistant Manager at the site, was the recipient of the Bareis Distinguished Service Award from the Illinois State Archaeological Survey on September 16. Bill has worked in Illinois archaeology since 1967 when he began his career on a crew at Dickson Mounds. In 1971, he began working at Cahokia Mounds as an archaeologist and was instrumental in the research, planning, and implementation of the exhibits of both the on-site museum in the 70’s and the Interpretive Center, which opened in 1989. He has been an advocate of Cahokia Mounds and Illinois archaeology for the duration of his professional career and his given over 1200 off-site presentations about various aspects of the site. His passion and dedication to the Interpretation of Cahokia Mounds is boundless. We estimate that his live voice, written works, and artistic representations have reached millions of people of all ages and numerous walks of life. Congratulations to Bill!
Site Receives Grant for Cultural Performance
We are happy to announce that the Employees Community Fund of Boeing has awarded Cahokia Mounds a grant to produce another cultural event as part of the Boeing Native American Culture Series. This event will be the Native American women a cappella group “Ulali.”
Ulali has appeared on National Public Radio several times and made their national television debut when they performed with Robertson as featured guests on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. After performing at the Todos un Cantos del Mundo in May 2000, Ulali was featured on the “Jo Soares Show”, a nationally televised talk show in Brazil.
The group has been on several compilations that have been nominated for Juno Awards. Ulali participated in the Aboriginal Women’s Voices Project and helped to develop songs for the Project recording “Hearts of the Nations”. They were also featured on the Smithsonian Folkways compilation recording “Heartbeat,” and can be heard on dozens of albums, documentaries and movies. In addition, Ulali contributed the music for a recording with Lakota/Kiowa Apache Story Teller Dovie Thomason’s “Lessons from the Animal People,” which won the American Library Association’s 1997 “Editor’s Choice Award” and “Notable Recording Award”. During Spring 2002, they were featured on the “1 Giant Leap” recording and MTV video.
Ulali’s sound encompasses an array of indigenous music including Southeast United States choral singing (pre-blues and gospel) and pre-Columbian music. Ulali’s live performances address Native struggles and accomplishments.
This event will take place March 24, 2018 at the Collinsville High School auditorium. Tickets are $20 or $17 for Society members and will be available for sale this winter.
Columbus Day Presentation at Cahokia Mounds
On Sunday, October 8, at 3PM Doug George (Mohawk Iroquois) and Grammy award-winning singer Joanne Shenandoah (Oneida Iroquois) will give the presentation titled, “Honoring the First People of this Land.” This will be a spoken presentation, with song, taking place in the lobby of the Interpretive Center. After the address, those in attendance will be invited to reconvene on Monks Mound for closing statements. This is part of the SIUE Native Studies Cultural Series, October 7-9, 2017. For more information, contact Lori at 618-344-7316 or Greg Fields at 618-650-2461.
Bike Drive at Cahokia Mounds benefits Two Non-Profits
Cahokia Mounds is proud to partner with BWorks for a Bicycle Drive October 7. Bicycle Works is one of the great programs offered by BWorks, St. Louis, a non-profit whose focus it is to empower St. Louis kids. The Earn-A-Bike Program is a great resource where children are taught the basics about bicycle safety and maintenance as a means to build community awareness and personal responsibility. This is a free program where kids attend a series of hands-on courses held at various locations. Graduating youths earn their own bike, helmet, light, and lock. Bicycle Works is always in need of new or used bikes and bike-related accessories. Bikes and accessories can be in any condition, as many times non-working bikes are used for parts and demonstrations. A donor has come forward to facilitate the success of this Bike Drive. If 100 bikes are donated to BWorks during the Bike Drive, a donation will be made to further the work of the Cahokia Mounds Museum Society and their efforts at the site. You can drop your bike or accessories off at Cahokia Mounds on October 7, from 9 am through noon in the parking lot. This is a great way to help kids in our community, recycle unwanted bikes and accessories, and support the efforts of Cahokia Mounds! For any questions, call Lori at 618-344-7316 or contact BWorks at info@Bworks.org.
In the Shadow of the Moon: Solar Eclipses in the Cahokian Sky
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RicVJQOLlX4
This Sunday, August 13, at 2 pm, we will have Russell Weisman giving a lecture on solar/lunar events that have occurred in the ancient skies above Cahokia Mounds and will consider prehistoric beliefs about solar eclipses and celestial shadows. Seating is limited and will be on a first come first served basis.
Discover Ancient America at Archaeology Day
Cahokia Mounds will host its annual Archaeology Day on Saturday, August 5 from 10 – 4. The event features ancient craft demonstrations such as; bow and arrow making, flintknapping and tool use, pottery making, stone carving, fingerweaving and fiber spinning, and more. Visitors can throw spears with an atlatl, tour the excavations, watch archaeologists at work, and help screen dirt or process artifacts from the excavations. Food and drinks will be available for purchase and the St. Louis Food Truck “STL BLT” will be on site from 11-2. This is a free event, however a suggested donation box is located in the lobby. For more information call 618-346-5160.
