o/t burial grounds

I farm some development ground that the city sold and it is going to be developed so the buyer is clearing about 2 acres of timber that is "in the way" Anyway the timber use to be a grove around an old farm site that was razed years 40 years ago for the hyway bypass. I've farmed the land for four years and any rocks I would pickup I would dump at the edge of the woods. I noticed in 50 ft from edge there was a mound of dirt perhaps 30 by 60 ft. and 3 ft high. Now that they about have all the timber cut I see there is another mound of the same size about 50 ft from the first. Now all the surrounding land is flat as a piece of glass so that tells me those mounds were put there and not natural to the lay of the land. Also they have been there for at least 100 or more years as there are trees growing on these mounds that are 3 ft diamater. As this site is about one mile from the river valley here is my theory. I believe they are Indian burial grounds. This area of so. Mn. was settled about 150 yrs ago and all the cemetarys date back to the late 1800s. We know there were many Indian tribes in this area but no Indian burial grounds. So My question is how did the Indians bury their dead before the white man came? And how else can you explain those mounds?

When I lived in MT, the old farm house we lived in had a root cellar that would match your description. They built a structure and covered it with dirt.

The mounds in northern MN where I am from are much higher than that, but you could google it and learn all about them. If they are burial mounds as soon an they discover bones the job will be on hold for a long time!

Some tribes burned their dead.

As a kid growing up on a Kansas farm (1940's) I've seen several of these almost identical to what you describe and we were told they were indian burial mounds. Some had grave markers meaning a flat piece of limestone on edge at both head and foot. No inscription of course. We never bothered them.

Just a question; Didn't some tribes place their dead up on wooden racks so their spirits could return back to the gods?

Yes, some did; my (vague) recollection is that they were plains Indians--the illus I recall were in open grassy rolling country, no forests or big mountains on horizon.

Burial practices varied among the families of tribes. A university archeologist would be the best person to ask unless the tribe still has a formal presence in the area.

Also, there were mounds built for other purposes besides burial.

With developers it is all about greed! They are constantly moving in closer and closer to our Civil War battle fields. If it is of any importance to you start to contact your state Archeology department, maybe some folks at your various university(s), or even some agent at the tribal offices in a casino, about the destruction of Native American burial grounds,,,,and I'll bet the area will be granted protection. But the developers will probably bulldoze the area as soon as they can.
For them all America is a potential shopping plaza or rental unit.
Just my opinion,
Harvey

The Indians in general didn't do much excavating.
They were limited to Stone Age tools.

Doggy, WHY would you write "The Indians in general didn't do much excavating.
They were limited to Stone Age tools."?

There's ALL sorts of Indian burial mounds around the US, one is less than 20 miles from me.

To enlighten yourself, GOOGLE "Indian Burial Mounds".

In Belpre Ohio, there is an Indian Mound in someone's yard right next to Hardees overlooking the river. Couldn't think of a better place to be buried. If anyone was in Korea for purposes other than fighting a war, you may remember the "happy mounds". Folks were buried in a sitting position in a mound. There are supposed to be 50 mounds in the woods about a mile from my house. Thought there were 10 or so until yesterday when the wife read something about them. They date back about 3000 years.There were mound builders all over the world I guess.

Dave

You can also have tree-throw over the years, where a big tree get"s blown over, roots and all. As they decay they leave can leave large mounds of dirt like you describe. I see it all the time in the northern Michigan woods. Although burial mounds would be cool, so you just never know. Around here, most mounds are found in sight of large bodies of water (lakes, rivers) and were often rather large, to prevent animals from digging up the remains.

As far as burial grounds are concerned, they should be considered sacred, no matter who is buried there. I don't think much of them digging around and unearthing ancient human remains in the name of archeology. I've told my kids to throw my body in the compost and then grind up my bones and spread them on the fields! I don't really want a chance of some loon a few thousand years from now examining my remains and putting them on display. I guess cremation would have the same effect.

Christopher

I found the site below with a Google search.
Michigan Mystery Mounds

If you float your theory to the building inspector, it will sure enough put a halt to the developement until the requisite "archaeological study" can be completed.

In regards to excavation, see this one first.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahokia

Where I live, there are many mounds, but none like this one. Most of them here are built in the shape of animals. Still, there was a great deal of excavation involved.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effigy_Mounds_National_Monument

Most folks here in the Detroit area don't realize that Mound Road is named for the mounds along its route. There's a quite large mound next to the road in northeast Detroit.