Chickamauga Mound
photo by John Shearer
From left, Kenny Wilhoit, Cleata Townsend, Tom Kunesh and Eric Atkins
photo by John Shearer
Mound marker being unveiled
photo by John Shearer
Mound marker dedication attendees
photo by John Shearer
Chickamauga Mound historical marker
photo by John Shearer
Cleata Townsend
photo by John Shearer
Kenny Wilhoit
photo by John Shearer
It might have been “spring forward” weekend on the calendar, but several dozen people gathered off Amnicola Highway Saturday at noon to honor the past with a dedication of an official state historical marker recognizing the Chickamauga Mound.
It is an earthen mound near the Riverpoint section of the Tennessee Riverpark on the north side of South Chickamauga Creek. As its marker says, it had comprised the center of a Woodland American Indian period town from about 350 to 900 AD.
Tom Kunesh, a Native American descendant with the Tennessee Ancient Sites Conservancy and formerly with the Chattanooga InterTribal Association, hinted that he liked the perspective of the new marker both literally and symbolically.
“It is unique in that you can see the sign and the mound at the same time,” he told the gathering shortly before the unveiling of the silver marker his organization sponsored financially, saying that sometimes markers are placed out of sight from the historical sites. “This one is in perfect line.”
He also liked the symbolic significance of the marker in that it also denotes a friendship with the current owner, Kenny Wilhoit of Atlantic Distributors Inc.
Mr. Wilhoit, whose firm sells frozen wholesale food out of the facility to restaurants, schools and the public, allowed him and interested people to have access to the mound, which he said is actually owned and protected by a state group.
Mr. Kunesh said he and Cleata Townsend, a longtime local advocate for protecting Native American sites and history, and others used to come to the security fence and just be able to look at the mound from several feet. “We were dreaming we would one day be able to meet the owner and get permission to visit the mound and take care of it,” he said.
He said they have actually cleaned off the area around the mound with the help of some other younger volunteers also in attendance Saturday, and they have removed some trees and hope to plant some native grass on it in the near future. A groundhog also lives in the area, and they hope to plant winter food for it as well, he said.
He added before the unveiling that the top part of the mound is actually the historically and culturally significant section. The lower part was underground but exposed when Roxbury Southern Mills textile plant built the current Atlantic Distributors building in 1971 and removed a lot of dirt around the mound and surrounding field for drainage runoff.
Mr. Wilhoit was also on hand and said he was excited about the marker dedication and the work done to enhance and protect the mound. “They’ve done a great job in cleaning it up,” he said, adding that most people do not know it is there. “Once or twice a year they come out.”
Ms. Townsend referred to the dedication as a special day and was pleased to see so many young adults involved in the work. She also believes the marker is important in understanding and appreciating Native American history.
“It is important to record history because Citico Mound is no more,” she said of the former mound where the Tennessee-American Water Co. facilities are closer to downtown, the dirt of which was used in the construction of Amnicola Highway.
Before the dedication, pieces of tobacco were passed around for people to drop on the ground by the marker as a Native American tradition signifying respect for those gone or prayer time.
Eric Atkins of the Unity Group added to this thought when he referenced how the American Indians of yesteryear might have been thinking.
“If we are thinking about our ancestors today, I think they would be smiling,” he said.
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This article was originally published by a www.chattanoogan.com . Read the Original article here. .