I have one interesting story to pass along from the conference, however…on Sunday a bunch of archaeologists, members of the Caddo Nation and avocational folks took a couple field trips to two legendary Caddo sites–the emergent Caddo site known as Crenshaw Mounds and the massive Battle Mound. Both are located nearby our home base over in the Red River Valley. John Miller, who was a AAS-SAU station assistant back in 1980s and who had worked some salvage at Battle Mound did us a big favor and lead the tour (Lord knows I don’t know enough about these sites to yet speak with any authority and David felt comfortable with Crenshaw, but not Battle).
Turkey in foreground, Battle Mound in background (photo by Duncan McKinnon).
At any rate…we were greeted at Battle Mound (in some accounts the place of Caddo origin) by a very tame turkey who accompanied us from the farm road out to the large, multi tiered mound and back….When I ran into the land owner he said “Did you bring a friend with you?” (pointing at the turkey)…I figured that the turkey belonged on the farm and he was pulling my leg…but he finally convinced me that he had never seen the turkey before.
As the turkey escorted us on our trek away from the mound and back to our cars…I had to wonder if it was symbolic–if not an outright supernatural–manifestation of the ancient Caddo…here to make sure that their descendants and archaeologists treat the place with some respect.
