Spiro and the Art of the Mississippian World

FAIN: GI-269616-20

National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum (Oklahoma City, OK 73111-7906)
Eric Singleton (Project Director: August 2019 to present)

Implementation of a traveling exhibition on the artifacts discovered at Spiro Mounds and the history and people of the Mississippian world.

The goal of exhibition is to share the history of the Spiro culture from its humble beginnings to its rise as one of the premier cultural sites in all of North America. The Spiro people, and their Mississippian peers, are nearly forgotten in the pages of North American history, yet they created one of the most exceptional societies in all of the Americas. This exhibition explores the archaeological and historical data connecting the Spiro site to other communities throughout North and Central America, discusses the Spiroan community and religious activities, and highlights the enduring legacy of Native Americans today who are descended from Mississippian cultural groups. This 200-object exhibition will include a publication, symposium, and website, all of which was developed in collaboration with the Caddo Nation, the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, and scholars from over a dozen universities and museums from across the United States.

Associated Products

Recovering Ancient Spiro: Native American Art, Ritual, and Cosmic Renewal (Book)
Title: Recovering Ancient Spiro: Native American Art, Ritual, and Cosmic Renewal
Author: Eric Singleton
Author: F. Kent Reilly
Author: Patrick Livingood
Author: Amanda Regnier
Author: Scott Hammerstedt
Author: Adam King
Author: Dorian Burnette
Author: David Dye
Author: Arleen Hill
Author: James A Brown
Author: Alex Barker
Author: George Sabo III
Author: James Duncan
Author: Elizabeth Horton
Author: Carol Diaz-Granados
Author: Mary Beth Trubitt
Editor: Eric Singleton
Editor: F. Kent Reilly
Abstract: In eastern Oklahoma, on the banks of the Arkansas River, lies one of the most important ancient sites ever identified—Spiro Mounds. Although they created one of the most highly-developed civilizations, the Spiroan people and their Mississippian peers are nearly forgotten in the pages of history. Explore the art, history, and singular nature of this ancient site—as it rose from humble beginnings to become the most unique cultural and ceremonial center in pre-European contact North America. The quality, quantity, and variety of items discovered at Spiro is staggering. Thousands of objects, created in many different mediums, bear images of people, deities, deity-impersonators, animals, and mysterious composite creatures. Together, these objects form pictorial narratives that provide critical insight into the briefs of the Mississippian people. Today’s Native American communities in the American Southeast, Plains, and possibly Mesoamerica are linked to Spiro through their use of similar imagery in historical works—hide paintings, ledger drawings, tipi and shield covers—as well as in their 20th century paintings, sculpture, ceramics, basketry, and weavings. The story of Spiro is not limited to the past or focused solely on art. It is reflected in the everyday lives of people today—it is a story of how religion and the environment shape us. This is illustrated through community development, religious and ceremonial activities, farming and hunting practices, and daily life. Learn how a “Little Ice Age” beginning in 1350 AD and lasting until 1650 AD may have led to the site’s decline and ultimate abandonment—an environmental threat similar to one we face today. Only one was ancient and the other modern. One used ritual and the other science.
Year: 2020
Primary URL: https://store.nationalcowboymuseum.org/products/recovering-ancient-spiro-hardcover
Primary URL Description: Museum Store website
Secondary URL: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-antiquity/article/abs/recovering-ancient-spiro-native-american-art-ritual-and-cosmic-renewal-eric-d-singleton-and-f-kent-reilly-iii-editors-2020-national-cowboy-and-western-heritage-museum-oklahoma-city-okl
Secondary URL Description: Cambridge University Press
Access Model: It can be purchased from the Museum store
Publisher: National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
Type: Edited Volume
ISBN: 9781733435505
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

Prizes

2021 Publication Design
Date: 10/8/2021
Organization: Mountain Plains Museum Association
Abstract: award for best design competition

The Spiro Mounds Exhibition Website (Web Resource)
Title: The Spiro Mounds Exhibition Website
Author: Eric Singleton and Wes Gutekunst
Abstract: This website was designed to complement the exhibition Spiro and the Art of the Mississippian World. It contains images of all the objects on view, schedule of events, maps of trade and acquisition routes, lectures, sponsors, and a virtual tour.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: http://spiromounds.com
Primary URL Description: This is a link to the website.

Prizes

Outstanding Special Project
Date: 9/17/2021
Organization: Oklahoma Museum Association
Abstract: This award took into consideration all aspects of the exhibition, publication, symposium, website, and education gallery.

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