CHOCTAW RECEIVED DEED TO NANIH WAIYA (ORIGIN MOUND)
A large rectangular platform mound, measuring 25 feet high, 218 feet long, and 140 feet wide, Nanih Waiya is a Choctaw name meaning “leaning hill.” The period of construction of the Nanih Waiya mound is uncertain. Although its rectangular, flat-topped form is typical of Mississippian period mounds (1000 to1600 A.D.), pottery sherds found on the surface of the adjacent habitation area suggest a possible Middle Woodland time range (100 B.C. to 400 A.D.). By the 18th century, Nanih Waiya had come to be venerated by the Choctaw and it plays a central role in the Tribe’s origin legends. In one version, the mound gave birth to the Tribe–the people emerged from the underworld here and rested on the mound’s slopes to dry before populating the surrounding region.
Sources: “Nanih Waiya Mound and Village,” National Register of Historic Places Indian Mounds of Mississippi Travel Itinerary, U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved 2/11/2022, Nanih Waiya Mound and Village-- National Register of Historic Places Indian Mounds of Mississippi Travel Itinerary (nps.gov) Wikipedia Photo: Phil Konstantin, 5/7/2016. Permissive Use.
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