I never stop being fascinated with the sheer scale of impact Cahokia has on the center and southeast of this continent.

I'm teaching medieval Iowa this semester--goes back and forth between focusing on Iowa and focusing on Cahokia, sometimes books on each--and so much changes in this state in the 900-1000 range--Cahokia is a big part of it. The other big part is corn, which is... Iowa.

Well, corn is from Mesoamerica, so the Midwest should show some fucking gratitude for our staple crop and more importantly to the farmworkers and meat packing plant workers who do the hard labor of the American food industry.

Citizenship for all now thank you very much.

I love that by the time period I study in Europe, Cahokia is expanding it's influence. I mean, the construction of the giant mound cities of the American Bottom Lands is AMAZING, but the stretching of soft power so damn far is what really does it for me.

So in the Upper Midwest, by 1050 AD Cahokia occupies the Effigy Mounds region, and builds a pilgrimage site at Trempealeau ( http://www.cahokia.illinois.edu/documents/Pauketat%20et%20al%202015.pdf) for the Driftless Region ( https://nationaltroutcenter.org/visit-ntc/driftless-area/), their farthest outpost.

From there, it's not colonies, it's not military conquest--it's corn, ceramics, platform mounds, sports, etc. that spread.

Cahokia-style ceramics start spreading in Iowa sites throughout the twelfth century--especially sites along the Mississippi, naturally--but also into Mill Creek sites in northwest Iowa, probably via the Hartley Fort site/community in the northeast who trade w/ both groups.

When this pandemic recedes/vaccines are properly distributed, I want to get into the archives of the State Archeologist's office and really dive in to some of these sites.

Love it.

The part I really love, and what we're building towards in the class, is that the various Late Woodland groups we're talking about this week--Great Oasis, Mill Creek and Glenwood, which are on the western side and spreading into the center--come into contact and dialogue and

exchange with the Middle Mississippians and the Late Woodland groups impacted by them in the eastern part of the region (which we're discussing next week)--and that combination eventually becomes the Oneota people in the east, who then spread to the Missouri River Valley.

Peacefully, it seems! The other groups migrate north and west or join.

And the Oneota then build large scale settlements along the Missouri and exist into the contemporary period, where numerous groups, including the Ioway, are descended from them.

Which is why the final week of this unit, we use the many, many resources Lance Foster (Vice Chair of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska and long-time Tribal Historic Preservation Officer) has put online ( http://ioway.nativeweb.org/index.htm ) for the Baxoje people.

That continuity I think is the part that matters most. A lot of my students have learned a bit of Iowa history--well, the ones from Iowa--but it is all settler history.

The Iowa people still exist. This is their land.

Their reservation on the Kansas-Nebraska border includes the second-largest Oneota site found, and they are descendants of a late medieval kingdom of large size and power and range, with numerous LARGE centers still visible today.

Learning about them MATTERS.