Ingomar Mound Day explores Mississippi’s distant past life

New Albany, MS– Union County Heritage Museum hosted the Annual Ingomar Mounds Day activities on Saturday, November 12, 2016.

The 2000 year old Ingomar mound site, a Middle Woodland site first explored and mapped by the Smithsonian in the 1880s, originally consisted of 13 to 14 mounds, and is the oldest manmade site in Union County.

Ingomar Mound stands 28 feet high and is now covered by mature trees. It is on the highest point of the prairie surrounding it and thus a good defensive position.

Demonstrations of various skills, such as flint knapping and the use of ancient weapons, were part of the Mound Day celebration.

Many people may not recognize the word atlatl; it is the throwing stick used to throw spears by the ancient hunters of this area. The atlatl was the hunting weapon used when the Ingomar Site was constructed, approximately 2,200 years ago. It was developed for hunting before the bow and arrow.

An atlatl competition was one of the highlights of the day; the course had the same dimensions as used by the International Atlatl Association. The Union County Heritage Museum has organized an atlatl team which will be entering competitions in several age groups.

This photo illustrates the sharp rise of the man-made mound from the surrounding flat terrain.

In addition to atlatl competitions, visitors were able to try their hand at hatchet throwing and archery. Experts were on hand to help identify artifacts and to demonstrate skills such as flint knapping.

Anyone interested in learning more about the atlatl competition team may contact  Union County Heritage Museum at 662 – 538-0014 for more information.

INGOMAR MOUND DAY ACTIVITIES: (click to enlarge/download photos)