Tim Pauketat, a professor of anthropology from the University of Illinois, gave two lectures on the Native American culture of Cahokia, Ill. this week as part of the "Communities in Crisis" anthropology lecture series. 

Both lectures focused on the importance of material culture in understanding transitional periods, or hinge points, in communities. Pauketat illustrated this argument through the archeological finds at Cahokia and surrounding dig sites.

"Material culture has multiple associations," said Pauketat. "Memories are attached to it."

He believes that material culture, or artifacts, can act as markers of change within a community.

I'm being selective here and this all may fall apart, but for the moment, I'm intrigued. -Tim Pauketat, anthropology professor at the University of IllinoisThe Cahokia community was constructed abruptly at around 1050 A.D., when about 10,000 people suddenly moved to this sparsely populated land for no historically documented reason, Pauketat's research contends.

"Cahokia has some kind of power that people somehow want to be there or emulate it," he said.

When those early Native Americans moved to Cahokia, they developed a new style of house, and the citizens of the newly formed city created cultural objects with a new level of intensity, Pauketat said.

Pauketat believes so many people flocked to Cahokia so suddenly because a new religion, which offered something to its followers, may have been formed at the time.

"It must be more than a charismatic person saying 'hey come follow me' to pull this off," said Pauketat.

Evidence of missionary work in surrounding cities is present in the archeology of the area, and there even appears to be some Mexican influence on Cahokia's culture.

Signs of human sacrifice, originally a part of Mexican culture, are quite present in the city and the surrounding dig sites. According to Pauketat, pits of sacrificed women were found buried underneath large wooden posts and appear to be the end result of a Cahokian ritual.

Mexican influence on Cahokia can also be seen in the material culture found at the dig site. Earrings in the shape of human heads are distinctly Mexican, yet they were found during excavations of the city. Pauketat also believes that Mississippians traveled to Mexico, brought back its culture, and incorporated it into the Cahokian way of life.

Very strong cosmic references also exist in the layout of the city and surrounding area.

Every building in Cahokia has a layout perfectly aligned to a rare cosmic event that only happens every 18.6 years, called a lunar standstill, said Pauketat. Some structures built at Cahokia are even aligned with different cosmic events such as the solar or lunar solstice.

Pauketat's research at Cahokia's sister site, Emerald City, shows that the buildings there are aligned with the lunar standstill as well.

Pauketat does admit that many of his conclusions could fall apart once more excavations are done, but that will not stop him from continuing his research.

"I'm being selective here and this all may fall apart," said Pauketat. "But for the moment, I'm intrigued."