A RECONNAISSANCE OF NORTHERN LOUISIANA 



MOUNDS 



By WINSLOW M. WALKER 



Associate Anthropologist, Bivreau of American Ethnology 



In the middle of July, 193 1, after completing an investigation of 

 the caves in the Ozarks of north central Arkansas, the writer went to 

 Louisiana to investigate reports of newly discovered mound and 

 village sites. Headquarters were established at Briarwood, the sylvan 

 home of Miss Caroline Dormon and her sister, Mrs. Miller, near 

 Chestnut, La. These ladies have an enthusiastic interest in everything 

 pertaining to the history, ancient or modern, of their native State, and 

 they have been most energetic in informing the Bureau of American 

 Ethnology of the need for archeological work in their State. 



With Miss Dormon as guide it was possible to visit a large number 

 of sites covering an area in the northern part of Louisiana from Red 

 River on the west to the Mississippi on the east and as far south as 

 Marksville, all in a period of four weeks. No intensive excavation 

 was attempted on this trip, as it seemed desirable to get a general idea 

 of the archeological work still to be done in that part of the State be- 

 fore choosing the most promising site for future work. Earlier in- 

 vestigations have been confined almost entirely to the Red, Black, and 

 Ouachita river valleys, little attention being paid to sites existing in 

 the hinterland between them. Unfortunately, many of the mounds in 

 Louisiana have been dug over with little or no attention to the strati- 

 fication or association of the specimens found, and these mounds, of 

 course, now have little to offer to the archeologist. 



Certain yellowed old maps in the possession of Mrs. Cammie G. 

 Henry at Melrose Plantation were found to give the approximate lo- 

 cation of some of the Caddo tribes including the Adai, Yatasi, Petit 

 Caddo, and Grand Caddo. A good many days were devoted to running 

 down all possible clues to these village sites with a fair degree of 

 success. The Adai village was located on a small creek in the vicinity 

 of the present town of Robeline, about 25 miles west of Natchitoches. 

 This was also the site of the Spanish mission at Los Adaes, later ac- 

 quiring even more prominence as the capital of the newly created 

 province of Tejas. Although this village site has long been under 

 cultivation a few flint artifacts were found on the surface in a corn- 

 field. One Yatasi village in all probability formerly stood on land 



169 



