ArchaeoTrek December 2014

Archaeotrek—Alternate Perceptions Magazine, December 2014

Are More Undiscovered Giants Buried in Native American Mounds?

by: Dr. Greg Little

As related in the book Path of Souls, in the 1800s the Smithsonian excavated 17 skeletons from Native American Indian mounds that ranged from 6.5 feet to well over 7 feet in height. In the book, I used modern height statistics to evaluate the probability of finding 17 large skeletons. In essence, in the modern world, only one of every 146,000 people reaches 7 feet in height. To find 17 such skeletons by chance alone, about 2.5 million skeletons would have to be exhumed. But the people of the Adena and Hopewell eras were much shorter on average. They averaged 5’4” and 5’6” in height. In a recent article in the magazine Atlantis Rising, it was statistically calculated that in the Adena and Hopewell eras, only one in every 1.4 million people would reach that height. In addition to the Smithsonian’s discoveries, I also related that excavations into Adena mounds conducted by the University of Kentucky in the 1950s found many 6-foot tall skeletons along with several that were 7-feet tall. While a few skeptics claim that the disorder gigantism was the cause of the legitimate finds, that claim simply comes from lack of knowledge. Gigantism is exceedingly rare, so rare that in the history of America there are less than 100 medically documented cases. Something else is at work in explaining the large skeletons.

It is clear that these tall people from the Adena Era were primarily shaman, a fact repeatedly cited in publications from the University of Kentucky, the Carnegie Museum, and others. However, also clear is the fact that these large skeletons, especially the ones documented in archaeological publications, appear to be concentrated along the Ohio River and a few of its tributaries. Our extensive travels along this concentrated area showed that many of the mounds that were excavated are completely obliterated, but surprisingly, there are several Adena mounds, essentially identical in size and shape to those that contained the “giant” skeletons, that remain intact. A comprehensive review of archaeology publications, as well as contacts with local historical agencies and local guides reveals many of these Adena mounds have been untouched. Like Monk’s Mound at Cahokia, with what appears to be a massive stone chamber located near its base, many of these Adena mounds likely hold burials of shaman. Controlled and professional excavations into a few of these remaining mounds might well solve the controversy of the giants once and for all. Of course, given the current laws and mainstream archaeology’s disdain for giant skeletons, it is unlikely to be done.