While the exact ceremonial purposes of the mounds are unknown about a quarter of them contain evidence of burials. The mounds were built by the Effigy Mound Culture from 650-1200 CE and just within the monument, there are over 200 mounds, 39 of which are bears. In the Midwest, they are often in the shape of bears and birds, but there are also panthers, snakes and water spirits. Effigy means that these mounds are meant to look like something. As the giant bear tried to jump to the top of the tower, it missed and scratched the rock on his way down, resulting in the long, deep groves.Īt Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa, indigenous history is written on the land itself.
The rock grew so high it dwarfed the trees and skyline and put the girls out of reach of the fearsome bear. The Great Spirit, seeing that the bear was about the catch the little girls, caused the rock to grow. Up they went, as fast as they could, but they couldn’t outpace the bear. By the time one of the girls looked up and saw the enormous bear, the only way to escape was climbing up the rocks they were playing on. Two girls were playing on nearby rocks, when the large bear started methodically creeping towards the girls thinking he found a tasty afternoon snack. It tells of a group of Crows camped at “Bear’s House,” a place where many bears and one giant bear lived. The Arapaho, Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Lakota Nations all have many creation stories for this iconic monument, and The Crow story is one of the most often shared at the park. Through oral tradition and storytelling, Native Americans have kept their history alive, taught culture and heritage to new generations, and underscored religious and moral beliefs. The myths, legends and oral histories for Devils Tower are how the Northern Plains Tribes defined this natural wonder and passed down their traditions.
Tribes in the area developed their own origin stories for the monolith. A mighty volcanic throne rising above the Wyoming prairie cut with deep vertical cracks, visitors often say it resembles a gigantic tree stump. Devils Tower is a striking geologic formation.