Ancient Fermilab:The Mier Collection of Native

American Artifacts

Native American Cultural Chronology

• Paleoindian – 12,000 – 10,000 years ago

• Archaic – 10,000 – 3,000 years ago

• Woodland – 3,000 – 1,100 years ago

• Mississippian – 1,100 – 700 years ago

• Late Prehistoric – 700 – 329 years ago

• European Contact – 329 years ago

Archaeological sites at Fermi

National Accelerator Laboratory

Archaeological sites at Fermi

National Accelerator Laboratory

Mier Collection Artifacts

• Paleoindian 5/2%• Early Archaic 86/26%• Middle Archaic 83/26%• Late Archaic 86/26%• Late Archaic/Early Woodland 17/5%• Late Woodland 3/1%• Mississippian/Late Prehistoric 45/14%

Cultural Context of the Meir Fermilab Collection

An overview of cultural periods illustrated with artifacts from Native American sites in Illinois.

Paleoindian

Paleoindian spear points

Paleoindian spear points

A Paleoindian family

A Paleoindian family

Mastodon hunters

Mastodon hunters

Archaeological sites near

Nelson Lake

Archaeological sites near

Nelson Lake

Archaic

Early Archaic spear points

Early Archaic spear points

Archaic Grooved Axes

Archaic Grooved Axes

Archaic dart points

Archaic dart points

Hunting with an atlatl

Hunting with an atlatl

Gathering seeds and collecting

fish

Gathering seeds and collecting

fish

Woodland

Harvesting Squash

Harvesting Squash

Middle Woodland Pot

Middle Woodland Pot

Middle Woodland

Platform Pipe

Middle Woodland

Platform Pipe

Dongola chert disks

Dongola chert disks

MicaMica

Woodland Copper Adze

Woodland Copper Adze

Middle Woodland

Platform Pipe

Middle Woodland

Platform Pipe

Woodland village

Woodland village

Mississippian

Mississippian arrow points

Mississippian arrow points

Mississippian hoe

Mississippian hoe

Cultivating corn outside a

Mississippian village

Cultivating corn outside a

Mississippian village

Mississippian Birger Figurine

Mississippian Birger Figurine

Mississippian marine shell

maskette

Mississippian marine shell

maskette

Mississippian wooden mask

Mississippian wooden mask

Mississippian town

Mississippian town

Late Prehistoric

Late Prehistoric Oneota pot

Late Prehistoric Oneota pot

Late Prehistoric Oneota fish

lures

Late Prehistoric Oneota fish

lures

Late Prehistoric conflict

Late Prehistoric conflict

European Contact

French crucifixFrench crucifix

European glass beads

European glass beads

Historic VillageHistoric Village

In 1845, 12,000 years after the arrival of their ancestors, the

last Native American tribe in Illinois was forcibly removed .

Today, although all of the tribes once-

resident in Illinois live elsewhere, thousands of Native Americans call Illinois home.