5/8/08
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5/8/08 |
Photo caption: Lincoln College Anthropology students work on the Illinois River Demographic Study. Back row: (L-R) Jack Ulrich of Peoria, Paul Nutting of Pleasant Hope, MO, Dale Cuffe of Australia. Middle row: (L-R) Mrs. Burdett and Daniel Parson both of Lincoln. Front row: (L-R) Brad Benson of Naperville, Ashley Cooper of Clinton, and Denice Hildebrandt of Lincoln.
Lincoln, IL – May 8, 2008–Lincoln College Assistant Anthropology Professor Barbra Burdett has long suspected that there is a similarity in life spans between the Mississippian Native American Culture (936-1200) and the Early Pioneers (1800’s) who lived along the Illinois River by a time span of 735 years. To prove her hypothesis beyond the scope of a Masters Thesis Burdett, along with her anthropology students at Lincoln College, are undertaking a huge paleo demographic study comparing the two groups.
Burdett, while working on a Masters Thesis at the University of Illinois at Springfield, was assigned to the Schild Mississippian Site in Greene County to study the remains of the Early Pioneers which are buried there. “The findings were amazing and now I want to work with my students and include them in this research process,” said Burdett. As the study progresses it will include counties found along the east side of the Illinois River from Grafton to Channahon. “These two groups had similar mortality distribution because they both had to survive the same environment and both had developed corn as the primary food crop,” said Burdett. According the Burdett the comparison between the two groups normally leads to the conclusion that this is a gap in history but what she is finding is more of a process of blending of ideas from generation to generation. “They both lived before modern medicine was available and had machines and while their cultures were different, the environment they had to survive in was the same, so survival was the great equalizer,” said Burdett.
Today Burdett along with 57 of her students have catalogued almost 20 cemeteries in the Greene County area and she plans to continue moving north up the Illinois River to support her original idea. “Currently we are in the process of organizing and completing the data for three cemeteries from previous semesters and comparing them with the Mississippian Culture Individuals recovered in the same area, then we will move on to the next county with the plan of returning to Greene County to archive the results,” said Burdett. The Lincoln College Professor has received a tremendous amount of support from the Greene County Historical and Genealogical Society for the past five years. One person who Burdett thinks is instrumental in the process is Greene County Historical Society member Gerald Wolfley. “Mr. Wolfley has been there for me and the students. His patience is admirable and he helps us overcome the hurdles involved in the process, such as asking permission to be on someone’s land, and offering advice on how to handle the historical side of the study,” said Burdett.
Daniel Parson, a Lincoln College freshman from Lincoln, has helped Burdett create a webpage to report their findings. “By documenting the artifacts we can help Greene County learn about their past. Also by documenting the artifact we assist people in learning about their relatives,” said Parson. The website is: www.ilriverdemstudy.com. The website is a new addition to the study and annual updates are being planned on or around July 4th.
Burdett says she hopes her students can step back and recognize the deep impact of the study. “My goal is for the students to know their heritage and to understand the actual facts passing from generation to generation,” said Burdett. The spring 2008 Anthropology students have completed a study of the Clendenen Cemetery in Greene County which is not far from the famous Koster Site in nearby Kampsville, Illinois. After the group completed the study they archived the results at the Greene County Historical Society. Burdett says she plans to create a journal outlining the results of the study which will include the names of each student who gave their time to work in the field. “These students are preserving history and the joy is seeing the results they have contributed to the Illinois River Demographic Study,” said Burdett.
Lincoln College was founded in 1865 as Lincoln University, the only institution of higher education named for Abraham Lincoln during his lifetime. It is a selective, two-year, private, liberal arts college located in Lincoln, Illinois. Lincoln College is designed to prepare a student for university study through a structured, supportive approach to learning. Approximately 89% of Lincoln College graduates transfer immediately to a four-year school where they succeed as well as or better than the native student. Student-teacher ratio at Lincoln College is 13:1 and the average class size is 16 students.