Lincoln College anthropology professor and students find cultural similarities in river study

[May 12, 2008]  Barbra Burdett, Lincoln College assistant anthropology professor, has long suspected that there is a similarity in life spans between the Mississippian Native American culture (936-1200) and the early pioneers (1800s) who lived along the Illinois River over a time span of 735 years. To prove her hypothesis beyond the scope of a master's thesis, Burdett and her anthropology students at Lincoln College are undertaking a huge paleo-demographic study comparing the two groups.

Burdett, while working on her 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 buried there. "The findings were amazing, and now I want to work with my students and include them in this research process," Burdett said.

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," Burdett said.

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," she said.

Burdett and 57 of her students have cataloged 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," she said. "Then we will move on to the next county, with the plan of returning to Greene County to archive the results."

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 Burdett thinks is especially instrumental in the process is Gerald Wolfley, a member of the historical society. "Mr. Wolfley has been there for me and the students," Burdett said. "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."

Daniel Parson, a Lincoln College freshman from Lincoln, has helped Burdett create a Web page to report their findings. "By documenting the artifacts, we can help Greene County learn about their past," Parson said. "Also, by documenting the artifact, we assist people in learning about their relatives." The Web address is http://www.ilriverdemstudy.com/. The online site is a new addition to the study, and annual updates are being planned on or around July 4.

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," she said.

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. 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.

[Text from file received from Lincoln College]