Looking like a stairway to heaven, steps take visitors to the top of the 25-foot-high mound.
Wooden stairs lead to the flat top of the big, "Mother Mound" of the Choctaw.
At one time, smaller mounds containing the bones of tribal members surrounded the Mother Mound. Over time, farmers who were not Choctaw leveled these mounds and planted crops. Now, a cattle farm occupies the field next to the Mother Mound and Nanih Waiya Road cuts through maybe 10 feet from the mound itself. The Choctaw still allow visitors to walk onto or even play around the mound. Discarded pieces of cardboard litter its steep sides and slide marks can be seen, evidence of kids seeking a thrill.
Wesley hates to see people adding to the erosion of the mound. He doesn’t consider their actions disrespectful, but would prefer to preserve it from further damage. Mitzi Reed stands atop the Mother Mound and looks out across the remnants of her ancestry, a far-off look in her eye. “Sometimes I just stand up here and think, ‘If I could just see the remnants of what it used to look like’,” she says. “Maybe someday I will.”
Choctaw Nation Part II
| Mississippi Miracle 69