rock circles

[larson1951]

I was born in Mobridge SD
Our farm had granite rock circles measuring from 5 feet in diameter to 15 feet,
But the small 5 footers were most common with only a few of the large ones
I never found even one artifact by these, these circles were found on the hilly parts where we kept the cows and sheep(not on the flat)
Does any one out there know what these could have been
I would appreciate any opinions
The granite rocks were average size of a bowling ball with some smaller and some bigger
Thanks in advance for any help on this,steve

 

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[Th3rty7]

Sounds like smoke signal bowls or formations to me. The hillsides could have been differently shaped thousands of years ago, like to see some pics if you get the chance.

 

[GL]

Indian pet cemeteries!

 

[RPG]

Stone Hinge America

 

[savant365]

Did they look like this?

http://pro.corbis.com/search/Enlarg...diauid={4A840191-EA81-4B17-8084-B7D6BB4151C9}

 

[RGINN]

It would be good to see some pics so we could get an idea of placement and location. 5 feet is a little small for a teepee ring; 15 feet is more like it. However, before the horse teepees were much smaller, so they could be. I saw some Ute teepee rings in Southern Colorado that weren't much bigger than 5 feet across.

 

[quito]

Tepee Rings and fire rings. 5 foot would make a nice campfire ring. Larson, you should dig a little out of the smaller ring and see what you come up with.

 

[Tnmountains]

Did they look like this?

http://pro.corbis.com/search/Enlarg...diauid={4A840191-EA81-4B17-8084-B7D6BB4151C9}

Now that is a cool picture. I wish I had a teepee !

 

[larson1951]

I sure appreciate the information
On top of the high hill south of the farmhouse there was a big one like in the picture
the puzzling thing was that the small ones (5 feet) were on the sides of the hills which were about a 5/12 pitch too steep to put a teepee
My uncle told me before he passed away that(in the 1940's)they dug about 2 feet deep on the large one but never found anything at all
My Grandpa and me could drive out in the pastures in the late 1950's and he would show me small ones and when we got
on the subject of looking for more we could find some we never noticed before and they were always small about 5-8 feet
which is too small for a teepee and they were always isolated with one here and one maybe a block away
when I put all of these facts together it sure is puzzling
I really appreciate all opinions you may have
thanks

 

[Montana Jim]

5 foot is not a teepee ring...

A fire pit maybe.

 

[larson1951]

I thought fire pit also, but on the side of a steep hill?
not all were on the side of a hill but more than not
Thanks Jim I appreciate the comment
Thanks in advance to any, one with any more input on this subject, this interests me alot

 

[naturegirl]

Totally ignorant on this subject, but this pic from Mobridge is what I kinda imagined when I read your description. Did they have camps away from the main village? With temporary smaller dwellings?

http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/lecl/oahe-reservoir/sec5.htm

The pic is about halfway down the article.

ng

 

[naturegirl]

Oops, not sure why my language was censored, but I promise, there was no vulgarity!

ng

 

[Montana Jim]

Oops, not sure why my language was censored, but I promise, there was no vulgarity!

ng

I think even words like stu-pid are censored... it's no biggie...

 

[RGINN]

Another word about this. I don't know what the anthros and archys have to say, but fires weren't built real big just for personal use. I am intrigued about the smoke signal fire ring idea, as that sort of fire would have to be big. I have looked over some older village sites that were built on the side of hills in Oklahoma. They were houses and not teepees, and it seemed like a bad place, but there they were. You would not want to be on the top of the hill as that would present a profile that enemies could spot, and they were on the leeward side of the hill. I lived in a teepee myself for about 5 years, and I chose flat ground with good drainage. I never encountered any circumstance that would make me set up on a steep slope.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

sounds like a vision quest hill to me.

4 days no food...wait for your spirit guides to show up...i have heard of shallow pits, blankets and circles used in this event.

i don't like tee pee living...canvas lights up like a jack lantern when the moon comes out...i hate sleeping under street lamps.

 

[RGINN]

You need to have a liner in it, Pippinwhitepaws! That way your silohuette isn't visible for the world to see. I liked living in a teepee.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

i like lodge living...just those full moons...

 

[jamey]

i was wondering if they had anything to do with medicine wheels.they were originally aligned with astronomical events,such as the position of the sun at dawn on midsummers day.many are found on high ground,so there form may symbolize the dome of the heavens.these statements were taken from a book. jamey ps. they were built out of the small boulders left on the surface of the earth by retreating glaciers.

 

[GL]

Pictures would help solve this mystery.