The Octagon Earthworks is a historic and sacred site built by the Hopewell Indians 2000 years ago. April 12, 2023. Courtesy of the Ohio History Connection
The Ohio History Connection and Newark Earthworks Center will host students Sunday and Monday to see the Historic Octagon Earthworks structure built by American Indians at its annual open house.
Sarah Hinkelman, historic site manager at Ohio History Connection and a graduate student in anthropology, said the Newark earthworks are vast earthen structures built by the Hopewell Indians. Specifically, the Octagon Earthworks is one part of the structures still present and only open for a few days every year because it is leased to a private country club for the remainder of the year.
“They’re 2,000 years old built by American Indians. It’s just a testament to that history, and that is so much forgotten about. So, the more awareness there is for these sites, I feel like the better we’ll devote ourselves to learning about the people who created them,” Hinkelman said.
John Low, director of the Newark Earthworks Center and an associate professor in the Department of Comparative Studies, said the Great Circle is a structure which showed the American Indians a sense of their position in the universe. He said the Octagon is a lunar observatory which gave the Hopewell people the ability to measure time as a “sense of comfort.”
“The Great Circle represents where we are in the universe. In our lived experience, it reflects interactions to the sky world,” Low said.
Low said the structures served an important purpose to the Hopewell Indians, but their construction is distinct by modern standards as well.
“The Octagon in particular, but also the Great Circle are in some respects STEAAM facilities — science, technology, engineering, aesthetic, architecture, math,” Low said. “It’s all included in the construction of those two sites.”
Hinkelman said the open house will consist of information tables from Ohio-based organizations to promote the education of historic earthworks and sites across Ohio, including tours of the Octagon and other parts of the Newark Earthworks. Programming is also put in place to discuss the nomination of the earthworks for the UNESCO world heritage site status.
Low, who will be leading tours during the open house and hosting a talk about how American Indians are still connected to the Earthworks, said he is excited to offer a Native perspective to the event.
“I’m trying to get my students to come and let other people know, and so it’ll be, sort of, indigenous perspectives, Native perspectives on the Octagon, so a little different kind of tour than what you might get from other people at the Ohio History Connection which might be more history oriented,” Low said.
The Octagon still remains closed to the public for the majority of the year, but Hinkelman said she was excited for people to come and learn about its history.
“I’m just hoping that people get a better idea of how important these sites are. Not only for American Indians because these are their sacred sites — their ancestors built these earthworks but just how amazing it is to have these sites in our states as well,” Hinkelman said. “These are really monumental.”
The open house will be open from noon to 4 p.m. both days.
