nanih waiya

Please be aware that the mound by the side of the road with the historical marker is not Nanih Waiya. Consider it a "tribute" mound. The tribes who originated in this area hold the actual mound very sacred and discourage visitors. I was fortunate to go there with a family of Native Americans from OK. Explaining who we were, we were directed by a local gentleman to the real mound -- from which you can see the "park mound." Both the Choctaws and the Chickasaw do not want tourists or visitors, and you can tell that. Some groups have made pilgrimages from Okla.

The mound itself is very interesting to me if you know the history behind it;) I think it should be surrounded by some man made beauty, too- to start some new picnic tables! From what I have read- the land across the street is privately owned or whatever owned- well, whoever owns it should find the funds to at least put in new picnic tables or something to sit own so one can at least sit down to gaze upon such a majestic sight!

This site is not being kept up at all. I was afraid to get out of the car. Originally there was a small picnic and parking area across the road from the mound and access to the mound by stairs. They were all falling apart. Since the mound is located across the road from a swamp I didn't feel safe even walking around.

Yep, you're standing on a Prehistoric site in good ole Mississippi. According to legend, near Nanih Waiya is where life began. Walk around the site, imagine how it would have been hundreds of years ago. Is that the ancients singing and dancing in the breeze. Well, maybe.

We celebrated our annual Choctaw Holiday-Nanih Waiya at the Mound site on Friday, August 10, 2012. I feel this web site needs an updated picture of our "Mother Mound" as it shows the run down fencing and old sign. The tribal property entails the new fencing and new sinage and additional acreage behind the mound. I feel it is important that the public know that "run down" area across the street is PRIVATE property, not tribal property and not the State since 2008.

The mound was locked up. It is controlled by the Tribe. The buildings had limbs on the roof, broken windows, not cleaned up. The buildings are run by the STATE of MISSISSIPPI and should have someone cleaning this place up. It is a shame and disgrace!!!!!

This was a difficult one to rate. While the significance of the mound and it's unexpected appearance as you round the corner of the County Highway that runs just in front of it would merit a five, and the very beauty of such a reminder of our rich history in the land, a history that can be shared by all who live in this country, through an understanding of the lifeblood, the pain, and the connection to the land and the continent it represents would also merit a five, the facilities and access of the mound bring in a one or a two. There are the remainders, facing the mound and on the other side of the road, of an attempt to showcase some Mississippi pride in the treasured landform, and the decaying, fenced-off vestiges of Park Service and Education are a visual cue to our ranking of cultural heritage and learning from history against the current need for war and tax havens. The mound itself is also fenced off and inaccessible to foot traffic (which is understandable if for preservation concerns, but not for abandonment.) But if you are in the area, perhaps headed to the casinos of the current Choctaw Nation near to Philadelphia, Mississippi, then you really should make an effort to drive up and at least use your eyes and emotion to take in this witness to over a thousand years of history. Bring a picnic lunch, as there are still picnic tables across the road, and take some leisurely moments to rest where a Nation was born.