Week 2 prompt blog: animals-spirits and symbolism

As humans we have used and represented animal forms in different ways throughout history. in this class we have already looked at several cultures' use of animal forms. I would like to compare and contrast the representation of animals in Native American effigy mounds, the cave at Lascaux, and our current use of animals as mascots.
Effigy mounds, and the late-woodland people that created them, embody a set of unique beliefs and ideas that give meaning to their use of animal forms. Current theory suggests that these mounds are part of a desire of these people to maintain balance and harmony between humans and the natural world throguh spiritual forces. Mound building seems to satisfy this goal, by burying the dead beneath the earth and marking the spot with a symbol of the natural world. The things we can infer from the mounds themselves as well as other archaeological knowledge reveal a unique perspective on animal life. the spiritually conscious late-woodland people placed many natural spirits in the form of animals. From the powerful thunderbirds and water panthers to the snakes that guard the underworld, animals held significant symbolic value for these people. This symbolism seems to extend beyond that of the cave paintings at Lascaux, which appear to represent a more naturalistic or potential historical use of animals. While both groups had a reverence for animals, the cave paintings do not suggest the same spiritual attachment.
Interestingly, I believe that a modern use of animals as mascots, contains a similar, but less serious symbolism. The animals used by the late-woodland mound builders were symbolic of certain qualities or traits. for example, raptors were popular among clans at war, and it is belieed were often consulted or called upon for their fierce predatorial qualities. Shamans would dress as birds (potentially in order to call on the qualities or powers they represent). In a similar way we attach certain symbolic qualities or traits to our animal mascots. These qualities are most often those or strength, agressiveness, or other skills that may be intimidating to the competition. for this reason, the most common animal mascots are large or ferocious predators. However this symbolic use of animals is also different between the mound-building culture and our own. Ou use of mascots does not place so much of a religious or spiritual significance on these symbols, and if fact mascots are frequently changed and many refer to cultural events or figures important to the people of that area, not spirits or virtues embodied in animals. Additionally, the association of these symbols with death and their relation to conceptions about the spiritual forces of the world are elements of animal belief that we lack in our mascot culture.