The American Indian has long been a fictional creation designed to serve the purposes of the majority culture. This presentation looks at the most recent information about the inhabitants of the Cahokia mound region near St. Louis and shows them to be a fascinating people offering many cautionary lessons.

Chirc Otto is an Assistant Professor of English at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx