SPRINGFIELD – Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Collinsville will host their Winter Lecture Series virtually on Webex from January through March. The series begins on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 1 p.m.
Logan Pappenfort, Illinois State Museum Director of Tribal Relations, will kickstart the series with his presentation “From Piasa to payiihsaki: Supernatural Symbolism and Misconstrued Tales.” The lecture will deconstruct the various stories surrounding the Piasa and how that narrative has been misinterpreted from its origins over the years.
Pappenfort, a descendant of the Peoria Tribe, will present evidence from ethnographic, historical and oral traditions to clarify the connection between the original native tradition of the payiihsaki and the modern-day interpretations of the Piasa.
The Winter Lecture Series is free and open to the public. Online registration is required.
The Interpretive Center at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is temporarily closed to the public. The grounds are open every day from dawn to dusk. To reserve a free guided walking tour or for more information, call 618-346-5161 or visit www.cahokiamounds.org.
