Jim Langford at an archaeology site near the Etowah Mounds in Cartersville
The DeKalb History Center‘s March Lunch and Learn will feature Jim Langford as he reviews the history and culture of the Southeastern Indians as expressed through archaeological findings. He will also provide updates on important archaeology sites in Georgia and share his insight on how to interpret artifacts.
Free! Bring your lunch.
Tuesday, March 17, Noon – 1:00 p.m.
Historic DeKalb Courthouse, 101 E. Court Square, Decatur GA 30030, Second Floor, Superior Courtroom
Archaeological evidence supports the presence of Native Americans in Georgia during the Early Paleoindian period more than 13,000 years ago as the last Ice Age was ending. In DeKalb County, Soapstone Ridge was quarried by natives during the Late Archaic period (before 1,000 B.C.). The Woodland period (1,000 B.C. – 900 A.D.) in Georgia saw extensive mound-building, agriculture and an increase in warfare among native people, with these trends continued into the Mississippian period (900 – 1,600 A.D.). The presence of European explorers in the 16th century led to the eventual collapse of Mississippian culture from disease, displacement, enslavement and trade imbalances while the arrival of European colonists in the 18th century began the process of permanent displacement of Georgia’s Indians from their native lands with their eventual removal from Georgia in the early 19th century.
Jim Langford serves as President of the Coosawattee Foundation, a non-profit organization he founded in 1987 to promote the conservation of American Indian occupation sites and related native lands. In that role and as president of the Society for Georgia Archaeology, he co-authored two landmark pieces of legislation that protect human remains and archaeological sites. Mr. Langford is a frequent lecturer about the early inhabitants of Georgia. He is the author and co-author of academic research articles related to the Mississippian period in Georgia.
Mr. Langford has a long career in non-profit, public service projects that assist local communities. From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Langford served as Georgia State Director of the Trust for Public Land, a national non-profit organization that creates parks and preserves open space. He is a former member of the Georgia Board of Natural Resources (DNR), the Governor’s Environmental Advisory Council and the Georgia Humanities Council.
