Visualizing the Sacred: Cosmic Visions, Regionalism, and the Art of the Mississippian World (Linda Schele Series in Maya and Pre-Columbian Studies)

by George E. Lankford

The four Upper Worlds have been separated by the red oak tree, the axis of the universe. This axis mundi is a widespread tradition in the Plains prairie region and is incorporated as a central pole in sun dances and in mourning rituals