The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 to 1500 A.D., varying regionally.[1] The Mississippian peoples were technologically comparable to the European Chalcolithic tradition. Miamisburg Mound, the largest conical mound in Ohio, is attributed to the Adena archaeological culture. ... This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ... This article is about the Midwestern region in the United States. ... Red shows states east of the Mississippi River, pink shows states not fully eastern or western The U.S. Eastern states are the states east of the Mississippi River. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... The Chalcolithic (Greek khalkos + lithos copper stone) period, also known as the Eneolithic (Aeneolithic) or Copper Age period, is a phase in the development of human culture in which the use of early metal tools appeared alongside the use of stone tools. ...

The Mississippian way of life began to develop in the Mississippi River Valley (for which it is named). Cultures in the Tennessee River Valley may have also begun to develop Mississippian characteristics at this point. Almost all dated Mississippian sites predate 1539 (when Hernando de Soto explored the area), and very few European artifacts have been discovered at Mississippian sites, indicating that this culture dates almost entirely before European contact. For the river in Canada, see Mississippi River (Ontario). ... A riverboat passing under the Henley Street Bridge on the Tennessee River. ... For the Peruvian economist, see Hernando de Soto (economist). ...

Cultural traits

Raccoon as depicted on a shell drawing from Spiro Mounds

A number of cultural traits are recognized as being characteristic of the Mississippians. Although not all Mississippian peoples practiced all of the following activities, all of them were distinct from their ancestors in their adoption of some or all of these traits. Image File history File links Spiromoundsraccoon. ... Image File history File links Spiromoundsraccoon. ... 80. ...

1. The construction of truncated pyramid mounds, or platform mounds. Such mounds were usually square, rectangular, or occasionally circular. Structures (domestic houses, temples, burial buildings, or other) were usually constructed atop such mounds.
2. Maize-based agriculture. In most places, the development of Mississippian culture coincided with adoption of comparatively large-scale, intensive maize agriculture.
3. The adoption and use of riverine (or more rarely marine) shell tempering agents in their ceramics.
4. Widespread trade networks extending as far west as the Rockies, north to the Great Lakes, south to the Gulf of Mexico, and east to the Atlantic Ocean.
5. The development of the chiefdom or complex chiefdom level of social complexity that could be comparable at different points to post-Roman, pre-consolidation tribal England.
6. The development of institutionalized social inequality.
7. A centralization of control of combined political and religious power in the hands of few or one.
8. The beginnings of a settlement hierarchy, in which one major center (with mounds) has clear influence or control over a number of lesser communities, which may or may not possess a smaller number of mounds.
9. The adoption of the paraphernalia of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (SECC), also called the Southern Cult. This is the belief system of the Mississippians as we know it. SECC items occur from Wisconsin (see Aztalan State Park) to the Gulf Coast, and from Florida to Arkansas and Oklahoma.

The Mississippians had no writing system or stone architecture. They could work naturally occurring metal deposits, but did not smelt iron or make bronze metallurgy. A Platform Mound is any earthwork intended to support a structure or activity. ... This article is about the maize plant. ... Ancient Egyptian ceramic art: Louvre Museum. ... For individual mountains named Rocky Mountain, see Rocky Mountain (disambiguation). ... The Great Lakes from space The Laurentian Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes in North America on or near the Canada-United States border. ... Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ... A chiefdom is any community led by an individual known as a chief. ... The Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (sometimes called the Southern Cult) is the name given to a broad, regional similarity of artifacts, iconography, ceremonies and mythology of the Mississippian culture that accompanied their adoption of maize agriculture. ... Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  Ranked 23rd  - Total 65,498 sq mi (169,790 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 310 miles (500 km)  - % water 17  - Latitude 42° 30′ N to 47° 05′ N  - Longitude 86° 46′ W to 92° 53′ W Population  Ranked... Aztalan State Park is a Wisconsin state park located just south of the town of Aztalan, Wisconsin at latitude N 43° 4 and longitude W 88° 52, and established in 1952. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami metropolitan area Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... Official language(s) English Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Largest metro area Little Rock Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 29th  - Total 53,179 sq mi (137,002 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 261 miles (420 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Largest metro area Oklahoma City metro area Area  Ranked 20th  - Total 69,898 sq mi (181,196 km²)  - Width 230 miles (370 km)  - Length 298 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... Writing systems of the world today. ... Georg Agricola, author of De re metallica, an important early book on metal extraction Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. ...

Chronology

The Mississippian stage is usually divided into three or more periods. Each of these periods is an arbitrary historical distinction that varies from region to region. At one site, each period may be considered to begin earlier or later, depending on the speed of adoption or development of given Mississippian traits.

Early Mississippian cultures are those which had just made the transition from the Late Woodland period way of life (500–1000 A.D.). Different groups abandoned tribal lifeways for increasing complexity, sedentism, centralization, and agriculture. The Early Mississippian period is considered to be, in most places, c. 1000–1200 A.D. The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures lasted roughly from 1000 BCE to 1000 CE. The term Woodland was coined in the 1930s and refers to prehistoric sites between the Archaic period and the Mississippian cultures. ... http://www. ...

The Middle Mississippian period is often considered the high point of the Mississippian era. The formation of complex chiefdoms besides Cahokia and the spread and development of the SECC art and symbolism are characteristic changes of this period. The Mississippian traits listed above came to be widespread throughout the region. In most places, this period is recognized as occurring c. 1200–1400 A.D. A chiefdom is any community led by an individual known as a chief. ... Cahokia is the site of an ancient Native American city near Collinsville, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. ...

The Late Mississippian period, usually considered from c. 1400 to European contact, is characterized by increasing warfare, political turmoil, and population movement. The population of Cahokia dispersed early in this period (1350–1400), perhaps migrating to other rising political centers. More defensive structures are often seen at sites, and sometimes a decline in mound-building and ceremonialism. Although some areas continued an essentially Middle Mississippian culture until the first significant contact with Europeans, most areas had dispersed or were experiencing severe social stress by 1500. For other uses, see War (disambiguation). ...

Contact with Europeans

Scholars have searched the records of Hernando de Soto in 1534–1539 looking for evidence of contacts with Mississippians. He visited several villages, in some cases staying as a guest for a month or longer (see Apalachee). Some encounters were violent, while others were relatively peaceable. They encountered violent people and ate their flesh and stuck the heads on stakes and burnt the rest of the bodies.In some cases, De Soto seems to have been used as a tool or ally in long-standing native feuds. In one example, De Soto negotiated a truce between the Pacaha and the Casqui. However, De Soto's later encounters left nearly all of the Spaniards and perhaps many hundreds of Native Americans dead. The chronicles of de Soto are the first documents ever written on Mississippian peoples, and are an invaluable source of information on the cultural practices of these peoples. For the Peruvian economist, see Hernando de Soto (economist). ... Approximate area of the Apalachee culture region. ... Pacaha was a Native American tribe discovered in 1541 by the Hernando de Soto expedition. ... Casqui was a Native American tribe discovered in 1541 by the Hernando de Soto expedition. ...

After the destruction and flight of the de Soto expedition, the Mississippian peoples continued their way of life with little direct European influence. Indirectly, however, European introductions would change the face of the Eastern United States. Diseases undermined the social order of many chiefdoms, while some groups adopted European horses and changed back to nomadism (Bense pp. 256–257, 275–279). Political structures collapsed in many places. By the time more documentary evidence is available, the Mississippian way of life had changed irrevocably. Some groups maintained an oral tradition link to their mound-building past (such as the late 19th century Cherokee- Hudson pp. 334). Other Native American groups, having migrated many hundreds of miles and lost their elders to diseases, did not remember that their own ancestors had built the mounds dotting the landscape. This contributed to the "Myth of the Mound Builders," officially debunked by Cyrus Thomas in 1894. Communities of nomadic people move from place to place, rather than settling down in one location. ... Miamisburg Mound, the largest conical mound in Ohio, is attributed to the Adena archaeological culture. ... Cyrus Thomas (July 27, 1825–1910) was a U.S. ethnologist and entomologist prominent in the late 19th century and noted for his studies of the natural history of the American West. ...

Known Mississippian Chiefdoms

Although the Mississippian culture was heavily disrupted before a complete understanding of the political landscape was written down, many Mississippian political bodies are still known. Some of them are listed below.

• Angel Mounds: A chiefdom in southern Indiana.
• Aztalan State Park: a small Mississippian chiefdom in Wisconsin existed there, the northern edge of the greater Mississippian culture.
• Caddo: The historic and modern Caddo Native Americans are known to be derived from at least one Mississippian chiefdom, with major chiefdom centers in present-day Natchitoches, Louisiana and Nacogdoches, Texas.
• Cahokia: Near East St. Louis, Illinois, Cahokia was possibly the first, and certainly the largest and most influential of the Mississippian mound centers.
• East Saint Louis, Illinois: West of Cahokia and east of St. Louis, the second-largest Mississippian mound center was at the site of present-day East St. Louis, which is partially preserved under the city streets and in backyards.
• Etowah: Another of the major Mississippian chiefdoms, located in Georgia, believed by some to be a long-standing antagonist of the Moundville polity.
• Joara The largest chiefdom in North Carolina at contact; also possibly the furthest northeastern Mississippian chiefdom center.
• Ocmulgee National Monument: Ocmulgee was a Mississippian chiefdom, and the site was later used by the Creek Indians into historic times.
• Moundville: Probably one of the three biggest Mississippian chiefdom centers, located near Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• St. Louis, Missouri: A major Mississippian mound center, now almost entirely destroyed, once occupied downtown St. Louis, thereby earning it the nickname 'Mound City'.
• Spiro Mounds: one of the best-studied archaeological centers of Mississippian culture; located in eastern Oklahoma
• Town Creek Indian Mound: A Mississippian chiefdom in North Carolina, generally attributed to the historic PeeDee (tribe).
• Wickliffe mounds: A chiefdom in western Kentucky.

Angel Mounds State Historic Site is located on the Ohio River in Vanderburgh County, Indiana adjacent to Evansville. ... Official language(s) English Capital Indianapolis Largest city Indianapolis Area  Ranked 38th  - Total 36,418 sq mi (94,321 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 270 miles (435 km)  - % water 1. ... Aztalan State Park is a Wisconsin state park located just south of the town of Aztalan, Wisconsin at latitude N 43° 4 and longitude W 88° 52, and established in 1952. ... The Caddo are a nation, or group of tribes, of Southeastern Native Americans who, in the 16th century, inhabited much of what is now East Texas, Western Louisiana and portions of southern Arkansas and Oklahoma. ... The city of Natchitoches (pronounced , or NAK-uh-tush) is the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ... Nacogdoches (pronounced ) is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. ... Cahokia is the site of an ancient Native American city near Collinsville, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. ... East St. ... The Etowah Indian Mounds is an archeological site in Bartow County, Georgia south of Cartersville, Georgia in the United States. ... Joara was a large Native American settlement located in what is now Burke County, North Carolina. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Largest metro area Charlotte metro area Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ... The earthlodge at Ocmulgee Ocmulgee National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located just east of Macon, Georgia. ... The Creeks are an American Indian people originally from the southeastern United States, also known by their original name Muscogee (or Muskogee), the name they use to identify themselves today. ... Moundville was a Mississippian period society located in the Black Warrior Valley of west-central Alabama. ... Tuscaloosa is a city in west central Alabama in the southern United States. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: , Country State County Independent City Government  - Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area  - City  66. ... 80. ... Town Creek Indian Mound is a National Historic Landmark near Mount Gilead, Montgomery County, North Carolina, in the United States. ... Wickliffe Mounds is a Mississippian culture archaeological site located in Ballard County, Kentucky, just outside the town of Wickliffe, Kentucky, about three miles from the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  Ranked 37th  - Total 40,444 sq mi (104,749 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ...

Related modern tribes

Mississippian peoples were almost certainly ancestral to the majority of the Native American tribes living in this region in the historic era. The historic and modern day Native American tribes believed to have participated in the overarching Mississippian Culture include, among others too numerous to name: the Alabama, Apalachee, Caddo, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Guale, Hitchiti, Houma, Illinois, Kansa, Miami, Missouri, Natchez, Osage Nation, Quapaw, Seminole, Shawnee, Timucua, Tunica-Biloxi, Yamasee, and Yuchi. Alabama-Coushatta Reservation welcome sign The Alabama or Alibamu (Albaamaha in the Alabama language) are a Southeastern culture people of Native Americans. ... Approximate area of the Apalachee culture region. ... The Caddo are a nation, or group of tribes, of Southeastern Native Americans who, in the 16th century, inhabited much of what is now East Texas, Western Louisiana and portions of southern Arkansas and Oklahoma. ... For other uses, see Cherokee (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Chickasaw (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Choctaw (disambiguation). ... The Creeks are an American Indian people originally from the southeastern United States, also known by their original name Muscogee (or Muskogee), the name they use to identify themselves today. ... Guale was a Native American chiefdom that became part of Spanish Floridas missionary system in the late 16th century. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Houma flag The Houma Tribe of Indians, or more properly, The United Houma Nation are native to the area around the mouth of the Mississippi River. ... There was much conflict with a neigboring tribe of aliens!The Illiniwek (also known as the Illini, Illinois, Illinois Confederacy) were a group of six Native American tribes in the upper Mississippi River valley of North America. ... The Kaw (or Kanza ) are an American Indian people of the central Midwestern United States. ... The Miami are a Native American tribe originally found in Indiana and Ohio, and now living also in Oklahoma. ... The Missouri were an aboriginal tribe that inhabited parts of the midwestern United States before the American settlers arrived. ... Pre-contact distribution of Natchez peoples Although suffering a turbulent history since European contact, the Natchez Nation still represents a vital part of the United States Native American community. ... The Osage Nation is a Native American tribe in the United States, which is mainly based in Osage County, Oklahoma, but can still be found throughout America. ... The Quapaw people are a tribe of Native Americans who historically resided on the west side of the Mississippi River in what is now the state of Arkansas. ... For other uses, see Seminole (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Native American tribe. ... Pre-contact distribution of Timucua One of the sketches by Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues showing a Timucua village The Timucua were an American Indian people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. ... Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe of Louisiana flag The Tunica-Biloxi is a tribe of native Americans living in Mississippi and east central Louisiana. ... The Yamasee were a Muskogean Native American tribe that lived in coastal region of present-day northern Florida and southern Georgia near the Savannah River. ... Original territory of the Yuchi Tribe The Yuchi, also spelled Euchee and Uchee, are a Native American Indian tribe previously living in the eastern Tennessee River valley in Tennessee, northern Georgia and northern Alabama who now primarily live in the northeastern Oklahoma area. ...

References

• Bense, Judith A. Archaeology of the Southeastern United States: Paleoindian to World War I. Academic Press, New York, 1994. ISBN 0-12-089060-7.
• Cheryl Anne Cox; and David H. Dye, eds; Towns and Temples along the Mississippi University of Alabama Press 1990
• Hudson, Charles. The Southeastern Indians. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, 1976. ISBN 0-87049-248-9.
• O'Conner, Mallory McCane. Lost Cities of the Ancient Southeast. University Press of Florida, Florida A & M University, Gainesville, Fla., 1995. ISBN 0-8130-1350-X.
• Timothy R. Pauketat; The Ascent of Chiefs: Cahokia and Mississippian Politics in Native North America. University of Alabama Press, 1994.

External links

• LostWorlds.org | An Interactive Museum of the American Indian
• Cahokia Mounds
• Mississippian Artifacts
• More Links
• Etowah
• Moundville
• Chucalissa