Mississippian Period - 500 to 1,000 Years Ago

Growing Communities

During its peak, the Mississippian period was considered to be the highest cultural achievement in the prehistoric Southeast, often characterized as a collection of different societies sharing similar ways of living and traditions. They built more permanent communities, developed new farming techniques and tools, and maintained vast trade networks while continuing their ancestral tradition of hunting and gathering.

Large fields were divided into individual plots, owned by each household or lineage of the community. One plot is worked and planted at a time by everyone, then they would move on to another. These types of activities were festive in nature, with plenty of jokes and songs being shared.

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In contrast to the previous traditions, the Mississippian people relied heavily on agriculture for their diet rather than hunting or gathering. In particular, they mainly focused on the cultivation of the Three Sisters - corn, beans, and squash. These early farmers cleared large fields using stone axes and fire, then worked individual plots by hand with digging sticks, stone hoes, and modified large animal bones. These fields were then filled with mound-like structures formed by piling soils together and fertilized with fish or other organic materials. Corn would be planted first in middle of each mound. Once their stalks began to grow, beans would then be planted on the slopes of the mounds. As the corn matured, their stalks provide a structure for the beans to climb. The beans in return, reenergized the soil by adding back nitrogen that would have been consumed by the corn. In between the mounds, around the edges, or wherever there’s space is where the squash would be planted. Their wide leaves provided ground cover to keep the soil moist and minimize weed growth, and their prickly vines helped deter wildlife from eating the corn or beans. The Mississippian people would practice this agricultural method along the river valleys, with homes and communities located nearby. The combination of these three plants provided the inhabitants a nutritious, protein rich vegetable diet.

The pottery in the Mississippian period may seem to be not as intricate as the ones from the Woodland period but they were much higher in quality.

NPS Photo

Although the pottery from the Mississippian tradition were not as extravagantly decorated as those in the Woodland period, what they lacked in aesthetic they make up in quality. The vessels were now made from processed clay and tempered with crushed shell, making them more durable. Mississippian potters would roll chunks of clay into long strands and carefully coil them into a designed shape. The walls were then smoothed out and reinforced if needed. Dubbed the “coiling” method, this technique was easy to learn and execute yet results in an airtight and durable product. Meals were now cooked more often and served in bowls and on plates. Clay and stone disks served as spindle whorls while others may have been used as a gaming piece. This game is called Chunkey, a game that involves two players taking turns rolling a large stone disk down an open field and throwing their spears after the stone in hope of hitting it or landing close to its final resting place. The game served as a way to practice hunting techniques and predicting their prey’s movement. It is believed that the Mississippian people started playing the game at around 600 CE. Chunkey was a widely popular spectator sport with large crowds gathering around the players, watching intently. The game was taken very seriously, with players wearing ritualistic clothes, accessories, and face paint for higher staked games.

Traded items from other regions found at Russell Cave.

NPS Photo

One would think that the Mississippian people did not travel far from their settlement, but items found at Russell Cave that were from hundreds of miles away suggest that the inhabitants also partake in trading and social networking. Jewelries such as seashell pendants, rings, and earplugs (not the noise cancellation kind) indicate that trips to the coastal regions were made. A copper earspool was also found, a seemingly rare object since copper is more commonly found in the Great Lakes region. Similarly, several Jack Reefs Corner Notched stone points from the Northeastern regions were also recovered. Decorative items could have been obtained through trading with the locals or from another traveling party. The same could be said about stone points but another possibility is that the design and technique could have been learned from the locals at that region and brought back.

The explorations of European explorers marked the end of the Mississippian peoples' history. Armies of Spanish conquistadors such as Juan Ponce de León and Hernando de Soto devastated the native populations from the 1500s to the 1540s, which was already in decline due to newly introduced European diseases from previous encounters as well as prolonged drought, crop failures, and internal warfare. Most of the larger Mississippian sites were abandoned or in decline by the mid-1400s.