Though
three
prehistoric
American
Indian
cultures
(
the
Paleo
,
Archaic
and
)
lived
in
southeastern
North
before
800
CE
,
it
was
the
American
Indians
who
were
living
in
Georgia
when
the
,
specifically
the
Spanish
,
arrived
in
the
mid
-
.
The
Mississippians
rose
to
dominance
about
CE
and
organized
themselves
into
a
very
complex
"
chiefdom
"
society
.
This
structured
hierarchical
society
was
comprised
by
a
small
number
of
"
elites
"
(
the
power
holders
)
and
the
majority
were
"
commoners
"
(
the
work
force
)
.
The
Mississippians
created
large
near
that
featured
a
central
plaza
,
residential
zones
and
defense
structures
(
palisades
,
guard
towers
and
moats
)
.
The
focus
of
the
plaza
was
the
earthen
,
dedicated
to
and
social
activity
though
some
served
as
cemeteries
.
Thousands
of
families
lived
in
these
towns
.
One
-
room
wattle
and
daub
shelters
(
walls
built
of
a
network
of
interwoven
sticks
and
covered
with
mud
or
clay
)
served
as
sleeping
facilities
as
they
usually
spent
their
days
in
the
open
.
A
widespread
trade
network
connected
Mississippian
towns
.
with
other
towns
consisted
of
raw
materials
as
well
as
finished
goods
,
including
shell
beads
,
pottery
with
abstract
images
,
and
stone
tools
.
Early
Mississippians
practiced
horticulture
(
garden
cultivation
)
and
eventually
moved
into
large
scale
as
their
population
swelled
.
Initially
,
maize
(
corn
)
was
their
dominant
crop
and
they
eventually
added
squash
,
sunflowers
,
pumpkins
,
and
beans
.
Unlike
today's
farmers
,
the
Mississippians
did
not
plant
fields
of
individual
crops
.
Instead
,
the
fields
were
intermixed
with
a
variety
of
plants
.
Tall
corn
stalks
provided
a
shield
against
damaging
sun
rays
for
ground
level
crops
.
Tobacco
was
planted
for
ritual
usage
.
They
did
not
abandon
and
,
however
.
Using
bows
and
arrows
and
chert
(
sedimentary
rock
)
knives
,
bone
evidence
indicates
that
they
hunted
deer
,
rabbit
,
muskrat
,
beaver
,
raccoon
,
and
turkey
.
Turtle
and
fish
were
also
a
part
of
their
diet
.
They
gathered
seasonal
fruits
,
including
plums
,
grapes
,
blackberries
,
and
raspberries
as
well
as
a
variety
of
nuts
.
The
Mississippians
improved
on
the
stone
tools
of
previous
cultures
to
use
in
hunting
,
farming
,
and
human
conflict
.
After
interacting
with
the
Spanish
under
Hernando
leadership
in
the
mid
-
1500's
,
many
Mississippians
succumbed
to
disease
and
the
group
eventually
reorganized
into
the
historic
tribes
of
the
and
the
.
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