MISSISSIPPIAN DWELLING

The term Mississippian refers to the time period from 1000-1500 AD and to the Native Americans who lived along the Mississippi River and other river valleys throughout the Southeast. Mississippian peoples were primarily agricultural, but they also hunted, fished and gathered food in the surrounding woodland. Mississippian Indians participated in a far flung trade network with native peoples who lived outside the Southeast, reaching as far north as the Great Lakes, west to the Rocky Mountains and south to the Gulf Coast.

This re-created house depicts the sort of dwelling occupied by Native Americans living in the Chattahoochee Valley during the Mississippian era. Simple by today’s standards, the house would have had been made of cane lathing covered with clay mixed with fiber and roofed with thatch. It served as kitchen, bedroom and storeroom for the whole family. Clay walls kept it warm in the winter and cool in the summer. While hunting and fishing were still important, the cultivation of corn, squash and beans enabled theMississippian era people to live a settled life. The furnishings here, all reproductions, give an idea of the sorts of tools, dishes, and other accoutrements that provided some comfort.

CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND DAILY LIFE
Native American children were treated lovingly by their mothers, but were not pampered in a way that might weaken or soften them. Even very small children had chores that helped prepare them for being grownups. By the age of 8, every child knew what chores were expected of him or her. Girls helped in the house or went into the fields and worked with the women. Boys went into the woods and caught small game and gathered berries. During free time, girls and boys played together. They learned through play. Their toys were miniatures of the tools and objects that their parents used. Often these tiny toys and dolls were lovingly made by a father or aunt or uncle of the child. As the child played with his or her toys, the child learned to be neat and orderly. Both girls and boys played games, including stick ball.

The children in this exhibition at the Museum are working. They are helping to prepare a meal from crops the family has grown. Corn, beans, squash and sunflowers are common crops grown in this area today as well as long ago.