A hierarchy of four community types has been defined for the Mississippian Culture and these typify not only the region of the American Bottom but also much of the southeastern United States. The smallest community was a small, moundless site that is often called a hamlet or village. Usually, these sites consist only of a few houses around a courtyard. The next larger site is a village with a population of several hundred people. Homes would be built around a small plaza and often included a single central mound. The third type of community was an even larger aggregate of people and acted as a regional center for religion and trade. The complex, densely populated first-line community was a central place that tied together a series of regional centers. Impressive mounds and plazas could be found at either the regional or first-tier center. Urban planning can be noted at these large centers.
The success of agricultural pursuits in providing a food surplus enabled the Mississippian Culture to thrive. Specialists, including priests, astronomers, merchants, and a variety of crafts people, emerged. Arts, crafts, and technology flourished and diversified. Extensive trade networks, already in place from earlier times, also tended to thrive.
The elite of Cahokia received special treatment. Excavations at Mound 72 illustrate this point very clearly. Excavations here yielded a spectacular array of grave goods, numbering in the tens of thousands and the remains of nearly 300 people. Several young men and women who had been sacrificed were buried with the remains of a Mississippian chieftain. The skeleton of this leader was resting on a blanket of 20,000 shell beads. Around him were six attendants and caches of mica, rolled sheet copper, and more than 800 perfect flint projectile points. In another area of Mound 72, archaeologists found the remains of 53 young women arranged in two rows and buried three deep. The dates for Mound 72 all point to a construction between A.D. 950 and 1050.
Consider the following story of the Iroquios as you consider the implications of growing complexity and the needs for increasing social controls.
The Iroquois confederacy was based on the tradition of the coming of the Peacemaker. He was a human messenger sent by The Creator at a time when the Five Nations were engaged in blood feuds. The Peacemaker joined forces with a female elder who tried to counsel the people toward peace. They traveled to each Nation with the message from The Creator. Finally peace came to the Five Nations. Governance was through the consent of the governed and women played a crucial role in family, clan and nation. Most of all, there was balance between people and land, within the political life of the Iroquois. Decisions were made on the basis of the unborn seven generations away. Female elders selected the men who would be chiefs. The chiefs represented families or clans. They sought ways to avoid warfare by always remembering the tradition and message of the Peacemaker.
More to consider:
Thoughts on Rank within Mississippian Society
Links Relating to Cahokia and Archaeology in the eastern half of the North America
area known as the American Bottom. Cahokia was occupied by an archaeological culture known as the Mississippian. This culture is identified by the presence of flat-topped temple mounds that served as foundations for important buildings and powerful visual reminders of social order. The population was supported by floodplain agriculture based primarily on the cultivation of corn. Craft specialization and extensive trade were fundamental to the Mississippian Culture. Trade was facilitated along any of the numerous waterways of the middle part of North America.
