Evening Star Project
Dedicated to the Study & Preservation of Mississippian History, Art & Culture
What is the Mississippian Era?
For the purposes of this project, the Mississippian Era consists of three phases: Early, Middle, and Late. These phases are tied to important sites and communities across the traditional region of Mississippian influence. Roughly, an area that runs from Oklahoma in the West to Virginia in the East, and from Texas in the South to Wisconsin in the North.
The Mississippian Era was a time of dynamic change, with the sudden and relatively recent adoption of significant mythological themes, cultural traits, and agricultural technology from Mesoamerica. More intensive forms of agriculture, which included maize and later beans, were established with more stratified societies and economies. The bow and arrow had also just arrived a few hundred years prior. It would be a technology that would change the lives of many, not only through the hunt, but also warfare. It was this new agricultural technology, merged with the technology of the bow and arrow, that formed the beginnings of what we now identify as Mississippian.
Characteristics of Mississippian communities:
- Large scale use of maize and later bean agriculture
- Growth and consolidation of populations
- Stratified sociopolitical organization with elites running trade & ceremonial centers
- Flat-top, stepped pyramid and circular mounds
- Extensive trade networks
Some of the descendant communities of Mississippian influence or contact: Caddo (Caddo, Pawnee, Wichita, Arikara, etc.), Sioux (Osage, Ponca, Omaha, Iowa, Quapaw, Biloxi, Oto, Mandan, Hidatsa, Lakota, Dakota, Assinniboin, Naysah/Saponi, Monacan, Catawba, etc.), Muskogee (Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee Creek, Seminole, Koasati, Hitchiti, etc.), Euchee (Yuchi) (Language Isolate), Algonquin (Cheyenne, Arapaho, Shawnee, Sac & Fox, Pamunkey, Passamaquaddy, Mi'kmaq, etc.), and Iroquoian (Cherokee, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, etc.). This list is in no way exhaustive.
Image Above: Cahokia as it may have appeared c. 1150 CE. Courtesy of Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site; painting by Michael Hampshire.
Mississippian Timeline
- Early: 900-1250 CE (Spiro/Cahokia/Ocmulgee)
- Middle: 1250-1450 CE (Moundville/Etowah/Spiro)
- Late: 1450-1650 CE
(Koosa/Natchez/Yuchi)
Mississippian Sphere of Influence. This is just a tiny sampling of identified sites.
A Red Road Forward
This project is not an anthropological or ethnographic study, nor is it an archaeological examination. The framework here is historical and will draw upon various fields and data sources in an attempt to paint as accurate a picture as possible of the people, cultures, and places during this important and dynamic period in our history.
In coordination with native governments, communities, organizations, museums, and experts from the United States, Mexico, Central and South America, our goal is to take a broad based approach in understanding and preserving this amazing period in history and its lasting impacts on native thought, art, and culture.
Outside continuing research and the production of our biannual publication, one of our first efforts will be the development of our Bright Star Program. This program will focus on our core mission - Cultural & Historic Preservation - and will include two initiatives:
- Tracking, monitoring, and cataloging culturally and historically significant objects that may be or have been for sale on the open and black markets.
- Cataloging, studying, and preserving maize and bean varieties related to those in use during the Mississippian Era. This includes the return of traditional seed varieties to Native communities.
The research and efforts behind this project have been under development for many years. Although some have passed, we would like to thank Vine Deloria Jr. (Standing Rock Sioux), Bill Day (Tunica-Biloxi), Janet Nugen (Pamunkey/Saponi), Frederick Byrne, Benito Torres (Taíno), Billy Tayac (Piscataway), Georgette & Gus Palmer (Kiowa), Paul Moorehead, Robert Holden (Choctaw), members and staff of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), Tom Pohaku Stone (Native Hawaiian), Alice Kehoe, and many others.
This site is for educational purposes only. More content, including images, resources, research, native myths, and histories will be posted over the course of the project.
Mesoamerican maize deity (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York).