The year in the Natchez Calendar began around the early spring according to Antoine-Simon Le Page du Pratz and other among his French contemporaries. A grandiose celebration called Deer Feast that opened the year took days to complete, a magnificent festival of traditional food, games... Read More
The second most important celebration of the Natchez’ year was held through mid-September, or on the Moon of the Great Corn, the festivity that began the time of the harvest.The Feast of the Grain it was called it times according to the French annalists, Du... Read More
While the rules governing marriage eligibility seemed to be strict among the Mississippian nobility, the common people were reported to enjoy more freedom and less ceremony by far. Especially the representatives of the fair sex. In fact, it might seem that, while not enjoying the... Read More
The magnificent mound of Cahokia, the largest man-made earthwork in North America, is towering over the surrounding landscape of the beautiful Missouri River and multitude of other man-made mounds, over 100 feet high and nearly 1000 feet long, massive, multi-terraced, imposing, humbling. It must have... Read More
It is interesting to note that when we refer to the pre-contact history of North America, we tend to think of the times fairly close to the portentous, not to say apocalyptic, 15th century. Whether the Great League of the Iroquois/Haudenosaunee in the northeast, or... Read More
The ancient largest North American city deserved to be ruled by no less than a deity, or a descendant of it, so the purity of the bloodline was of paramount importance. The Cahokian Royal House went to great pains in order to preserve it. And... Read More
It was settled around the 7th century, gradually evolving into a great urban center, populated more densely than London of the same time. For decades thousands of workers had shifted more than 55 million cubic feet of earth, building a great network of mounds and... Read More