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
Fashion of decorating one’s body was not limited to tattoos or other permanent markings. Another important part of the Mississippians’ lives came certain dress codes, ornaments as well as the fashion that demanded complete removal of one’s body hair. One of the early French chronicles... Read More
Among the Mississippians and their neighbors the art of decorating one’s body with permanent markings of colorful designs was widespread and beautiful to look at. Or so claimed the later-day French that lived among the Natchez and other nations that considered themselves to be descendants... Read More
Upon the great mounds of Cahokia and the rest of the great Mississippian cities, life was reported to be significantly different than among the dwellers of the countryside and the simpler towns and neighborhoods. As mentioned in the previous article, the lower class people did... 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
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
The discovery of the New World, which was fortunate for some and very unfortunate for the others, had never happened on this small piece of the internet territory. On the Oct. 12, 1492, the lookout of the caravel Pinta, Rodrigo de Triana, napped on, dreaming... Read More