Caddoan Mississippian Mississippian culture

map of caddoan mississippian culture



spiro, in eastern oklahoma

the caddoan mississippian area, regional variant of mississippian culture, covered large territory, including eastern oklahoma, western arkansas, northeastern texas, , northwestern louisiana. archaeological evidence has led scholarly consensus cultural continuity unbroken prehistory present, , caddo , related caddo language speakers in prehistoric times , @ first european contact direct ancestors of modern caddo nation of oklahoma.

the climate in area drier areas in eastern woodlands, hindering maize production, , lower population on plains west may have meant fewer neighboring competing chiefdoms contend with. major sites such spiro , battle mound site in arkansas river , red river valleys, largest , fertile of waterways in caddoan region, maize agriculture have been productive. sites lacked wooden palisade fortifications found in major middle mississippian towns. living on western edge of mississippian world, caddoans may have faced fewer military threats neighbors. societies may have had lower level of social stratification.

the caddoan people speakers of 1 of many caddoan languages. caddoan languages once had broad geographic distribution, many extinct. modern languages in caddoan family include caddo , pawnee, spoken elderly people.

hernando de soto led expedition area in 1540s, encountered several native groups thought have been caddoan. composed of many tribes, caddo organized 3 confederacies, hasinai, kadohadacho, , natchitoches, linked similar languages.