Mississippian Period 900 - 1600

Mississippian Period 900 - 1600. Ocmulgee National Monument. , Mississippian Period 900-1600 , People from the Mississippi Valley area came here around 900 and drove the Woodland Indians away from this region. The Mississippians had a highly complex society based on horticulture. This stratified society was dominated by an elite class of political and religious leaders who occupied principal towns, and were largely supported by the farming laborers who lived on the adjacent agricultural fields., Mounds served as platforms upon which temples and the principal residences of the leaders stood. Commoners carried dirt in baskets and formed the mounds. Evidence indicates that mounds were enlarged from time to time, possibly for new structures or newly installed priest/leaders. The community elite were buried in a special cemetery that eventually became the Funeral Mound; a seven-layer mound with numerous elaborate tombs., A plaza, or ball field, was placed in the center of each town. The Stickball game was a forerunner of modern Lacrosse and required great strength and endurance. Sometimes two rival towns would settle differences through a ball game, thus avoiding warfare and giving the ball game the title, "Little Brother of War." Chunkey was another game that utilized a stone disc and sticks or spears. The disc was rolled in a prepared courtyard and the sticks thrown, with the person throwing the stick closest to the fallen stone, winning the match.