A Chiefly Village on the Etowah

A Chiefly Village on the Etowah. . , Etowah’s village increased and decreased in size and population throughout its 600 years of occupation. Village residents supplied the labor that supported the society’s elite. They raised crops, hunted and fished, built mounds and palisades, made tools, baskets, and pottery, prepared hides, cooked, trained their children, traded with other villages, played games of “chunky,” celebrated the seasons, and worshiped their gods. Many were trained to carry out specific tasks such as the production of chipped or ground stone tools. Others created beautiful hide garments or the copper ornaments worn by Etowah's elite. , , At times, disease, famine, drought, floods, fires, harsh winters, and seasonal storms drove the people from their homes in the village. They took refuge where shelter could be found. Etowah saw periods of abandonment, often coinciding with one of these natural disasters or during times of regional warfare. Yet these people returned to this valley because of its ceremonial importance and its status as an ancient capital. , , After A.D. 1550, Etowah’s occupants moved down river toward the Coosa River and Alabama. Some researchers believe the arrival of additional Europeans caused this social disruption. It is well documented that European diseases, such as measles and small pox, decimated many native populations. By the time the Etowah River Valley saw its first European settlers, the local Cherokee Indians attributed the mounds to an ancient people remembered only in their oral traditions.