Art

Mississippians used to live in villages. These villages were surrounded by a palisade and a dig, both of wich had defensive purposes.

In these villages, there were several and prominent square-base, flat-topped mounds, on the top of which might be either a temple or the house of an important family. The mounds were constructed of layers of soil, each one laid after the burial of the previous inhabitant of the mound top. The highest mounds were reserved for the chief and religious temples, while other lower mounds located near the biggest ones were used as temples for burial ceremonies or as houses for other important citizens.

Between these mounds, a big plaza was erected upon a two or three foot tall mound; in this plaza the village meetings took place.

Dispersed to the limits of the villages were the villagers' houses. All the houses were rectangular, 10 - 25 feet long and made of poles tied with smaller branches. The roofs were gabled or conical. In the middle of the house, there was a small depression where the fire was kept and, near the walls, there were platforms for sleeping. The houses were used only as shelters for sleeping and storage.

Pottery

Pottery-making was one of the activities best developed by Mississippians . A variety of bowls, jars, and animal, plant and human effigies were made for mortuary ceremonies. Many artifacts were decorated with geometric and anthropomorphic forms made by incising, graving, painting and punctuating.

Weaving

The cloth used by these Indians varied between seasons. For example, in winter, breechcloth , sleeveless shirts, fur, and feather mantles were used, while in summer most of these cloth were omitted. Weaving was also used to make fish traps and baskets. Woven tools were made of bones.

Etc.

The Mississippians, as their ancestors, used wood, rock, shells, bone, and copper to make ornaments, tools and weapons such as axes, knives, and arrows.