Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands, Southeastern cultures, or Southeast Indians are an ethnographic classification for Native Americans who have traditionally inhabited the area now part of the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the south ...

and the northeastern border of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

, that share common cultural traits. This classification is a part of the Eastern Woodlands. The concept of a southeastern cultural region was developed by anthropologists, beginning with Otis Mason and Frank Boas in 1887. The boundaries of the region are defined more by shared cultural traits than by geographic distinctions.Jackson and Fogelson 3 Because the cultures gradually instead of abruptly shift into Plains, Prairie, or Northeastern Woodlands cultures, scholars do not always agree on the exact limits of the Southeastern Woodland culture region.

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

, Powhatan,

Waco Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the s ...

, Tawakoni, Tonkawa, Karankawa, Quapaw, and Mosopelea are usually seen as marginally southeastern and their traditional lands represent the borders of the cultural region. The area was linguistically diverse, major language groups were

Caddoan The Caddoan languages are a family of languages native to the Great Plains spoken by tribal groups of the central United States, from present-day North Dakota south to Oklahoma. All Caddoan languages are critically endangered, as the number ...

and Muskogean, besides a number of

language isolate Language isolates are languages that cannot be classified into larger language families. Korean and Basque are two of the most common examples. Other language isolates include Ainu in Asia, Sandawe in Africa, and Haida in North America. The nu ...

List of peoples

* Acolapissa (Colapissa), Louisiana and MississippiSturtevant and Fogelson, 69 * Ais, eastern coastal FloridaSturtevant and Fogelson, 205 *

Alafay Pohoy (also Pojoy, Pojoi, Pooy, Posoy, Pujoy) was a chiefdom on the shores of Tampa Bay in present-day Florida in the late sixteenth century and all of the seventeenth century. Following slave-taking raids by people from the Lower Towns of the Musc ...

(Alafia, Pojoy, Pohoy, Costas Alafeyes, Alafaya Costas), FloridaSturtevant and Fogelson, 214 * Amacano, Florida west coast * Apalachee, northwestern Florida *

Atakapa The Atakapa Sturtevant, 659 or Atacapa were an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, who spoke the Atakapa language and historically lived along the Gulf of Mexico in what is now Texas and Louisiana. They included several distinct band ...

(Attacapa), Louisiana west coast and Texas southeastern coast **

Akokisa The Akokisa were the indigenous tribe that lived on Galveston Bay and the lower Trinity and San Jacinto rivers in Texas, primarily in the present-day Greater Houston area.Campbell, Thomas N. "Akokisa Indians.''The Handbook of Texas Online.''(ret ...

, Texas southeast coast ** Bidai, Texas southeast coast **

Deadose The Deadose were a Native American Tribe in present-day Texas closely associated with the Jumano, Yojuane, Bidai and other groups living in the Rancheria Grande of the Brazos River in eastern Texas in the early 18th century. Like other groups ...

, eastern Texas **

Eastern Atakapa The Atakapa Sturtevant, 659 or Atacapa were an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, who spoke the Atakapa language and historically lived along the Gulf of Mexico in what is now Texas and Louisiana. They included several distinct ...

, western coastal Louisiana **

Orcoquiza The Atakapa Sturtevant, 659 or Atacapa were an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, who spoke the Atakapa language and historically lived along the Gulf of Mexico in what is now Texas and Louisiana. They included several distinct band ...

, southeast Texas ** Patiri, eastern Texas **

Tlacopsel The Atakapa Sturtevant, 659 or Atacapa were an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, who spoke the Atakapa language and historically lived along the Gulf of Mexico in what is now Texas and Louisiana. They included several distinct band ...

, southeast Texas * Avoyel ("little Natchez"), LouisianaSturtevant and Fogelson, 81-82 * Bayogoula, southeastern Louisiana * Biloxi, Mississippi *

Caddo Confederacy The Caddo people comprise the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe headquartered in Binger, Oklahoma. They speak the Caddo language. The Caddo Confederacy was a network of Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands, who ...

, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, TexasSturtevant, 617 ** Adai (Adaizan, Adaizi, Adaise, Adahi, Adaes, Adees, Atayos), Louisiana and Texas ** Cahinnio, southern Arkansas ** Doustioni, north central Louisiana **

Eyeish The Eyeish were a Native American tribe from present-day eastern Texas. History The Eyeish were part of the Caddo Confederacy,Sturtevant, 616 although their relationship to other Caddo tribes was ambiguous, and they were often hostile to the Hasi ...

(Hais), eastern Texas ** Hainai, eastern Texas **

Hasinai The Hasinai Confederacy (Caddo: ) was a large confederation of Caddo-speaking Native Americans who occupied territory between the Sabine and Trinity rivers in eastern Texas. Today, their descendants are enrolled in the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma an ...

, eastern Texas ** Kadohadacho, northeastern Texas, southwestern Arkansas, northwestern Louisiana ** Nabedache, eastern Texas **

Nabiti The Nabiti are a Native American tribe from eastern Texas.Sturtevant, 617 Their name means "Cedar Place" in the Caddo language.Sturtevant, 629 History The Nadaco were part of the Hasinai branch of the Caddo Confederacy,Sturtevant, 616 although ea ...

, eastern Texas ** Nacogdoche, eastern Texas **

Nacono The Nacono were a Native American tribe from eastern Texas. Today they are part of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe in Oklahoma. History The Nacono were part of the Hasinai branch of the Caddo Confederacy.Sturtevant 616 T ...

, eastern Texas ** Nadaco, eastern Texas ** Nanatsoho, northeastern Texas **

Nasoni The Nasoni are a Native American tribe from eastern Texas and southwestern Arkansas. History The Nasoni were divided into two bands. The Upper Nasoni, who lived along the Red River in the southwestern corner of Arkansas.

, eastern Texas ** Natchitoches, Lower: central Louisiana, Upper: northeastern Texas ** Neche, eastern Texas ** Nechaui, eastern Texas ** Ouachita, northern Louisiana **

Tula Tula may refer to: Geography Antarctica *Tula Mountains * Tula Point India * Tulā, a solar month in the traditional Indian calendar Iran * Tula, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province Italy * Tula, Sardinia, municipality (''comune'') in the ...

, western Arkansas **

Yatasi The Yatasi (Caddo: Yáttasih) are Native American peoples from northwestern Louisiana that are part of the Natchitoches Confederacy of the Caddo Nation. Today they are enrolled in the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma. History Prior to European contact, t ...

, northwestern Louisiana *

Calusa The Calusa ( ) were a Native American people of Florida's southwest coast. Calusa society developed from that of archaic peoples of the Everglades region. Previous indigenous cultures had lived in the area for thousands of years. At the time of ...

, southwestern Florida *

Cape Fear Indians The Cape Fear Indians were a small, coastal tribe of Native Americans who lived on the Cape Fear River in North Carolina (now Carolina Beach State Park). Name and language The autonym of the Cape Fear Indians may have been Daw-hee. Their name f ...

, North Carolina southern coast * Catawba (Esaw, Usheree, Ushery, Yssa),Folgelson, ed. (2004), p. 315 North Carolina, South Carolina * Chacato, Florida panhandle and southern Alabama * Chakchiuma, Alabama and Mississippi *

Chatot people The Chatot (also Chacato or Chactoo) were a Native American tribe who lived in the upper Apalachicola River and Chipola River basins in what is now Florida. They spoke a Muskogean language, which may have been the same as that of the Pensacola p ...

(Chacato, Chactoo), west Florida * Chawasha (Washa), Louisiana *

Cheraw The Cheraw people, also known as the Saraw or Saura, were a Siouan-speaking tribe of indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, in the Piedmont area of North Carolina near the Sauratown Mountains, east of Pilot Mountain and north of the ...

(Chara, Charàh), North Carolina *

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, th ...

, western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, later Georgia, northwestern South Carolina, northern Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, Mexico, and currently North Carolina and OklahomaFrank, Andrew K
Indian Removal.
''Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. Retrieved 10 July 2009. :*

Chickamauga Chickamauga may refer to: Entertainment * "Chickamauga", an 1889 short story by American author Ambrose Bierce * "Chickamauga", a 1937 short story by Thomas Wolfe * "Chickamauga", a song by Uncle Tupelo from their 1993 album ''Anodyne (album), Ano ...

, eastern Tennessee * Chickanee (Chiquini), North Carolina * Chickasaw, Alabama and Mississippi, now Oklahoma * Chicora, coastal South Carolina * Chine, Florida *

Chisca The Chisca were a tribe of Native Americans living in present-day eastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia in the 16th century, and in present day Alabama, Georgia, and Florida in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries, by which time th ...

(Cisca), southwestern Virginia, northern Florida * Chitimacha, Louisiana *

Choctaw The Choctaw (in the Choctaw language, Chahta) are a Native American people originally based in the Southeastern Woodlands, in what is now Alabama and Mississippi. Their Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choctaw people are ...

, Mississippi, Alabama, and parts of Louisiana; later Oklahoma *

Chowanoc The Chowanoke, also spelled Chowanoc, are an Algonquian-language Native American tribe who historically inhabited the coastal area of the Upper South of the United States. At the time of the first English contacts in 1585 and 1586, they were th ...

(

Chowanoke The Chowanoke, also spelled Chowanoc, are an Algonquian-language Native American tribe who historically inhabited the coastal area of the Upper South of the United States. At the time of the first English contacts in 1585 and 1586, they were th ...

), North Carolina * Congaree (Canggaree), South CarolinaSturtevant and Fogelson, 188 * Coree, North Carolina * Croatan, North Carolina * Cusabo coastal South Carolina *

Eno Eno may refer to: Music * English National Opera, London * ''Eno'', an album by Japanese band Polysics * "Eno", a song by X-Wife from '' Rockin' Rio EP'' Organisations and businesses * Eno (company), a Chinese clothing and accessories busine ...

, North Carolina * Etiwan, South Carolina * Grigra (Gris), MississippiSturtevant and Fogelson, 598-9 * Guacata (Santalûces), eastern coastal Florida * Guacozo, Florida *

Guale Guale was a historic Native American chiefdom of Mississippian culture peoples located along the coast of present-day Georgia and the Sea Islands. Spanish Florida established its Roman Catholic missionary system in the chiefdom in the late 1 ...

(Cusabo, Iguaja, Ybaja), coastal Georgia * Guazoco, southwestern Florida coast * Houma, Louisiana and Mississippi * Jaega (Jobe), eastern coastal Florida * Jaupin (Weapemoc), North Carolina * Jororo, Florida interior * Keyauwee, North Carolina * Koasati ( Coushatta), formerly eastern Tennessee, currently Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas * Koroa, Mississippi * Luca, southwestern Florida coast * Lumbee, North Carolina * Machapunga, North Carolina *

Matecumbe Matecumbe is a neighborhood within the village of Islamorada in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is located in the upper Florida Keys on the island of Upper Matecumbe Key Upper Matecumbe Key is an island in the upper Florida Keys. U ...

(Matacumbêses, Matacumbe, Matacombe), Florida Keys * Mayaca, Florida * Mayaimi (Mayami), interior Florida * Mayajuaca, Florida * Mikasuki (Miccosukee), Florida * Mobila (Mobile, Movila), northwestern Florida and southern Alabama * Mocoso, western Florida * Mougoulacha, Mississippi * Muscogee, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, later Oklahoma **

Abihka Abihka was one of the four mother towns of the Muscogee Creek confederacy. ''Abihka'' is also sometimes used to refer to all Upper Creek (or ''Muscogee'') people. History Origins The Abihka were the remnants of the 16th century " Chiefdom of Coosa. ...

, Alabama,Sturtevant and Fogelson, 374 later Oklahoma **

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

, formerly Alabama, southwestern Tennessee, and northwestern Mississippi,Sturtevant and Fogelson, ix now Oklahoma and Texas ***

Pakana The Taskigi Mound or Mound at Fort Toulouse – Fort Jackson Park ( 1EE1) is an archaeological site from the South Appalachian Mississippian ''Big Eddy phase''. It is located on a bluff at the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers whe ...

(Pacâni, Pagna, Pasquenan, Pak-ká-na, Pacanas), central Alabama, later Texas ** Apalachicola, Creek Confederacy, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina ** Chiaha, Creek Confederacy, Alabama **

Eufaula tribe The Eufaula people were a tribe of Native Americans in the United States, located in the Southeast. A Muskogean-speaking people, they possibly broke off from the Kealedji or Hilibi tribe.Hitchiti, Creek Confederacy, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida *** Oconee, Georgia, Florida ** Kialegee Tribal Town, Alabama, later Oklahoma ** Osochee ( Osochi, Oswichee, Usachi, Oosécha), Creek Confederacy, Alabama ** Talapoosa, Creek Confederacy, Alabama ** Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, Alabama, Georgia, later Oklahoma **

Tukabatchee Tukabatchee or Tuckabutche ( Creek: ''Tokepahce'' ) is one of the four mother towns of the Muscogee Creek confederacy.Isham, Theodore and Blue Clark"Creek (Mvskoke)." ''Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.'' ...

, Muscogee Creek Confederacy, Alabama * Naniaba, northwestern Florida and southern Alabama * Natchez, Louisiana and Mississippi later Oklahoma * Neusiok (Newasiwac, Neuse River Indians), North Carolina *

Norwood culture The Norwood culture was a subculture or subperiod of the late Archaic culture. The Norwood culture was located in the Apalachee region, a forested and hilly part of what is now north Florida and was typical of other Archaic cultures using tria ...

, Apalachee region, Florida, c. 12,000 BCE — 4500 BCE *

Ofo Ofo (), stylised as ofo, was a Beijing-based Bicycle-sharing system, bicycle sharing company founded in 2014. It used a Bicycle-sharing system#Dockless bikes, dockless system with a smartphone app to unlock and locate nearby bicycles, charging ...

( Mosopelea), Arkansas and Mississippi, eastern Tennessee * Okchai (Ogchay), central Alabama * Okelousa, Louisiana * Opelousas, Louisiana * Pacara, Florida * Pamlico, formerly North Carolina * Pascagoula, Mississippi coast *

Pee Dee The Pee Dee is a region in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It lies along the lower watershed of the Pee Dee River, which was named after the Pee Dee, a Native American tribe that historically inhabited the region. Hi ...

(Pedee), South CarolinaSturtevant and Fogelson, 302 and North Carolina * Pensacola, Florida panhandle and southern Alabama * Potoskeet, North Carolina * Quinipissa, southeastern Louisiana and Mississippi * Roanoke, North Carolina * Saluda (Saludee, Saruti), South Carolina * Santee (Seretee, Sarati, Sati, Sattees), South Carolina (no relation to Santee Sioux), South Carolina *

Santa Luces Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

, Florida * Saponi, North Carolina, VirginiaSturtevant and Fogelson 293 * Saura, North Carolina * Sawokli (Sawakola, Sabacola, Sabacôla, Savacola), southern Alabama and Florida panhandle *

Saxapahaw Saxapahaw ()
from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

(Sissipahua, Shacioes), North Carolina * Secotan, North Carolina * Seminole, Florida and Oklahoma *

Sewee The Sewee or "Islanders" were a Native American tribe that lived in present-day South Carolina in North America. In 1670, the English founded the coastal town of Charleston in the Carolina Colony on land belonging to the Sewee. The town flouri ...

(Suye, Joye, Xoye, Soya), South Carolina coast *

Shakori The Shakori were an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands. They were thought to be a Siouan people, closely allied with other nearby tribes such as the Eno and the Sissipahaw. As their name is also recorded as Shaccoree, they can be co ...

, North Carolina * Shoccoree (Haw), North Carolina, possibly Virginia *

Sissipahaw The Sissipahaw or Haw were a Native American tribe of North Carolina. They are also variously recorded as ''Saxahapaw'', ''Sauxpa'', ''Sissipahaus'', etc. Their settlements were generally located in the vicinity of modern-day Saxapahaw, North ...

, North Carolina * Sugeree (Sagarees, Sugaws, Sugar, Succa), North Carolina and South Carolina * Surruque, east central Florida * Suteree (Sitteree, Sutarees, Sataree), North Carolina * Taensa, Mississippi * Tawasa, Alabama *

Tequesta The Tequesta (also Tekesta, Tegesta, Chequesta, Vizcaynos) were a Native American tribe. At the time of first European contact they occupied an area along the southeastern Atlantic coast of Florida. They had infrequent contact with Europeans a ...

, southeastern coastal Florida *

Timucua The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The v ...

, Florida and Georgia ** Acuera, central FloridaHann 1996, 5-13 **

Agua Fresca ''Aguas frescas'' ( en, cool waters, lit=fresh waters, italic=yes) are light non-alcoholic beverages made from one or more fruits, cereals, flowers, or seeds blended with sugar and water. They are popular in Mexico and some other Latin A ...

(or Agua Dulce or Freshwater), interior northeast Florida ** Arapaha, north central Florida and south central Georgia? **

Cascangue The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The var ...

, coastal southeast Georgia **

Icafui The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The var ...

(or Icafi), coastal southeast Georgia **

Mocama The Mocama were a Native American people who lived in the coastal areas of what are now northern Florida and southeastern Georgia. A Timucua group, they spoke the dialect known as Mocama, the best-attested dialect of the Timucua language. Thei ...

(or Tacatacuru), coastal northeast Florida and coastal southeast Georgia **

Northern Utina The Northern Utina, also known as the Timucua or simply Utina, were a Timucua people of northern Florida. They lived north of the Santa Fe River and east of the Suwannee River, and spoke a dialect of the Timucua language known as "Timucua prope ...

north central Florida **

Ocale Ocale was the name of a town in Florida visited by the Hernando de Soto expedition, and of a putative chiefdom of the Timucua people. The town was probably close to the Withlacoochee River at the time of de Soto's visit, and may have later been ...

, central Florida ** Oconi, interior southeast Georgia ** Potano, north central Florida **

Saturiwa The Saturiwa were a Timucua chiefdom centered on the mouth of the St. Johns River in what is now Jacksonville, Florida. They were the largest and best attested chiefdom of the Timucua subgroup known as the Mocama, who spoke the Mocama dialect ...

, northeast Florida **

Tacatacuru Tacatacuru was a Timucua chiefdom located on Cumberland Island in what is now the U.S. state of Georgia in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was one of two chiefdoms of the Timucua subgroup known as the Mocama, who spoke the Mocama dialect of Tim ...

, coastal southeast Georgia ** Tucururu (or Tucuru), central? Florida ** Utina (or Eastern Utina), northeast central Florida **

Yufera The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The var ...

, coastal southeast Georgia ** Yui (Ibi), coastal southeast Georgia **

Yustaga The Yustaga were a Timucua people of what is now northwestern Florida during the 16th and 17th centuries. The westernmost Timucua group, they lived between the Aucilla and Suwannee Rivers in the Florida Panhandle, just east of the Apalachee peop ...

, north central Florida * Tiou ( Tioux), Mississippi * Tocaste, Florida * Tocobaga, Florida * Tohomé, northwestern Florida and southern Alabama * Tomahitan, eastern Tennessee * Topachula, Florida * Tunica, Arkansas and Mississippi * Utiza, Florida * Uzita, Tampa Bay, Florida * Vicela, Florida * Viscaynos, Florida *

Waccamaw The Waccamaw people were an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, who lived in villages along the Waccamaw and Pee Dee rivers in North and South Carolina in the 18th century.Lerch 328 Language Very little remains of the Waccam ...

, South Carolina *

Waccamaw Siouan Waccamaw Siouan Indians are one of eight state-recognized tribes in North Carolina. They are also known as the "People of the Fallen Star." Historically Siouan-speaking, they are located predominantly in the southeastern North Carolina counties of ...

, North Carolina * Wateree (Guatari, Watterees), North Carolina * Waxhaw (Waxsaws, Wisack, Wisacky, Weesock, Flathead), North Carolina and South Carolina * Westo, Virginia and South Carolina, extinct * Winyaw, South Carolina coast * Woccon, North Carolina * Yamasee, Florida, Georgia * Yazoo, southeastern tip of Arkansas, eastern Louisiana, Mississippi * Yuchi (

Euchee The Yuchi people, also spelled Euchee and Uchee, are a Native American tribe based in Oklahoma. In the 16th century, Yuchi people lived in the eastern Tennessee River valley in Tennessee. In the late 17th century, they moved south to Alabama, ...

), central Tennessee, then northwest Georgia, now Oklahoma

Federally recognized tribes

# Alabama-Coushatta Tribes of Texas # Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town, Oklahoma # Caddo Nation of Oklahoma # Catawba Indian Nation, South Carolina #

Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma The Cherokee Nation ( Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ ''Tsalagihi Ayeli'' or ᏣᎳᎩᏰᎵ ''Tsalagiyehli''), also known as the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. ...

Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma The Chickasaw Nation (Chickasaw: Chikashsha I̠yaakni) is a federally recognized Native American tribe, with its headquarters located in Ada, Oklahoma in the United States. They are an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, originall ...

Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana The Chitimacha ( ; or ) are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans who live in the U.S. state of Louisiana, mainly on their reservation in St. Mary Parish near Charenton on Bayou Teche. They are the only Indigenous people in the st ...

# Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma # Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana # Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina #

Jena Band of Choctaw Indians, Louisiana The Jena Band of Choctaw Indians ( cho, Jena Chahta) are one of three federally recognized Choctaw tribes in the United States. They are based in La Salle, Catahoula, and Grant parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The Jena Band received fed ...

Kialegee Tribal Town, Oklahoma The Kialegee Tribal Town is a federally recognized Native American tribe in Oklahoma, as well as a traditional township within the former Muscogee Creek Confederacy in the American Southeast. Tribal members pride themselves on retaining their tr ...

# Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida #

Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Mississippi The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians ( cho, Mississippi Chahta) is one of three federally recognized tribes of Choctaw Native Americans, and the only one in the state of Mississippi. On April 20, 1945, this tribe organized under the Indian Re ...

Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Oklahoma The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large group of indigenous peoples of the Southe ...

Poarch Band of Creek Indians of Alabama The Poarch Band of Creek Indians ( ;) are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans in Alabama. Speaking the Muscogee language, they were formerly known as the Creek Nation East of the Mississippi. They are located mostly in Escambia Co ...

# Seminole Tribe of Florida # Seminole Nation of Oklahoma #

Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, Oklahoma Thlopthlocco Tribal Town is both a federally recognized Native American tribe and a traditional township of Muscogee Creek Indians, based in Oklahoma. The tribe's native language is Mvskoke, also called Creek. Pronunciation An item in the ''Tu ...

# Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe of Louisiana # United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma

History

The following section deals primarily with the history of the peoples in the lengthy period before European contact. Evidence of the preceding cultures have been found primarily in archeological artifacts, but also in major earthworks and the evidence of linguistics. In the Late Prehistoric time period in the Southeastern Woodlands, cultures increased agricultural production, developed ranked societies, increased their populations, trade networks, and intertribal warfare. Most Southeastern peoples (excepting some of the coastal peoples) were highly

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

, growing crops like

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American English, North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous ...

, squash, and beans for food. They supplemented their diet with hunting, fishing, ''Four Directions Institute.'' (retrieved 2 June 2011) and gathering wild plants and fungi. Belonging in the Lithic stage, the oldest known art in the Americas is the Vero Beach bone found in present-day Florida. It is possibly a mammoth bone, etched with a profile of walking mammoth; it dates to 11,000 BCE.

Poverty Point culture

The Poverty Point culture inhabited portions of the state of

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

from 2000–1000 BCE during the Archaic period. Many objects excavated at Poverty Point sites were made of materials that originated in distant places, indicating that the people were part of an extensive trading culture. Such items include chipped stone projectile points and tools; ground stone plummets, gorgets and vessels; and shell and stone beads. Stone tools found at Poverty Point were made from raw materials that can be traced to the relatively nearby Ouachita and Ozark mountains, as well as others from the more distant

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

and

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other name ...

valleys. Vessels were made from soapstone which came from the Appalachian foothills of

and Georgia. Hand-modeled lowly fired clay objects occur in a variety of shapes including anthropomorphic figurines and cooking balls. File:Poverty Point clay utensils HRoe 2009.jpg, File:Poverty Point female figurines HRoe 2009.jpg, File:Poverty Point gorgets atlatl weights HRoe 2009.jpg,

Mississippian culture

Mississippian cultures flourished in what is now the

Midwestern The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. ...

, Eastern, and

from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally. After adopting

agriculture the Mississippian culture became fully agrarian, as opposed to the preceding Woodland cultures that supplemented hunting and gathering with limited horticulture. Mississippian peoples often built platform mounds. They refined their ceramic techniques and often used ground

mussel Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which ...

shell as a tempering agent. Many were involved with the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex, a multi-regional and multi-linguistic religious and trade network that marked the southeastern part of the Mississippian Ideological Interaction Sphere. Information about Southeastern Ceremonial Complex primary comes from archaeology and the study of the elaborate artworks left behind by its participants, including elaborate

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

, conch

shell gorget Shell gorgets are a Native American art form of polished, carved shell pendants worn around the neck. The gorgets are frequently engraved, and are sometimes highlighted with pigments, or fenestrated (pierced with openings). Shell gorgets were mo ...

s and cups, stone statuary, and

Long-nosed god maskette Long-nosed god maskettes are artifacts made from bone, copper and marine shells (Lightning whelk) associated with the Mississippian culture (800 to 1600 CE) and found in archaeological sites in the Midwestern United States and the Southeastern ...

s. The

peoples, of southern Florida, carved and painted wood in exquisite depictions of animals. By the time of European contact the Mississippian societies were already experiencing severe social stress. Some major centers had already been abandoned. With social upsets and diseases unknowingly introduced by Europeans many of the societies collapsed and ceased to practice a Mississippian lifestyle, with an exception being the Natchez people of Mississippi and Louisiana. Other tribes descended from Mississippian cultures include the

, Biloxi,

Caddo The Caddo people comprise the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe headquartered in Binger, Oklahoma. They speak the Caddo language. The Caddo Confederacy was a network of Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands, w ...

Muscogee Creek The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsTunica, and many other southeastern peoples. Image:Spiro engraved hero twins HRoe 2005.jpg, Image:Spiro ceremonial mace HRoe 2005.jpg, Image:Moundville stone pallette HRoe 2003.jpg, Image:Spiro Lucifer Pipe HRoe 2005.jpg, Image:Etowah statues HRoe 2007.jpg, Image:Calusa carved gator head on display at the Florida Museum of Natural History.jpg,

Post-European contact

During the

Indian Removal Indian removal was the United States government policy of forced displacement of self-governing tribes of Native Americans from their ancestral homelands in the eastern United States to lands west of the Mississippi Riverspecifically, to a ...

era of the 1830s, most southeastern tribes were forcibly relocated to

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...

west of the Mississippi River by the US federal government, as European-American settlers pushed the government to acquire their lands. Some members of the tribes chose to stay in their homelands and accept state and US citizenship; others simply hid in the mountains or swamps and sought to maintain some cultural continuity. Since the late 20th century, descendants of these people have organized as tribes; in a limited number of cases, some have achieved federal recognition but more have gained state recognition through legislation at the state level.

Culture

Frank Speck identified several key cultural traits of Southeastern Woodlands peoples. Social traits included having a

matrilineal Matrilineality is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which each person is identified with their matriline – their mother's lineage – and which can involve the inheritance ...

kinship In anthropology, kinship is the web of social relationships that form an important part of the lives of all humans in all societies, although its exact meanings even within this discipline are often debated. Anthropologist Robin Fox says that ...

system,

exogamous Exogamy is the social norm of marrying outside one's social group. The group defines the scope and extent of exogamy, and the rules and enforcement mechanisms that ensure its continuity. One form of exogamy is dual exogamy, in which two groups ...

marriage between clans, and organizing into settled villages and towns. Southeastern Woodlands societies were usually divided into

clans A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, mea ...

; the most common from pre-contact Hopewellian times into the present include Bear, Beaver, Bird other than a raptor, Canine (e.g. Wolf), Elk, Feline (e.g. Panther), Fox, Raccoon, and Raptor. They observe strict incest taboos, including taboos against marriage within a clan. In the past, they frequently allowed

polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is marr ...

to chiefs and other men who could support multiple wives. They held puberty rites for both boys and girls. Southeastern peoples also traditionally shared similar religious beliefs, based on

animism Animism (from Latin: ' meaning ' breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things— animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather syst ...

. They used fish poison, and practiced purification ceremonies among their religious rituals, as well as the Green Corn Ceremony.

Medicine people A medicine man or medicine woman is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of Indigenous people of the Americas. Individual cultures have their own names, in their respective languages, for spiritual healers and ceremo ...

are important spiritual healers. Many southeastern peoples engaged in mound building to create sacred or acknowledged ritual sites. Many of the religious beliefs of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex or the Southern Cult, were also shared by the Northeastern Woodlands tribes, probably spread through the dominance of the Mississippian culture in the 10th century. The main agricultural crops of the region were the Three Sisters :

winter squash Winter squash is an annual fruit representing several squash species within the genus ''Cucurbita''. Late-growing, less symmetrical, odd-shaped, rough or warty varieties, small to medium in size, but with long-keeping qualities and hard rinds, a ...

(corn), and climbing

bean A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes th ...

s (usually tepary beans or common beans). Originating in

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica. Wit ...

, these three crops were carried northward over centuries to many parts of North America. The three crops were normally planted together using a technique known as companion planting on flat-topped mounds of soil. The three crops were planted in this way as each benefits from the proximity of the others. The tall maize plants provide a structure for the beans to climb, while the beans provide

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...

to the

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former ...

that benefits the other plants. Meanwhile, the squash spreads along the ground, blocking the

sunlight Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when ...

to prevent weeds from growing and retaining moisture in the soil.

Notes

References

*Carr, Christopher and D. Troy Case
''Gathering Hopewell: Society, Ritual, and Ritual Interaction.''
New York: Springer, 2006. . *Hann, John H. "The Mayaca and Jororo and Missions to Them", in McEwan, Bonnie G. ed. ''The Spanish Missions of "La Florida"''. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida. 1993. . *Hann, John H. ''A History of the Timucua Indians and Missions.'' Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida, 1996. . *Hann, John H. (2003). ''Indians of Central and South Florida: 1513-1763''. University Press of Florida. * Jackson, Jason Baird and Raymond D. Fogelson. "Introduction." Sturtevant, William C., general editor and Raymond D. Fogelson, volume editor. ''Handbook of North American Indians: Southeast''. Volume 14. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution, 2004: 1-68. . * Pritzker, Barry M. ''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. . * Sturtevant, William C., general editor and Raymond D. Fogelson, volume editor. ''Handbook of North American Indians: Southeast''. Volume 14. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution, 2004. . *Roark, Elisabeth Louise
''Artists of Colonial America''.
Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2003. .

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Southeastern Tribes Mississippian culture Eastern Woodlands Indigenous peoples in Mexico Indigenous peoples in the United States Native American tribes Southeastern United States

Southeastern Woodlands Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands, Southeastern cultures, or Southeast Indians are an ethnographic classification for Native Americans who have traditionally inhabited the area now part of the Southeastern United States and the n ...