Native Americans Mississippi River

monks mound, platform mound @ site of mississippian city of cahokia.

the area of mississippi river basin first settled hunting , gathering native american peoples , considered 1 of few independent centers of plant domestication in human history. evidence of cultivation of sunflower, goosefoot, marsh elder , indigenous squash dates 4th millennium bce. lifestyle gradually became more settled after around 1000 bce during called woodland period, increasing evidence of shelter construction, pottery, weaving , other practices. network of trade routes referred hopewell interaction sphere active along waterways between 200 , 500 ce, spreading common cultural practices on entire area between gulf of mexico , great lakes. period of more isolated communities followed, , agriculture introduced mesoamerica based on 3 sisters (maize, beans , squash) gradually came dominate. after around 800 ce there arose advanced agricultural society today referred mississippian culture, evidence of highly stratified complex chiefdoms , large population centers. prominent of these, called cahokia, occupied between 600 , 1400 ce , @ peak numbered between 8,000 , 40,000 inhabitants, larger london, england of time. @ time of first contact europeans, cahokia , many other mississippian cities had dispersed, , archaeological finds attest increased social stress.

modern american indian nations inhabiting mississippi basin include cheyenne, sioux, ojibwe, potawatomi, ho-chunk, fox, kickapoo, tamaroa, moingwena, quapaw , chickasaw.

the word mississippi comes messipi, french rendering of anishinaabe (ojibwe or algonquin) name river, misi-ziibi (great river). ojibwe called lake itasca omashkoozo-zaaga igan (elk lake) , river flowing out of omashkoozo-ziibi (elk river). after flowing lake bemidji, ojibwe called river bemijigamaag-ziibi (river traversing lake). after flowing cass lake, name of river changes gaa-miskwaawaakokaag-ziibi (red cedar river) , out of lake winnibigoshish wiinibiigoonzhish-ziibi (miserable wretched dirty water river), gichi-ziibi (big river) after confluence leech lake river, misi-ziibi (great river) after confluence crow wing river. after expeditions giacomo beltrami , henry schoolcraft, longest stream above juncture of crow wing river , gichi-ziibi named mississippi river . mississippi river band of chippewa indians, known gichi-ziibiwininiwag, named after stretch of mississippi river known gichi-ziibi. cheyenne, 1 of earliest inhabitants of upper mississippi river, called máʼxe-éʼometaaʼe (big greasy river) in cheyenne language. arapaho name river beesniicíe. pawnee name kickaátit.

the mississippi spelled mississipi or missisipi during french louisiana , known rivière saint-louis.