X
MOV File
Online Collections

Mississippian


Details
Term Type

Art & Architecture Thesaurus

Preferred Term

Mississippian

Details

Refers to a Native American culture and style evident in North America from around 800 CE to the mid-18th century, when its last representatives, the Natchez, declined and were dispersed. It was prevalent in the southeast and mid-continent in the river valleys of what are now the states of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Great Plains. The culture was based on agricultural development of the bottomlands and government by theocratic village-states. Village architecture is characterized by dwellings arranged around oval or pyramidal earth mounds and a central ceremonial plaza. The style of decorated utilitarian and ceremonial objects is characterized by work in copper, shell, stone, clay, and feathers, often with elaborate designs including human figures, animal motifs, and geometric shapes.

Variations

Mississippian culture

Related Events
Related People
Related Literature
Related Terms
Related Artworks
Media
IMLS logoNEA logoNEH logo

The Portland Art Museum’s Online Collections site is brought to you thanks to support provided by the State of Oregon through its second Culture, History, Arts, Movies, and Preservation funding program and generous awards from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts.