Grand Village of the Natchez
Encyclopedia
Grand Village of the Natchez, (22 AD 501) also known as the Fatherland Site, is a 128.1 acre (0.518402766 km²) site encompassing a prehistoric indigenous
village and earthwork mounds
in present-day south Natchez, Mississippi
. The village complex was constructed starting about 1200 CE by members of the prehistoric Plaquemine culture
. They built the three platform mound
s in stages. Another phase of significant construction work by these prehistoric people has been dated to the mid-15th century. It was named for the historic Natchez people
, who used the site in the 17th and 18th centuries.
In the early 18th century, when the historic Natchez people occupied the site, they added to the mounds.
The village was the Natchez tribe's main political and religious ceremonial center in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, according to historical and archaeological evidence. It replaced the Emerald Mound Site
in this role. After suffering a 1730 military defeat by French settlers, the Natchez abandoned the site and moved away. In the early 19th century, the land was privately owned and cultivated as part of the Fatherland Plantation
. Archaeological excavations started in 1930, and three mounds were found. (They had been partially buried by loess
soils, with some erosion due to St. Catherine's Creek.)
The site was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1964 and a Mississippi Landmark in 1985.
about 1200 CE. All of the varying soils used to build the mounds was carried by laborers by hand, probably in woven baskets. Skilled specialists knew how to use different soils to create the most stability. Later leaders directed additional work in the mid-15th century, in the Emerald phase of the Plaquemine culture. The site had three ceremonial platform mounds.
Between 1682 and 1729, the Natchez people
used the village as their main ceremonial center, as noted in contemporary French accounts. The three mounds were used for major religious and political ceremonies. (First called Mound A, B and C by researchers, they are now known as Abandoned Mound, Sun Mound and Temple
Mound, respectively.)
From 1700-1730, the Natchez added more construction at Mounds B and C. On top of Mound B they built the residence of the Great Sun, the paramount chief
of the tribe. Mound C was the platform for the Sun Temple, which included a charnel house
for the remains of the Natchez elite. By the time of European contact, the Natchez were no longer using Mound A. Most of the Natchez people lived dispersed in small villages in the area and would gather for special occasions at the Grand Village. They were farmers and constructed permanent dwellings.
During this period, French settlers began to explore the region and establish settlements that gradually encroached on Natchez territory. Though relations were peaceful at first, the two groups competed for resources and did not understand each other's cultures. Several episodes of violence in 1716 and 1723 created tension, although the Natchez made land concessions to the French.
The death of the Great Sun in 1728 contributed to social instability and tensions. His successor, the Young Sun, was more hostile to the French. In addition, the tribe was getting caught up in French and English
rivalry in the region, each of which tried to maintain trade with the Natchez. In 1729, a pro-English group within the tribe attacked the French settlements at Fort Rosalie
. The French retaliated with Indian allies and drove the Natchez out of the area. Some of the Natchez escaped and took refuge with other tribes, such as the Creek and Cherokee
. After the French sold 300 Natchez survivors into slavery
in the West Indies, the Natchez "ceased to exist as a cultural group."
In the late 19th century, researchers named the mound group after the Fatherland Plantation, established earlier that century on much of the site. Its owners had cultivated part of the area. When researchers later determined that this was the site called the "Grand Village of the Natchez" in French colonial records, they adopted that as the preferred name to honor the Natchez history at the site. Archaeological investigations and excavations at the site were conducted in 1930, 1962, and 1972 by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH). Using evidence found in these, the state reconstructed mounds B and C to their original dimensions. Other institutions, such as the National Park Service
, the University of Alabama
, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
, and Harvard University
's Lower Mississippi Survey have continued investigations alongside the MDAH.
The site is a national and state tourist attraction in Natchez. Managed by the state of Mississippi
, the large property includes a museum
, which holds numerous artifacts excavated from the site
, including native and European "grave goods" buried with the elite Natchez; a reconstructed Natchez house, based on historical and archeological evidence; picnic pavilion; and miles of nature trails. A mound area has been partially restored.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
village and earthwork mounds
Earthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
in present-day south Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
. The village complex was constructed starting about 1200 CE by members of the prehistoric Plaquemine culture
Plaquemine culture
The Plaquemine culture was an archaeological culture in the lower Mississippi River Valley in western Mississippi and eastern Louisiana. Good examples of this culture are the Medora Site in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, and the Anna, Emerald Mound, Winterville and Holly Bluff sites located...
. They built the three platform mound
Platform mound
A platform mound is any earthwork or mound intended to support a structure or activity.-Eastern North America:The indigenous peoples of North America built substructure mounds for well over a thousand years starting in the Archaic period and continuing through the Woodland period...
s in stages. Another phase of significant construction work by these prehistoric people has been dated to the mid-15th century. It was named for the historic Natchez people
Natchez people
The Natchez are a Native American people who originally lived in the Natchez Bluffs area, near the present-day city of Natchez, Mississippi. They spoke a language isolate that has no known close relatives, although it may be very distantly related to the Muskogean languages of the Creek...
, who used the site in the 17th and 18th centuries.
In the early 18th century, when the historic Natchez people occupied the site, they added to the mounds.
The village was the Natchez tribe's main political and religious ceremonial center in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, according to historical and archaeological evidence. It replaced the Emerald Mound Site
Emerald Mound Site
The Emerald Mound Site , also known as the Selzertown site, is a Plaquemine culture Mississippian period archaeological site located on the Natchez Trace Parkway near Stanton, Mississippi, United States. The site dates from the period between 1200 and 1730 CE...
in this role. After suffering a 1730 military defeat by French settlers, the Natchez abandoned the site and moved away. In the early 19th century, the land was privately owned and cultivated as part of the Fatherland Plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
. Archaeological excavations started in 1930, and three mounds were found. (They had been partially buried by loess
Loess
Loess is an aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt, typically in the 20–50 micrometre size range, twenty percent or less clay and the balance equal parts sand and silt that are loosely cemented by calcium carbonate...
soils, with some erosion due to St. Catherine's Creek.)
The site was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1964 and a Mississippi Landmark in 1985.
History
Construction began at the site during the Anna phase of the prehistoric Plaquemine culturePlaquemine culture
The Plaquemine culture was an archaeological culture in the lower Mississippi River Valley in western Mississippi and eastern Louisiana. Good examples of this culture are the Medora Site in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, and the Anna, Emerald Mound, Winterville and Holly Bluff sites located...
about 1200 CE. All of the varying soils used to build the mounds was carried by laborers by hand, probably in woven baskets. Skilled specialists knew how to use different soils to create the most stability. Later leaders directed additional work in the mid-15th century, in the Emerald phase of the Plaquemine culture. The site had three ceremonial platform mounds.
Between 1682 and 1729, the Natchez people
Natchez people
The Natchez are a Native American people who originally lived in the Natchez Bluffs area, near the present-day city of Natchez, Mississippi. They spoke a language isolate that has no known close relatives, although it may be very distantly related to the Muskogean languages of the Creek...
used the village as their main ceremonial center, as noted in contemporary French accounts. The three mounds were used for major religious and political ceremonies. (First called Mound A, B and C by researchers, they are now known as Abandoned Mound, Sun Mound and Temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
Mound, respectively.)
From 1700-1730, the Natchez added more construction at Mounds B and C. On top of Mound B they built the residence of the Great Sun, the paramount chief
Paramount chief
A paramount chief is the highest-level traditional chief or political leader in a regional or local polity or country typically administered politically with a chief-based system. This definition is used occasionally in anthropological and archaeological theory to refer to the rulers of multiple...
of the tribe. Mound C was the platform for the Sun Temple, which included a charnel house
Charnel house
A charnel house is a vault or building where human skeletal remains are stored. They are often built near churches for depositing bones that are unearthed while digging graves...
for the remains of the Natchez elite. By the time of European contact, the Natchez were no longer using Mound A. Most of the Natchez people lived dispersed in small villages in the area and would gather for special occasions at the Grand Village. They were farmers and constructed permanent dwellings.
The death of the Great Sun in 1728 contributed to social instability and tensions. His successor, the Young Sun, was more hostile to the French. In addition, the tribe was getting caught up in French and English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
rivalry in the region, each of which tried to maintain trade with the Natchez. In 1729, a pro-English group within the tribe attacked the French settlements at Fort Rosalie
Fort Rosalie
Fort Rosalie was a French fort built in 1716 in the territory of the Natchez Native Americans. The present-day city of Natchez, Mississippi developed at this site. As part of the peace terms that ended the Natchez War of 1716, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville required the Natchez to...
. The French retaliated with Indian allies and drove the Natchez out of the area. Some of the Natchez escaped and took refuge with other tribes, such as the Creek and Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
. After the French sold 300 Natchez survivors into slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
in the West Indies, the Natchez "ceased to exist as a cultural group."
In the late 19th century, researchers named the mound group after the Fatherland Plantation, established earlier that century on much of the site. Its owners had cultivated part of the area. When researchers later determined that this was the site called the "Grand Village of the Natchez" in French colonial records, they adopted that as the preferred name to honor the Natchez history at the site. Archaeological investigations and excavations at the site were conducted in 1930, 1962, and 1972 by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH). Using evidence found in these, the state reconstructed mounds B and C to their original dimensions. Other institutions, such as the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
's Lower Mississippi Survey have continued investigations alongside the MDAH.
The site is a national and state tourist attraction in Natchez. Managed by the state of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, the large property includes a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, which holds numerous artifacts excavated from the site
Mississippian stone statuary
The Mississippian stone statuary are artifacts of polished stone in the shape of human figurines made by members of the Mississippian culture and found in archaeological sites in the American Midwest and Southeast...
, including native and European "grave goods" buried with the elite Natchez; a reconstructed Natchez house, based on historical and archeological evidence; picnic pavilion; and miles of nature trails. A mound area has been partially restored.
See also
- Mississippian cultureMississippian cultureThe Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally....
- Southeastern Ceremonial ComplexSoutheastern Ceremonial ComplexThe Southeastern Ceremonial Complex is the name given to the regional stylistic similarity of artifacts, iconography, ceremonies, and mythology of the Mississippian culture that coincided with their adoption of maize agriculture and chiefdom-level complex social organization from...
- List of Mississippian sites
External links
- "Grand Village of the Natchez Indians" - Official site at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History
- UM Museum of Anthropology
- "Grand Village of the Natchez", Indian Mounds Sites of Mississippi, National Park Service