The Mississippian period which lasted from about 800 CE to 1600 CE saw the development of some of the most complex societies that ever existed in North America.
Mississippian people were horticulturalists. They grew much of their food in small gardens using simple tools like stone axes, digging sticks, and fire. Corn, beans, squash, sunflowers, goosefoot, sumpweed, and other plants were cultivated. They also ate wild plants and animals, gathering nuts and fruits and hunting such game as deer, turkeys, and other small animals. Mississippian people also collected fish, shellfish, and turtles from rivers, streams, and ponds.
Unlike contemporary people, Mississippian people spent much of their lives outdoors. Their houses were used mainly for shelter from inclement weather, sleeping in cold months, and storage. about A.D. 800 to 1600, saw the development of some of the most complex societies that ever existed in North America.