Mississippianization in Late Pisgah Communities in the Appalachian Summit of North Carolina

Summary

Three Mississippian villages from the Pisgah period (AD 1200 – 1600) in western North Carolina are reviewed and discussed – the Cane River Site (31Yc91), the Warren Wilson Site (31Bn29), and the mound and village at the Garden Creek Site (31Hw1). The elements of each community’s built environment, household architecture and domestic practices are evaluated and considered along with new radiocarbon dates from each site. These three Pisgah communities are situated in an unusual mountain environment for Mississippianization, reflecting the often overlooked variation in incorporation along the Mississippian frontier. This Pisgah tradition demonstrates how the environment within the Appalachian Summit influenced the late timing, tempo, and extent of adopting Mississippian practices. This region therefore provides a significant insight in discussions of variability in the processes of expansion and integration along the expanding edge of the Mississippian world.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Pisgah Culture and Mississippian Adaptation on the Appalachian Periphery   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17210