American Indian Culture at Etowah

Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site Map

Plans for what archaeologists believe was a typical house were found near Mound B.

This reconstructed dwelling was built using the wattle and daub method, one of the oldest known ways to create a weatherproof structure.

Wattle and daub housing takes its name from the materials and methods used in construction. Here, the "wattle" is composed of cane that is woven among vertical posts. This semi-thatched structure is then "daubed" with a mixture of Georgia red clay, grass, and water that is allowed to harden and form walls.

Arrowheads found at the Etowah site are typically one to two inches long. They were often used in trade as well as in hunting when attached to a shaft and shot from a bow.

The atlatl [atl-atl] was a premodern weapon that acted as an extension of a hunter's throwing arm. Whatever projectile was placed in the hollowed-out holder could be thrown faster and farther due to the leverage created by the shaft. Atlatls greatly increased the ability of Mississippians to successfully hunt game.

Canoes were used as a swifter means of transportation along the nearby Etowah River. They were often made from tree trunks that were hollowed or "dug out." Poplar, pine, and cypress trees were most popular in this region for building canoes. A group of workers would typically take about two weeks to complete a vessel like this one.

Mississippian Indians at Etowah relied heavily on fish as a food source. Although they often used hooks to catch fish in the river, traps were usually more effective.

Fish traps like the one pictured were constructed as large woven baskets. The force of the current, combined with the conical shape of the basket, prevented fish from escaping the trap after entering it with the flow of the river.