Native American Nations have long lived in the Southeastern United States Archaeologists have found evidence of settlements dating back more than 18,000 years Tribes settled across an area that stretched across the present-day states of Louisiana Mississippi Tennessee Alabama Florida Georgia South Carolina North Carolina and Virginia The land has mountains forests swamps grasslands and rivers Major tribes in the Southeast include the Cherokee Chickasaw Choctaw Creek Natchez and Seminole LIVING IN VILLAGES Most of the tribes in the Southeast lived in villages Often they built these villages near rivers The central point of each village was its plaza People gathered at the plaza for special events dancing and games The village’s council house where ceremonies were held often stood in the plaza Water played a central role in the lives of Southeastern tribes 6
Gulf of Mexico ATLANTIC OCEAN MAP OF SOUTHEASTERN NATIONS This map shows the modern locations of Southeastern Nations Several Native American tribes have long lived in the Southeastern United States How do you think the tribes environments affected their way of life How might that have had an impact on their oral traditions 8 W N S E South Carolina Georgia Alabama Mississippi Arkansas Oklahoma Tennessee Kentucky Louisiana Texas Florida North Carolina Virginia West Virginia Mississippi Choctaw Alabama-Coushatta Tampa Miccosukee Hollywood Catawba Lumbee Immokalee Big Cypress Coushatta Eastern Cherokee Tunica-Biloxi Chitimacha Poarch Creek Maryland
Family homes surrounded the village’s central plaza The people built homes using local materials The Cherokee people lived in log and mud houses The Creek people built houses shingled with wood or grass In Florida the Seminole people lived in houses called chickees They built these homes on stilts to raise them above the water level The chickees had no sides PERSPECTIVES INDIAN REMOVAL ACT In 1830 President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into law The act required Native American tribes living in the United States to move west of the Mississippi River where there were few US settlers Some Southeastern tribes relocated Others were sharply opposed to relocation The US government forced the Cherokee and other tribes to move west from the Southeastern United States to what is now Oklahoma On the forced march these people endured hunger disease and exhaustion Approximately 15,000 of them died on the march It became known as the Trail of Tears 9
