Ancient Eastern Woodlands

The Woodlands area stretches from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast, and from the eastern seaboard to the Plains. This heavily forested environment, with its numerous lakes and rivers, supports abundant wildlife and has been home to a diverse group of Native Americans beginning as early as 14,000 B.C. The rich variety of arts and architecture created during the Adena, Hopewell, and Mississippian periods of Woodlands history, provides insight into the ancestral traditions of contemporary tribal peoples.