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Southwest
Virginia
Local
cultures developed in the mountains and valleys of western Virginia.
Southwestern Virginia is said to be a crossroads of Native
American culture. Mississippian people entered the region along
the Tennessee River system.
Ohio Valley groups came in by way of the New River, and Piedmont cultures advanced up the Roanoke River.
The
people of southwestern Virginia formed tribal cultures very similar
to the groups in the southern Piedmont of Virginia.
They made a wide array of pottery tempered with sand, limestone,
or shell, and impressed with cord and net.
Their homes, about 15 to 20 feet in diameter, were constructed
of multiple poles anchored deep into the ground.
The tops of the poles were bent over and tied to form a
dome-shaped house.
The houses were covered with either thatch or bark and
clustered around a plaza in the center of a walled village.
Daily life was based on intensive gardening, supplemented
with gathering wild plants and hunting animals.
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Knife
point hafted onto deer antler created an efficient tool for cutting.
Click
image to enlarge
Artist's
rendering of a portion of a village, showing the large public
meeting house, the palisade, and homes. (Credit: Thomas
R. Whyte)
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