Ceremonialism

Ceremonialism stands for the shared religious imagery and ritual of the Mississippian chiefdoms of the American Southeast and Midwest, which flourished with maize farming between about 1200 and 1650. Scholars call it the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex; its fullest early expression took shape at Cahokia, a city beside the Mississippi that stood from about 1050 to 1350.

The cosmos had three levels. The Upper World held the Thunderers and the Morning Star; the cold Under World held the Underwater Panther and the Corn Mother; humans lived between. The falcon-dressed Birdman, shown dancing with a club on copper and shell, was a warrior’s patron.

Such images marked chiefly office and warfare. As Cahokia and its trade networks collapsed, regional styles drifted apart into the beliefs of the later historic tribes.