Native American 'garden agriculture' in south-eastern North America

• Published in: World archaeology Vol. 37; no. 2; pp. 259 - 274
• Main Authors: Scarry, C Margaret, Scarry, John F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.06.2005
• Subjects: Agriculture; Alabama; Archaeobotany; Archaeology; Crop diversification; Crops; Ethnohistory; Gardens; Granaries; Horticulture; Indigenous knowledge; Indigenous populations; Maize; Mississippi; U.S.A; Women's role; Women's work

The Native Americans of south-eastern North America are sometimes described as gardeners and sometimes as agriculturalists. Neither label conveys an accurate sense of farming practices that employed polycropping and shifting cultivation to produce substantial surpluses. Ethnohistorical accounts prov...