Just outside of Cartersville, Georgia there are three, large dirt mounds. They were built by the Etowah Indians many years ago. The Etowah lived there between about 900 A.D. to 1550 A.D. This was before the time that Hernando De Soto explored the south east United States. See the fun facts about this group of Native Americans below.
Interesting Things to Know About the Etowah Mounds
If you were to visit this place you would find three large mounds. The tallest mound is 63 feet high and about that wide at the top. The chief's home and temple were built on top of this mound.
The Etowah Native Americans that survived became the Creek Indians.
Flint and coastal shells were the things they used in their trading. These items had much value.
Steps lead to the top of each mound. The steps that are used today were built recently. If you look closely you can see the steps that the Etowah Indians built. Their steps were made of logs and clay.
It took some 4.3 million cubic feet of dirt to build the large mound.
Mound Layout and Village
There are some interesting things to know about the layout of the Etowah village.
The village was next to the Etowah River.
A ditch let water from the river go around the village.
Dirt to make the mounds came from borrow pits.
A 'V' shaped weir was built in the river next to the village. Wattle and daub homes with grass roofs surrounded the mounds.
Around the ouside edge of the mound area they built a deep ditch. On the inside edge of the ditch they placed timbers. The timbers were stood up to make a fence or wall. Dirt from the ditch was banked against the timbers. This created protection from enemies that might attack.
Their Homes
Homes for the Etowah people were not lived in much of the time because they were mostly outside. When there was bad weather and during cold, winter seasons, they stayed in them more. They would also use them to store things.
Homes:
The Etowah Indians made homes of wattle and daub. The walls were built around logs they stuck up, out of the ground. Then they wove sticks and willows around the logs. The woven branches were the wattle. Then clay (the daub) was packed into the woven branches. The roofs were made of branches that were covered over with grass.
Tools:
Stone, axes, and hoes were tools they used.
Household Items:
They also made baskets, pottery, and prepared animal hides.
Chungky (Chungke):
A game that they played. It was played with a round disk-shaped stone. They also used spears or sticks.
The Food
The Etowah Indians grew crops, corn being the main one. They also grew squash, beans, and pumpkins. Land around the mounds was fertile.
It was rich because the Etowah River flooded and would leave behind rich dirt. The Etowah hunted and fished for some of their food. Walnuts, hickory nuts, and white oak acorns were also harvested in the fall. Corn, beans, and pumpkins were planted together. Each plant helped the other plants. The large pumpkin leaves shaded the area. The shade helped control the weeds. The beans grew up the corn stalks. And the beans gave off nitrogen to the soil for the corn.
Corn
Squash
Pumpkin
Beans
Weir:
Rocks were placed in the river in the shape of a ‘V.’ Fish were forced to go along that path. The Etowah then made special baskets. They put the baskets along the rocks they had placed together to catch the fish.
Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site, Georgia State Parks – Georgia;
State Department of Natural Resources – www.gastateparks.org;
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/mississippian-period-overview by Adam King from Mississippian Period: Overview; Native Lands: Indians and Georgia by Sara H. Hill and Sue Evans Vrooman printed by Atlanta History Center (4.3 million cubic feet excavated at Etowah)
Image Credits
Etowah Indian Mound A by Torqtorqtorq- Wikimedia Commons;
Etowah Indian Mounds 6 Drawing by Arnon Allred;
Etowah Indian Mounds Layout Drawing 2 by Arnon Allred
Wattle and daub building by Frederick Samuel Dellenbaugh from "The North Americans of Yesterday- A Comparative Study ..." -Wikimedia Common;
Chungke rock or puck by Arnon;
Basket-cesta by Mediobit- Openclipart.org;
Hide by Arnon Allred;
Deer by Pearson Scott Foresman- Wikimedia Commons ;
Fish-Smelt by Pearson Scott Forseman- Wikimedia Commons;
Acorn by Johnny Automatic- Openclipart.org;
Walnut by Frankes- Openclipart.org
Household Items: 
Chungky (Chungke): 
It was rich because the Etowah River flooded and would leave behind rich dirt. The Etowah hunted and fished for some of their food. Walnuts, hickory nuts, and white oak acorns were also harvested in the fall. Corn, beans, and pumpkins were planted together. Each plant helped the other plants. The large pumpkin leaves shaded the area. The shade helped control the weeds. The beans grew up the corn stalks. And the beans gave off nitrogen to the soil for the corn. 
Rocks were placed in the river in the shape of a ‘V.’ Fish were forced to go along that path. The Etowah then made special baskets. They put the baskets along the rocks they had placed together to catch the fish.
