Editing Cherokee (section)

===Agriculture===
During the late [[Archaic period in the Americas|Archaic]] and [[Woodland Period]], Native Americans in the region began to cultivate plants such as [[Iva annua|marsh elder]], [[Chenopodium berlandieri|lambsquarters]], [[Amaranthus palmeri|pigweed]], [[Helianthus annuus|sunflowers]], and some native [[Squash (plant)|squash]]. People created new art forms such as [[shell gorget]]s, adopted new technologies, and developed an elaborate cycle of religious ceremonies.

During the Mississippian culture-period (1000 to 1500 CE in the regional variation known as the [[South Appalachian Mississippian culture]]), local women developed a new variety of maize (corn) called eastern [[flint corn]]. It closely resembled modern corn and produced larger crops. The successful cultivation of corn surpluses allowed the rise of larger, more complex [[chiefdom]]s consisting of several villages and concentrated populations during this period. Corn became celebrated among numerous peoples in religious ceremonies, especially the [[Green Corn Ceremony]].