The Choctaw Indians were the largest Indian tribe in Mississippi. They were very civilized and peaceful compared to the others. Divided into three regions, the Choctaw Indians and came together to form a tribe council, lead by a single chief. Marrying a woman meant that you became a part of the wife's clan. Men were in charge of hunting while they women were in charge of agriculture. Being an agrarian tribe, they didn't need to travel to survive. The only tribe still present in MS, their religion revolved around nature and the sun.

The Choctaw Tribe of Mississippi

The Chickasaw tribe, the second largest tribe, extended into Tennessee. They traveled and traded with more tribes than the other two. The Chickasaw created the Natchez Trace as a way to trade with the Natchez people. The Chickasaw were war like and trained warriors. In order to torture people, they had a "bone picker." This person would pick the flesh off of victims as a torture method. Despite this, the tribe was very environmentally friendly. Their religion was based off of animism, and they had two chiefs – one for wisdom and one for war. When it came to burials, the Chickasaw would bury people upright to save space for agriculture.

The Chickasaw Tribe of Mississippi

The last, large tribe of MS is the Natchez. Known for mound-building, the Natchez were located in southwest Mississippi. Being an agrarian tribe, the Natchez didn't need to travel in order to survive. Like the other tribes, the Natchez worshipped the sun. However, women were allowed to hold leadership positions within the Natchez tribe. Like the Choctaw, every family was based on the mother. The Natchez, however, had some devastating and cruel traditions. Whenever a tribal leader died, all female members of his family would be sacrificed in order to give him company in the afterlife.

The Natchez Tribe of Mississippi

Before settlement, the Spanish were the first to explore MS. They came looking for gold and other riches, but did not find any. After them came the French, who were looking for a better trade route to Asia. Though they didn't find it, they found a way to navigate the MS River for trade. Before MS finally belonged to America, the British were the last to flow through and explore what MS had to offer.

The Exploration of MS

Sieur d'Iberville was sent to establish a colony in MS in 1699. Iberville and his brother went along looking for the MS River after being introduced to the Biloxi tribe. After establishing that the river was not the best option, Iberville and his brother established For Maurepas. However, the captial was moved because Fort Maurepas didn't prove to be a good capital for the Louisiana Province. French settlers were encouraged to move there, yet there were few French women. As a result, the Frenchmen married Indian woman. Iberville's brother, the governor, was upset with this and brought 500 french women over to the settlement in order to be married off.

French Settlement 1673-1773