Plains Woodland culture

The Plains Woodland culture was a prehistoric culture of eastern North America, dating from the 1st millennium BCE. A variation of the broader Woodland tradition, it was found on the Great Plains. These cultures were characterized by the cultivation of crops like corn, beans, and squash, the creation of distinctive pottery styles, and the construction of burial mounds.1

Around the beginning of the Common Era, ideas and possibly people from the Eastern Woodland cultures influenced the Plains. Plains Woodland peoples established settlements along rivers, built structures, and developed pottery. They also cultivated crops such as corn, beans, and sunflowers. Over time, these groups evolved into the Plains Village cultures, marked by larger settlements and more complex rituals. However, periods of drought and conflict impacted these communities. Descendants of these Plains Village cultures, including the Arikara, Mandan, and Pawnee, interacted with European explorers and continued to inhabit the Plains.2