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One thousand of anything is hard to imagine. One thousand years ago, there was no United States. There were no big cities. There was no modern technology.
Ten thousand years ago is even harder to imagine. But that’s about when the first people came to North Carolina. We don’t have written records from that time. But scientists have found fossils, pottery, jewelry, and tools. These things tell us about how these early people lived.
◀ Scientists call the first inhabitants of North Carolina the Clovis peoples. They were hunters and gatherers. They hunted big animals like mammoths and mastodons. They gathered plants to eat. The Clovis moved from place to place. They followed the animals as seasons changed. Scientists found stone spear points that the Clovis made. They chipped pieces off rocks to make sharp points.
The Hardaway Site is in the Piedmont region near the Yadkin River. It is a hollowed-out area on top of a hill. Scientists think Indigenous peoples used this as a camp for thousands of years. The nearby Uwharrie Mountains had stones for making tools and spear points. In 1990, this site became a National Historic Landmark. It helps us understand the early history of the area. ▶
◀ The Archaic peoples lived in North Carolina until about 3,000 years ago. They lived mostly in the Piedmont. Like the Clovis, they hunted and gathered food. They didn’t have year-round homes. They made tools for grinding nuts from trees. They carved bowls from steatite. Steatite is a soft stone that feels soapy.
The Archaic peoples invented the atlatl. This tool let them throw spears farther and harder. Unlike other peoples, they did not have the bow and arrow. They did not make pottery. And they did not farm. Other people who came later would do these things. ▶
◀ The Woodland peoples came after the Archaic peoples. They lived in villages for several months at a time. They made pottery and planted gardens. Scientists found evidence of sunflowers, maygrass, and goosefoot. These plants were different from those planted in other places. As a result, scientists believe agriculture in this area was first developed by the Woodland peoples.
Scientist have found the remains of a few Woodland villages like this one. One is at the “Mitchum Site.” The site is along the Haw River. The homes there were oval-shaped. They were made from wooden posts from young trees. Animal skins or tree bark covered the posts. A wall surrounded the village to keep people safe. Some villages had large storage areas. ▶
The McLean Mound is a Woodland burial ground. It’s near the Cape Fear River. The sand mound was originally about six feet high. It was 49 feet by 66 feet at its base. Hundreds of people were buried there. Scientists also found beads, pottery, and stone tools. People may have used this site for hundreds of years.
◀ About 1,000 years ago, Mississippian peoples were in North Carolina. The Pee Dee were one group of Mississippians. A Pee Dee site called Town Creek is on the Little River. Scientists found an 11-foot-high mound with a temple on top. They believe it was used for public meetings and special ceremonies. The Mississippians were the first in North Carolina to have large farms. They grew corn, beans, and squash.
▲ Woodland and Mississippian peoples played games. Chunkey (tchung-kee) was a popular game. One player rolled a stone. Others threw spears to where they thought the stone would stop. The player with the spear closest to the stone won. Stickball was another game. Players used sticks to toss a ball toward a pole and score points. Members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina played these games during the First Annual Indigenous Games competition at the University of North Carolina, in 2023.
