Viewed from an ethnographical perspective, continuity, village and house size, and mortuary customs all suggest egalitarian groups perhaps organized along tribal lines. Burials, which contain utilitarian grave goods, suggest egalitarian organization. Village size suggests corporate group alliances, e.g., a tribe's social structure is also indicated by what is absent. Burials lack exotic and elite items. This indicates chiefdoms were not in place.
Tribal organization is basically the social configuration encountered by whites.
Given the continuity in material culture, it is probably a social configuration that persisted for 600 years. Much the same can be said for the Coalescent Tradition. For technical help with this web site, click here . The University of Iowa. All rights reserved.