ATLANTA, June 4, 2009 – What was Georgia like 1,000 years ago? Take a rare glimpse into Pre-Columbian Georgia by visiting some of the state’s Native American heritage sites that chronicle indigenous activity here from as early as 900 A.D.

At the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, northwest Georgia was home to generations of Native American populations including ones of the Mississippian Culture that lived there from 1000-1550 A.D. The Mississippians are known for building mound-like structures that were used as sites for temples, chiefly homes and burial buildings in their villages.

One of the most well preserved villages of this era is the Etowah Indian Mounds located in Cartersville. Six earthen mounds are located on-site in addition to a museum that allows visitors to explore the culture’s rich political and religious traditions that included decorating themselves with tattoos, sea shells, and feathers.

Not far from Cartersville, Waleska’s Reinhardt College houses one of the most comprehensive museums on Native American cultures in the country- The Funk Heritage Center. The center showcases tools used by local tribes, contemporary artwork from Native American descendants and a documentary that chronicles the history of Native Americans in the Southeast. It also focuses on preserving native plants and local water resources.

Next, travel north to Chatsworth and see how James Vann, the son of a Scottish trader and Cherokee woman lived as an Indian chief and one of the richest men in America. Visit the Chief Vann House, a 19th century brick home, and learn more about his life at the on-site museum.

Also near Chatsworth is Fort Mountain State Park that has at its mountain’s summit a zig-zagging, 855-foot long rock wall that was presumably built by Native Americans who inhabited the region long before the Cherokee.

One of the most important sites in Cherokee history can be found south of Chatsworth, near Calhoun, at the former but short-lived capital of the Cherokee nation - New Echota. The site was home to a Cherokee Supreme Court, tribal council and printing house of the first Native American newspaper- the Cherokee Phoenix that was printed in both English and Cherokee.

Finally, finish up the Northwest Georgia tour at the Chieftan’s Museum in Rome. The museum is the former home of wealthy Cherokee leader Major Ridge, who earned his title as “major” after leading 200 Cherokee to fight alongside Andrew Jackson and the Tennessee militia against the Creek Indians in the Creek War of 1813-14.

The home of Cherokee Chief White Path, a contemporary of Major Ridge’s, is also memorialized as a part of the Northeast Georgia History Center near Ellijay. A modest cabin, Chief White Path’s home today features a vegetable and herb garden that would have been typical of the Cherokees, as well as authentic furnishings.

While in the area, you might also drive up to Blairsville to the Chattahoochee National Forest to the Track Rock Archaeological Area that has preserved petroglyphs, or ancient Indian stone engravings, that depict animals, bird tracks, circles and human footprints.

While north Georgia has a rich Native American history, there are other important sites across the state. Similar to the Etowah Indian Mounds, mid-and south-Georgia have two important mound sites- the Ocmulgee Indian Mounds near Macon and the Kolomoki Mounds in Blakely, near Albany.

The mounds at the Ocmulgee National Monument in Macon feature a reconstructed earthlodge or earthen-made house that was used for ceremonies and important meetings.

Built between 900 and 950 A.D., the Ocmulgee mounds are considered to have been the largest village in the Southeast at that time. The site features a collection of artifacts that date back more than 12,000 years. The Kolomoki Mounds Historic Site includes seven earthen mounds that were built between 250-950 A.D. as well as Georgia’s oldest temple mound.

The history of the coastal Georgia’s Guale Indians is recounted at the Fort King George Historic Site’s museum located along the Altamaha River in Darien. The earliest inhabitants of this area and nearby Sapelo Island are believed to date back to prehistoric times.

The Historic Effingham Society Museum in Springfield also recounts Native American history and features artifacts from local Indian populations.

Finally, a 900 year-old oak tree in Brunswick is is said to be where Native American braves would meet their maidens. Located at the intersections of Albany and Prince Streets, it is called Lovers’ Oak.

Georgia’s folk art can also provide insight into the state’s Native American heritage. Winterhawk Pottery in Watkinsville specializes in Native American dinnerware and ceremonial pots that have been inspired by artwork discovered in Indian burial mounds across the Southeast, and Donna Redfeather of Redfeather Designs in Cleveland makes Native American-inspired home decor and accessories that include dream catchers, leather pouches and beaded jewelry.

Finally, annual festivals - like the ones listed below - are another great way to experience Native American culture in Georgia.

These historic sites, crafts and festivals crafts help bring to life the rich cultural traditions, political struggles and lifestyle changes that were salient in the lives of Georgia’s native peoples. Don’t miss an opportunity to better understand our Native American history and Georgia’s role within it. Visit www.exploregeorgia.org to learn more.

Here are just a few of the upcoming festivals that celebrate Georgia's pre-Colombian heritage:

American Indian Festival

http://www.vitwind.com/

Cherokee Chief Whitepath’s Cabin at the Northeast Georgia History Center

http://www.negahc.org/exhibits/whitepaths_cabin/index.php

Chicopee Woods Indian Festival

http://www.vitwind.com/index.php?display=event_03

Chief Vann House Historic Site

http://www.gastateparks.org/info/chiefvann/

Chieftains Museum, Major Ridge Home

http://www.chieftainsmuseum.org/

Christmas Candlelight Tour

http://www.gastateparks.org/net/calendar/details.aspx?s=133573.0.5.5&c=4079962

Etowah Indian Mounds

http://www.gastateparks.org/info/etowah/

Etowah Valley Indian Festival and Powwow

http://www.rthunder.com/etowah.html

Fort King George Historic Site

http://www.gastateparks.org/info/ftkinggeorge/

Fort Mountain State Park

http://www.gastateparks.org/info/fortmt/

Fowler’s Creative Gourds

sunflight@windstream.net or 706.865.0783

Frontier Day, New Echota Historic Site

http://www.gastateparks.org/net/calendar/details.aspx?s=158619.0.3.5&c=4079961

Historic Effingham Society

http://www.historiceffinghamsociety.org/

Kolomoki Festival

http://www.gastateparks.org/net/calendar/details.aspx?s=140669.0.1.5&c=1526128

Kolomoki Mounds State Park

http://www.gastateparks.org/info/kolomoki/

Lovers’ Oak

http://web.georgia.org/net/content/go.aspx?s=19389.0.26.3011

New Echota Historic Site

http://www.gastateparks.org/NewEchota/

Ocmulgee Indian Celebration

http://www.nps.gov/archive/ocmu/Calendar.htm#SEP

Ocmulgee National Monument

http://www.nps.gov/ocmu/

Redfeather Designs

gary38@alltel.net or 706.969.1446

Sweetwater Creek Intertribal Powwow

http://gastateparks.org/net/calendar/details.aspx?c=26530&s=143577.0.0.5

Track Rock Archeological Area

http://web.georgia.org/net/content/go.aspx?s=20041.0.26.3011

The Big Spring, Cedartown

http://polkonpurpose.com/content/big-spring

The Funk Heritage Center

http://www.reinhardt.edu/funkheritage/

Winterhawk Pottery

http://www.winterhawkpottery.com/