Native American History of Wise Farms
When Hernando Desoto traveled through
this section of Mississippi in 1541, he was greeted
by the Chickasaw Indian people. They lived and prospered
on the abundant wildlife and fertile soils of the
bottom land flood plains.
Family life for the Chickasaw was very
traditional. The boys were expected to be good hunters
and warriors. Girls were expected to be good at household
tasks, such as food preparation and taking care of
children. The Chickasaw people grew much of their
own food and the whole tribe shared. Some of their
food consisted of corn, peas, beans, squash, melons,
sunflowers, pumpkins, and tobacco. They also ate deer
and bear. The Chickasaw hunted using bow and arrow,
knives, and blow guns. Hunting was considered religious
and it was not unusual to ask the spirits for help.
Deer and bear were the most hunted animals, using
the meat to eat, the antlers for tools and the hides
for clothing. The basic wardrobe for the Chickasaw
consisted of deerskin. For warmer weather the men
wore breechcloths and for colder weather they wore
leggings, moccasins and long fur capes.
The Chickasaw
Indians were considered to be the most fierce,
warlike Native American tribe in Mississippi. Military
expertise, proficient diplomacy and cultural adaptation
allowed the Chickasaw to survive in an ever-changing
world that surrounded them. But with the passage of
the Indian Removal Act in 1830, the Chickasaw were
no longer in a position to negotiate in order to protect
their ancestral homeland in Mississippi. By 1837,
the Chickasaw would be forced to journey westward
to Indian Territory. The historical presence of this
noble and brave tribe can be seen through the names
of local sites, towns and counties throughout current
day Mississippi.
Near Wise Farms runs a creek named Lapatubby.
It was probably named after a family of Chickasaws
named Ah-la-pa-tubby. This family sold their land
to the United States Government about 1836. We gave
this Chickasaw family name to our Corn Maze..."The
Sacred Hunting Ground of Al-la-pa-tubby."
Long before the Chickasaw Nation came
to this part of Mississippi, a group of prehistoric
native americans began to build a series of mounds
during a period of time called "Middle Woodland,"
probably between 1 and 500 AD. We call them Ingomar
Mounds.
These mounds are located only a short
distance Northeast of Wise Farms in the Ingomar community
of Union County, Mississippi. The purpose of these
mounds are not yet fully known. There are burials
in the mounds, yet the type of contstruction is also
found at ceremonial mound sites. There may be as many
as 14 mounds in the Ingomar Mound complex and the
largest (#14), is located near a county road and can
be observed from a special viewing area. This site
was first excavated by the Smithsonian in 1885. In
one area of mound three, a silver plate bearing a
Spanish Coat of Arms was found, stirring the debate
that the mounds may have been used by later Native
American tribes. It may have also been the site of
Hernando Desoto's Winter Camp in 1541. However, this
debate goes on even today, and researchers continue
to discover clues to its secrets.
Wise Farms is proud of our Native American
history, and hope that we honor these great and honorable
people who once walked, farmed and hunted our fields
and woods.
A special thanks to Janet
Rafferty, Archaeologist with Mississippi
State University's Cobb Institute of Archaeology,
with information provided about excavations of the
Ingomar Mound site.
For more information about the Ingomar
Mounds, activities at the mound, and future plans
of the mound site, visit:
Union County
Development Association or the Union
County Heritage Museum.