Page "Cherokee" Paragraph 10

Much of what is known about pre-18th-century Native American cultures has come from records of Spanish expeditions.

The earliest ones of the mid-16th century encountered people of the Mississippian culture, the ancestors to later tribes in the Southeast such as the Creek and Catawba.

The Cherokee arrived later, descended from a different people, but they occupied some of the ancient Mississippian sites and were observed by the Spanish.

Some of this work was not translated into English and made available to historians until the 20th century.

In addition, the dominance of English colonists over the Southeast led to a discounting of Spanish sources for some time.