[4] These peoples were generally hunters and gatherers, while also relying on some farming to produce food on the fertile land in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys.
They most likely also consumed several types of fleshy fruits like cabbage palm, persimmon, saw palmetto, or hawthorn that could be found in forest clearings and used as a supplemental source of vitamins and antioxidants[5].
Tribes in the north may have also seen cultivation of tuber plants such as wild potato, garlic, and chufa that could grow in cold, frozen soil[5].
[6] The Eastern Woodlands tribes located further north (Algonquian-speaking people) relied heavily on hunting to acquire food.
[7] The Eastern Woodlands Iroquoian-speaking societies had a matrilineal kinship system, with inheritance and property passed through the mother's line.