Among the historical tribes living in present-day Alabama at the time of European contact were the Cherokee, an Iroquoian language people; and the Muskogean-speaking Alabama (Alibamu), Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Koasati.

While part of the same large language family, the Muskogean-speaking tribes in Alabama developed distinct cultures and languages.

The Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (SECC) is a major component of the religion of the Mississippian peoples, understood through artifacts from archaeological excavations at sites like Moundville in Alabama. Contrary to popular belief, the SECC appears to have developed independently ...Read more

The agrarian Mississippian culture covered most of Alabama from 1000 to 1600 CE, with one of its major centers at the Moundville Archaeological Site.

Indigenous peoples of varying cultures lived in Alabama for thousands of years before European colonization. These included tribes involved in trade with northeastern tribes by the Ohio River during the Burial Mound Period (1000 BCE – 700 CE) and ...Read more

The Moundville Archaeological Site in Hale County, Alabama, was occupied by Native Americans of the Mississippian culture from 1000 to 1450 CE. It is the second-largest complex of the classic Middle Mississippian era, after Cahokia in present-day Illinois.

The use of state names derived from Native American languages is common in the U.S.; an estimated 26 states have names of Native American origin.

Some scholars suggest the word may come from the Choctaw alba (meaning ‘plants’ or ‘weeds’) and amo (meaning ‘to cut’, ‘to trim’, or ‘to gather’), potentially meaning ‘clearers of the thicket’ or ‘herb gatherers’.

An 1842 article in the Jacksonville Republican proposed that “Alabama” meant ‘Here We Rest’, a notion popularized in the 1850s through the writings of Alexander Beaufort Meek.

As early as 1702, the French called the tribe the Alibamon, and French maps identified the river as Rivière des Alibamons.