The Smithsonian Institution's Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 14, Southeast The Southeast Indians were sophisticated farmers, hunters, gatherers, and fishers occupying a diverse region extending from the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Southern Appalachians, the Carolina Piedmont, the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains, Florida, and west of the mountains to the rich valley of the southern Mississippi River. The complexity and uniqueness of the Southeast culture area is detailed in The Smithsonian Institution's Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 14, Southeast. Its 64 chapters, written by 63 leading authorities, both anthropologists and historians, describe and illustrate the culture of each major tribe and tribal group, their history, transformation, and evolution over time. Regional and sub-regional overviews frame these and summarize the long prehistory of the area. Special topic chapters examine broad aspects of culture that characterize the Southeast and cross tribal lines. Introductory chapters explore the history of research in the area, languages spoken, and environment, and synthesize information on many small groups inadequately described in the historical literature. 508 illustrations--maps, drawings, paintings, engravings, photographs. Essays on sources, extensive bibliography, detailed index.