Mound Construction, an indication of service, reverence, religious devotion, or obedience?

Just how did the Mississippian elite attain this control over resources and entice the population to provide labor and surplus food and other goods to the chiefly clan? What did the chief do with the labor and food surplus? Was the Mississippian chiefdom marked by stability and peaceful relations, or is there evidence of conflict in the American Bottom? How far did the ruling Cahokia elite's power extend? Did they have absolute control over the daily lives of all American Bottom Mississippians? Or, did their power and wealth merely create a following just outside of their kin group that they could rely on for work and tribute? Did they exercise control over other Mississippian people living outside of the American Bottom? Finally, how can these questions and others about Mississippian politics be answered with archaeological data?

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