Despite Cahokia’s decline, Mississippian culture profoundly affected Native Americans in the Eastern Woodlands. Mississippians spread new strains of maize and beans, along with techniques and tools for cultivating these crops. Life for Indians as far north as the Great Lakes and southern New England revolved around village-based farming. Only in more northerly Eastern Woodlands areas was the growing season usually too short for maize to be a reliable crop.
