What Native American tribe built Cahokia Mounds?

Answer 1

The city of Cahokia was built by an unknown people belonging to the Mississippian culture, at some time in the 9th century AD and it flourished for around 700 years.

We do not know the name of this tribe, or any of their personal names, or their language, or many other aspects of their society. This is because they had no writing system, like almost all native American peoples throughout the Americas, and the population completely disappeared around 100 years before any Europeans arrived.

Answer 2

Cahokia was almost certainly the first city to be built in what is now the USA. It was built from about 600 AD onwards by the native people now called the Mississippian culture during the Late Archaic Period (before the tribal groups we are familiar with were formed). The site is of immense importance in the history of the native peoples of the Americas, but apparently much less important to white Americans who built at least two highways through the archaeological remains on the site, destroying huge swathes of it.

There were temples, palaces, houses, gardens and fields, markets, plazas, a defensive wall and a kind of police force who provided guards at the entrances to the city - for a very long period Cahokia had the largest open plaza of any city in the world.

Very little is known about Late Archaic native Americans in general and the original name of the site and the name and relationships of the people who built Cahokia are unknown - the name Cahokia was given by French explorers in the 17th century, because the Cahokia branch of the Illinois people lived nearby - but this was long after the city had been abandoned, so its original name will never be known.

Estimates of the number of residents vary, but may be as high as 40,000 at its peak. For whatever reason, the site was abandoned long before Europeans arrived.

Answer 3

The city incorrectly named Cahokia was "discovered" by French explorers in the early 1600s - a tribe called the Cahokia were at that time living in the area, so the French gave that name to the city. Its real name, and the name of the original builders and inhabitants, will never be known.

Cahokia was already well known to all the local tribes, so in that sense it didn't need to be discovered since it wasn't lost.