Life Before the Arrival of Europeans

Native Americans have lived in and around Missouri long before Europeans made contact. Though there have been many tribes and various cultures who have roamed through this area, many of them seem to have been related. These kinship ties have led to strong relationships between the various tribes who inhabited the area at the same time. The pre-contact section of this website introduces these tribes and explains the origins of the tribes who resided in Northern Missouri on the eve of European contact.