Description
The Mosopelea, or Ofo, were a Siouan-speaking Native American people who historically lived near the upper Ohio River. In reaction to Iroquois Confederacy invasions to take control of hunting grounds in the late 17th century, they moved south to the lower Mississippi River. According to the 1684 French map of Jean-Baptiste-Louis Franquelin, the Mosopelea had eight villages just north of the Ohio River, between the Muskingum and Scioto rivers, within the present-day state of Ohio, corresponding with the heart of Ohio Hopewell country. In 1699, the Ofo/Mosopelea were referred by French Jesuits as the Houspé, and were encountered living among the Tunica. Around 1700, French travelers reported Ofo villages in Mississippi on the Yazoo River.
Language
The Ofo language was a language spoken by the Ofo people, also called the Mosopelea
Culture
Many cultural traditions reported by the earliest European explorers, such as the use of ceremonial mounds, the heavy reliance on corn (maize), and the importance of social stratification in some areas, were clearly developed during the Mississippian culture period. The Southeast was one of the more densely populated areas of native North America at the time of European contact. Most groups resided in the piedmont, where they took advantage of extensive game resources, wild plant foods, and an abundance of arable land. The peoples of south Florida were an exception, as they adjusted to an essentially subtropical maritime way of life.