A combined archaeological and historical study traces Indigenous occupation of northwestern Louisiana from millennia-old hunter-gatherer camps through the emergence of Caddoan farming communities around A.D. 800–900 and into the historic contact period. It examines settlement patterns concentrated in Red River and tributary valleys, ceramic styles and decorative traditions that allow chronological sequencing, subsistence strategies emphasizing successful river-valley agriculture, and trade and cultural ties with neighboring Southeastern and Plains peoples. The narrative integrates artifact typologies, site interpretations, and ethnohistoric sources to reconstruct village life, ritual practices, and long-term cultural change revealed by excavation and survey.