Nanih Waiya, a Choctaw Indian name, has been variously translated as "leaning or stooping hill," Nanih á waiya "A Place of Birth," or Nani á waiya "Place of fish birth or plentiful fish." The period of construction of Nanih Waiya Mound is uncertain. Although its rectangular, flat-topped form is often assumed to be typical of Mississippian period mounds (A.D. 1000 – 1500), evidence suggests a possible Middle Woodland time range (A.D. 0 – 500). Until more archaeological investigations are completed, the mound's actual age will remain unknown. The lands including Nanih Waiya were taken from the Choctaw in the 1830 treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. In 2007, the state of Mississippi, under legislation signed into law, returned Nanih Waiya to the stewardship of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
