At the time the first Europeans came, the Cherokee were a settled, agricultural people who lived in villages sometimes consisting of thirty to sixty houses plus a large council house. Their homes were usually made by interweaving river cane in a circular framework and plastering it with mud, though in later periods log cabins were often built. Large council houses were often located on mounds and were also the site of the sacred fire, which the Cherokees had kept burning from time immortal. Abundant natural resources in the area provided hundreds of species of plants used for food, medicines, and crafts, while trees supplied fuel, weaving fibers, twine, medicinal barks, and the framework and covering for dwellings, and animals, fish, and mussels provided food and clothing.