A Continent of Villages, to 1500

1. A Continent of Villages, to 1500 Out of Many Chapter 1

2. Key Topics • The peopling of the Americas by migrants from Asia • The adaptation of native cultures to the regions of North America • The increase in complexity of many native societies following the development of farming • The nature of Indian cultures in the three major regions of European invasion and settlement

3. Finish the Saying: • In fourteen-hundred ninety two…. • Why do we care about this fact in history? SO WHAT?!

4. Settling the Continent What events led to the migration of Asian peoples into North America?

5. “Why do you call us Indians?” • When Columbus had arrived in the Caribbean, he thought he had landed in the East Indies, thus calling the people inhabiting the island Indios • Term later transformed into the common English word “Indians” which covers a wide variety of peoples • Other terms: Amerindians & Native Americans • Native Americans referred to themselves using their own names (Lenni Lenape, Lakota, Dine, etc.) • Europeans assigned their own names to the groups (Delawares, Sious, Apache, etc.)

6. Transoceanic Migrations • When explorers first landed in the Americas, they initially thought it was a part of Asia • When it was confirmed to be a “new world” theories of where the native people came from began to emerge • According to Judeo-Christian belief, they had to have migrated from Europe/Asia since that is where man/woman was first created • However, according to the oral histories of many native tribes, their claim is that they have always lived in the Americas

7. A Land Bridge

8. Beringia • During the Ice Age, glaciers held much of the Earth’s water making sea levels much lower than today • Geologists believe that there was a 750 mile wide land bridge connecting Asia and North America • Believed to have been ice-free and treeless

9. Global Warming & The End of the Ice Age • Roughly 15,000 years ago, the glaciers started melting • Sea levels rose • Melt water created the lake & river systems of today • Beringia flooded; no longer a viable land bridge • New weather patterns dramatically changed the ecology of the region

10. Native Technology - Clovis • Considered to be the first of American technology • Art of making fluted blades & lance points • Technology spread quickly throughout the continent

11. New Ways of Living on the Land In what ways did native communities adapt to the distinct region of North America?

12. Hunting • Because many of the large mammals became extinct after the end of the Ice Age, many Indian tribes turned the hunting focus to the bison (buffalo) • Used a technology called Folsom • Similar to the Clovis • More delicate, but also deadlier • Would attach to wooden spear-throwers • Buffalo jump • Required a systematic approach agreed upon by the hunters • Would kill multitudes of bison at one time • Many believe this shows they had primitive preservation knowledge A buffalo can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and live as long as 30 years.

14. The Hunt • For thousands of years, Native Americans used buffalo jumps to kill the creatures. • They would place some of the hunters on either side of a path (usually wearing wolf skins) which they would use to drive large numbers of animals over a steep cliff. • It wasn’t until the arrival of the Spanish in the 1500’s that the horse began to be used by Native Americans. It quickly became an important part of native people’s lives. Typical buffalo jump Native Americans did not hunt using horses until the 1500’s

15. Desert Life • In the Great Basin (present day UT & NV), the effects of global warming created a desert where there used to be inland seas • peoples of this region were typically nomadic • Hunted small game & foraged for food (roots & seeds) • Very tight-knit communities • Didn’t believe in extensive wealth or hoarding; rather in sharing & gifting

16. Forest Life • “Forest efficiency” = acomfortable & secure lifebased on sophisticatedknowledge of the rich &diverse available resources • Hunted small game & gathered seeds and nuts • Burned woodland areas to promote new growth • Evidence also suggests that they lived in more permanent settlements • Suggests that “forest efficiency” was viable

17. The Development of Farming What were the consequences of the development of farming for native communities?

18. Development of Farming • At the end of the Stone Age, 4 regions developed farming: • Southeast Asia = rice • Middle East = wheat • Andean Mtns = potatoes • Mexico = maize (corn) • Potatoes & corn considered a“miracle crop” which helpedspur population growth • Mexico also grew crops suchas beans, squash, tomatoes,peppers, avocados, cocoa, &vanilla

19. Farming Shapes Society • A foraging society might require 100 sq. mi. to support 100 people, whereas a farming community only needs 1 sq. mi. • Families grouped into clans & eventually into classes • Division of labor based on gender • Male = hunting, development of tools • Female = gathering of food, maintain the home • Both = working in the fields • Considered to be a more complex society, however, they were less stable & required bureaucratic management • Vulnerable to changes in climate, as well as soil depletion & erosion • More subjective to malnutrition & tooth decay

20. Mississippian Society • Important technological innovations • The bow & arrow • improved hunting • New variety of maize (Northern Flint) • Could be grown in northern climates due to shorter maturation period • Flint hoes • Increased farming productivity • Master Maize farmers • Lived in permanent settlements along the floodplains • Complex society: urbanization, social classes, craft specialization, trade • Lacked a formal writing system

21. Warfare & Violence • Some hunting groups would raid farming communities for food • Also, farming communities would fight with one another to gain land for crops • Bow and arrow was amongst the deadliest war weapons • Scalping was a common practice • Believed one could capture a warrior’s spirit by taking his scalp lock

22. Cultural Regions of North America on the Eve of Colonization What important differences were there between Indian societies in the Southwest, South, and Northeast on the eve of colonization?

23. Population of Indian America • Pop. estimates that there were roughly 5-10 million Native Americans in North America (excluding Mexico) • The largest populations of the continent were concentrated in the Southwest, the South, and the Northeast

24. Cultural Regions: The Southwest • Region had little rain fall in the summer which made farming hard • Used rivers to develop irrigation farming • Cultivated corn, beans, squash, sunflowers, & cotton • Lived in rancerias – Spanish word for dispersed settlements of Indian famers in the Southwest – and were known for being individualistic • Some communities developed dry farming methods

25. Cultural Regions: The South • Mild, moist climate with short winters & long summers • Large animal resources were found in the forests & the mountains provided rich soil & water resources • Were wiped out due to diseases introduced by early European colonization • Formed cheifdoms; usually unstable • Celebrated agricultural & harvest fesitvals

26. Cultural Regions: The Northeast • Colder climate & variedgeography • Coastal plains, mountainhighlands, great rivers, lakes,and valleys • Grew a variety of crops • Corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers • Lived in extended family homes • Familiar with warfare; evident bythe large walls/barriers surrounding the communities • Five Iroquois chiefdoms/nations: • Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, & Senecas • Formed a confederacy which banned warfare between member tribes

27. Conclusions • Indians adapted to their varied environments and created a rich multitude of cultures • North America was not a “virgin” continent • “Columbus did not discover a new world, he established contact between two worlds, both already old.” –J.H. Perry