Pre Columbian WisconsinPre Columbian Wisconsin

Paleolithic PeriodPaleolithic Period

10,000 BCE – 6500 BCE10,000 BCE – 6500 BCE

First Human SettlementFirst Human Settlement Between 45,000 & 12,000 BCE Paleo Indians migrate across

Bering Land Bridge

These peoples migrated along with herds of megafauna(Mammoths, Mastodons, bison, etc)

10,000 BCE – Paleo Indians reach Wisconsin

Paleo Indians: Clovis CulturePaleo Indians: Clovis Culture Semi-nomadic. Followed mega-fauna seasonally

Made stone tools and spear points

Cached tools and frozen meat for later use, and to reduce the amount necessary to carry while moving

Paleo Indians: Clovis CulturePaleo Indians: Clovis Culture

With an atlatl, spear-thrower, Clovis spears could penetratemore than a foot into a mammoth

Clovis artifacts in WisconsinClovis artifacts in Wisconsin In 1897, the Dosch family in Boaz, Wisconsin discovered

a mammoth skeleton and Clovis spear points on their farm

Clovis peoples lived in Wisconsin at the end of last Ice Age

Clovis PeriodClovis Period

Clovis Period lasted from 10,000 BCE to 9,000 BCE

Three hypotheses on why it ended

Overkill Hypothesis: Clovis peoples hunted the megafauna to extinction

Younger-Dryas Cold Shock Hypothesis:1500 years of cold temperatures ended Clovis culture

Younger-Dryas Impact Hypothesis:An impact, or near impact of a comet or meteor changedclimates abruptly

Paleo Indians: Plano CulturePaleo Indians: Plano Culture Hunter-gatherers, predominantly on the Great Plains, but

remnants of Plano culture have been found on Atlantic andPacific coasts and as far north as the Northwest Territories

Plano CulturePlano Culture Hunted bison antiquus, much larger than today's bison Preserved meat with berries and fats Also stampeded herds over cliffs or into corrals May have used circular teepees and earthen lodges

Plano PeriodPlano Period Plano Period lasted from 7,000 BCE to 4,000 BCE

Plano Period ends when bison antiquus is hunted to extinction and new culture emerges

Archaic PeriodArchaic Period

6,000 BCE –1,000 BCE6,000 BCE –1,000 BCE

Boreal Archaic PeriodBoreal Archaic Period Water vapor from melting glaciers created a greenhouse

effect that sped up the process

As the land warmed up, megafauna migrated north

Boreal Archaic peoples began to hunt smaller animals

Boreal Archaic CultureBoreal Archaic Culture Boreal Archaic peoples were semi-nomadic, moving through

locations in cycle with the seasons

Made greater use of stone tools, such as the adze

Evidence of dugout canoes

Also evidence of elaborate burial rituals

Boreal Archaic CultureBoreal Archaic Culture

Lasted from around 6000 BCE to about 4000 BCE

Boreal period is considered to have ended withthe appearance and use of copper artifacts

Old Copper CultureOld Copper Culture Lasted from around 4000 BCE to about 500 BCE Peoples mined copper along shores of Lake Superior Made tools, jewelry, etc from copper

Old Copper CultureOld Copper Culture Tools, spearpoints, fish hooks, etc

Old Copper CultureOld Copper Culture Copper Culture artifacts were mined in limited area,

Keweenaw Peninsula in modern Michigan Artifacts found in large area indicates existence of trade

Old Copper CultureOld Copper Culture Copper Cultures in Wisconsin performed elaborate

burial rituals, indicating a degree of spiritualism

Artifacts show extensive trade across continent

In Eastern Wisconsin sites, archaeologists have found:

Freshwater clam shells from the Mississippi River

Whelk shells from Gulf of Mexico

Oconto County Burial Site

Early Woodland PeriodEarly Woodland Period 500 BCE – 100 BCE Hunting and gathering. Wild plants: hickory nuts, blackberries

wild rice, etc. Small game, fish and shellfish They did plant some crops such as squash, sunflowers, tubers

and herbs

Early Woodland PeriodEarly Woodland Period First North Americans we know that made pottery

and other clay artifacts

Early Woodland PeriodEarly Woodland Period Tools, jewelry, pipes, weapons, etc

Early Woodland PeriodEarly Woodland Period Tee-Pees/Wigwams, covered with reeds/grass, hides As farming develops, settlements become permanent

Hopewell PeriodHopewell Period 200 BCE to 500 CE Similar cultures spread across Eastern United States Built Large Complex Mounds

Uncertain Purposes:Burial, Astronomy, etc

Extensive trade betweendifferent regions

Hopewell PeriodHopewell Period 200 BCE to 500 CE Explosion of Art, Ritual & Ceremonial Architecture Elaborate burial customs Effigy Mounds in the shape of animals

Hopewell PeriodHopewell Period There are several Hopewell era sites in Wisconsin Mostly in Southern and Southwestern Wisconsin Hopewell peoples came from Illinois and Ohio and

lived alongside other tribes Nicholls Mound in Trempealeau

Hopewell CultureHopewell Culture Hopewell peoples settled on rivers and waterways They practiced agriculture: nuts, seeds & grasses They did make use of pottery Dwellings were round or oval, using posts and mats

of reed or bark

Hopewell PeriodHopewell Period End of the Hopewell Period is not well understood Archaeological evidence suggests that Late

Woodland peoples moved away from great moundsand settled in large wood-walled villages

Conflict between tribes? Over farming of land caused starvation?

Mississippian-Late WoodlandMississippian-Late Woodland

400-500 CE until European Contact in 1500-1700s

Similar cultures stretched from Mississippi to Atlantic & from Wisconsin to Mexico

Extensive trade between regions

Mississippian-Late WoodlandMississippian-Late Woodland 400-500 CE until European Contact in 1500-1700s Large plazas around two central mounds: one for

ceremonial purposes, one for the “chief”’s residence Largest settlement near Cahokia in Illinois

Mississippian-Late WoodlandMississippian-Late Woodland Between 1000-1200 CE Cahokia had a population

that varied between 10,000-40,000. Larger thanLondon, Paris and Rome at the time

Culture was based on the cultivation of maize (corn) Cahokian society spread north into Wisconsin

up the Mississippi and Rock River Valleys

AztalanAztalan

Mississippian peoples blended with descendants of older peoples.

Major center at Aztalan on the Crawfish River

AztalanAztalan Aztalan site discovered in

1830s near Lake Mills Village and mounds

surrounded by log stockade Several archaeological

digs there since

AztalanAztalan Archaeologists believe Aztalan thrived between

900-1200 CE Site was abandoned; reasons unclear Stockade partially burned. War? Accident?

Late Woodlands: MoundsLate Woodlands: Mounds

Dates uncertain Hopewell? Earlier? Mississippian? Blends of

cultures? Most mounds

in Wisconsindate after 500

Effigy Mounds: Waupaca CountyEffigy Mounds: Waupaca County

Sanders-Steiger Site: Fremont; Privately Owned NE Shore of Taylor Lake Mounds

Native Americans in Wisconsin: 1600Native Americans in Wisconsin: 1600