CHAPTER 7Peoples of North America
SETTING THE SCENE
Climate and natural resources had profound effects on the daily life for the first people in North America
The impact of the environment stretched far beyond the southwest
Hundreds of cultural groups emerged in present-day United States and Canada
Early people lived by hunting, fishing, and gathering
The success of farming led to large populations and permanent settlements
EARLY TRIBES
THE DESERT SOUTHWEST---HOHOKAMS More than 1,000 years ago, fields of corn, beans,
and squash bloomed in the desert southwest These crops were raised by the Hohokams
(“Vanished Ones”) To farm the desert, they built complex irrigation
systems The Hohokams lived near the Gila River in present-
day Arizona They may have acquired skills such as irrigation
from the civilizations of Middle America They built temple mounds and ball courts The Hohokams survived until about 1500 AD, when
a drought forced them from their settlements
GILA RIVER
HOHOKAM IRRIGATION DITCHES
THE DESERT SOUTHWEST---ANASAZIS
The best-known society of the southwest was that of the Anasazi
They lived in what is known as the Four Corners region of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah
Between about 900-1300 AD, the Anasazi built large villages called pueblos (named by the Spanish)
Kivas (large underground chambers) were used for religious ceremonies
Paintings on walls show their concern with weather, including storms that might damage crops
FOUR CORNERS REGION
FOUR CORNERS MONUMENT
FOUR CORNERS MONUMENT
FOUR CORNERS MONUMENT
VISITING FOUR STATES AT ONE TIME!!!
ANASAZI PEOPLE
PUEBLO
PUEBLO
THE DESERT SOUTHWEST---ANASAZIS
In the late 1100s, the Anasazi began building housing complexes in the shadow of canyon walls, where the cliffs offered protection from raiders
The largest of these cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde, in present-day Colorado, had over 200 rooms
People had to climb ladders to reach their fields on the flatlands above or the canyon floor below
In the late 1200s, a long drought forced the Anasazi to abandon their land
Attacks by Navajos and Apaches may have contributed further to their decline
Anasazi traditions survive among the Hopis and other Pueblo Indians of the present-day southwestern U.S.
MESA VERDE
MESA VERDE
MESA VERDE
MESA VERDE
THE MOUND BUILDERS
In the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, other farming cultures emerged as early as 700 BC
The Adena and Hopewell peoples left behind giant earthen mounds
The Mississippian people also built great earthen mounds
Their greatest center, Cahokia in present-day Illinois, housed as many as 40,000 people by about 1200 AD
Cahokia boasted at least 60 mounds
MAP OF MOUND BUILDERS
MISSISSIPPIAN TOWN
CAHOKIA MOUNDS
MOUND
CAHOKIA MOUNDS
DIVERSE REGIONAL CULTURES
Modern scholars have identified 10 culture areas in North America based on the environments in which people lived: Arctic, Subarctic, Northwest Coast, California, Great Basin, Plateau, Southwest, Great Plains, Eastern Woodlands, and Southeast
In each area, people adapted to geographic conditions that influenced their ways of life
A FROZEN WORLD
In the frozen north, the Inuits (Eskimos) adapted to a harsh climate using limited resources of the frozen land to survive
Seals and other sea mammals provided them with food, skins for clothing, bones for needles and tools, and oil for cooking
The used kayaks in open waters or dog sleds to transport goods across ice
Inuits also constructed igloos, or dome-shaped homes made from snow and ice
INUITS (ESKIMOS)
KAYAK AND DOGLSEDS
POLAR BEARS
IGLOOS
A LAND OF PLENTY The people of the Northwest Coast lived in a far
richer environment than the Inuits Rivers teemed with salmon, and the Pacific Ocean
offered other fish and sea mammals Hunters tracked deer, wolves, and bears in forests People built large, permanent villages with homes
made of wood They traded surplus goods, gaining wealth that was
shared at a potlatch At this ceremony, which continues in Canada today,
a person of rank and wealth distributes lavish gifts to a large number of guests
By accepting the gifts, the guests acknowledge the host’s high status
PACIFIC NORTHWEST TRIBES (WASHINGTON)
CANOE
WILD SALMON
GRILLED SALMON
PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIVES
THE IROQUOIS LEAGUE
The Iroquois lived in the Eastern Woodlands, which stretched from the Atlantic Coast to the Great Lakes
According to Iroquois tradition, the prophet Dekanawidah urged rival Iroquois nations to stop their constant wars
Out of that grew the Iroquois League---an alliance of five nations who spoke the same language and shared similar traditions
Member nations governed their own villages but met jointly in a council when they needed to address larger issues
DEKANAWIDAH
IROQUOIS LEAGUE