North American Peoples

1. North American Peoples Moctezuma II Mesoamerica: • Mayans, Aztecs, Incas, Taino -developed advanced agricultural practices based primarily on the cultivation of maize - populations grew quite large and they built elaborate cities - made accurate astronomical observations - Aztecs practiced human sacrifice Tenochtitlán (Aztec Capital City) Human sacrifice- Codex Magliabechiano

2. North American Peoples continued… Arctic/Sub-Arctic (Far North): • Algonquin, Beaver, Chippewa, Cree, Chowo, and Yellowknife - gathered berries, plants, nuts - hunted caribou, moose, deer, elk, buffalo - nomadic tribes used tepees, stationary tribes built sturdy log homes Algonquin couple, 18th c. watercolor

3. North American Peoples continued… Northwest Coast: • Bella Coola, Chinook, Klilitat, Nootka, Quinault, Tlingit - harvested oceans and rivers - hunted in lush forests - accumulated wealth which they believed brought magical power over others - developed ceremonial feasts called “potlatches” Chinook woman and village life Potlatch celebration

4. North American Peoples continued… Great Basin: • Shoshoni, Modoc, Ute, Washo, Paiute - food was not abundant in this semi-arid land - small groups ate rats, snakes, grasshoppers, grubs, and roots

5. North American Peoples continued… California: • Minok, Mowo, Muki, Hupa - lived in villages - hunted small game, fished and gathered wild plants, seeds, and nuts - hand-crafted fine basketry Hupa Indian sweat house covered with wood plank roof, surrounded by wall of large rocks

6. North American Peoples continued… Southwest: • Pueblos, Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, Mohave, Yuma, Pima, Papago, Anasazi - many lived in cliff dwellings - developed an advanced agrarian culture and specialization in work - constructed intricate irrigation systems Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde National Park Manuelito, Navajo chief Laguna Pueblo dwellers

7. North American Peoples continued… Northeast: • Shawnee, Iroquois, Cayuga, Mohawk, Quebec, Oneida, Seneca Tuscarora - two major areas: the Mound Builders of the Ohio River Valley and the Eastern Woodlands Indians - evidence from mounds shows the Mound Builders traded with Gulf Coast - in Eastern Woodlands, the Iroquois founded a confederacy to ensure internal peace and provide for defense Mound Builders 18th Century Iroquois warrior

8. North American Peoples continued… Southeast: • Timukua, Alabama, Natchez, Caddo, Creek, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Tuskegee, Choctaw - cultivated maize, beans, and squash in a method known as “three-sister farming” - created some of the highest population densities on the continent Painting by Herb Roe depicting the Mississippian-culture A Mississippian era priest holding a ceremonial flint mace as envisioned by Herb Roe

9. North American Peoples continued… Great Plains: • Cree, Crow, Mandan, Sioux, Arapaho, Iowa, Cheyenne, Apache, Comanche - settled in villages along rivers - when agricultural products were insufficient they would venture onto the plains to stampede buffalo over cliffs

10. Timeline • about 20,000 to 50,000 years ago - First Native Americans cross land bridge from Siberia • 5,000 B.C.- Corn is developed as a staple crop in highland Mexico • 1200 B.C.- Corn planting reaches present day American Southwest • 500 A.D.- Pueblo culture develops in southwestern United States • 1000 A.D.- Norse voyagers discover and briefly settle in northeastern North America • 1100 A.D.- Height of Mississippian settlement at Cahokia and Christian crusades arouse European interest in the East • 1295 A.D. Marco Polo returns to Europe

11. Key Names, Events, and Terms • Native Americans: land bridge • Sioux, Pawnee, Pueblo, Adena, Hopewell • Mississippian, Iroquois • Mayas, Incans, Aztecs (Mexica)

12. Question “In the 1500s, Native Americans possessed a wide range of complex cultures.” Each of the following gives evidence to support this statement EXCEPT • The Aztec capital Tenochtitlán • The organization of Inca society • Native American’s susceptibility to European diseases • The Maya’s agricultural system • The Maya Calendar

13. Answer C: Native American’s susceptibility to European diseases