1.3 | Regional Diversity Among North American Indigenous Societies

What was the lifestyle of Indigenous groups in the Great Plains before European contact?

Nomadic hunters relied on bison for food, clothing, and shelter.

What were teepees used for in the Indigenous lifestyle?

For easy mobility.

What were the main Indigenous groups in the Southwest?

Pueblo peoples, including the Hopi, Zuni, Acoma, and Taos.

How did Southwest Indigenous groups adapt to their environment?

They built adobe houses and developed complex irrigation systems to farm in dry conditions.

What were the Ancestral Puebloans known for?

They built cliff dwellings like Mesa Verde for protection and efficiency.

What was the Iroquois Confederacy?

A powerful alliance of tribes in the Northeast known for their democratic government.

What were key aspects of Algonquian-speaking tribes?

They included the Pequot, Wampanoag, and Shawnee and practiced farming, fishing, and seasonal hunting.

What was significant about the Mississippian culture?

They built mound cities like Cahokia and practiced 'Three Sisters' agriculture.

What were the 'Three Sisters' crops grown by the Mississippian culture?

Corn, beans, and squash.

How did Pacific Northwest Indigenous groups sustain themselves?

They lived in permanent villages and relied on fishing, especially salmon.

What cultural symbols were significant to Pacific Northwest Indigenous groups?

They built totem poles to record history and social status.

What is the big idea about Native American societies before European contact?

They were diverse, adapted to their environment, and had unique traditions.

How did the arrival of Europeans impact Great Plains Indigenous groups?

They adopted horses brought by the Spanish, which transformed hunting and warfare.

How did the lifestyles of Indigenous groups vary across North America?

They adapted to their environments with unique housing, agriculture, hunting, and cultural traditions.

Why didn’t all Indigenous groups live in large cities like the Aztecs or Inca?

Geography, climate, and available resources shaped their lifestyles, leading to diverse ways of living.

What is the big idea about Native American societies before European contact?

They were diverse, adapted to their environment, and had unique traditions long before Europeans arrived.

What type of housing did Great Plains nomadic tribes use for mobility?

Teepees (tipis)

• Made from bison hides and wooden poles
• Easy to assemble and disassemble for a nomadic lifestyle

What animal was central to Great Plains Indigenous life before and after European contact?

Bison (buffalo)

• Provided food, clothing, tools, shelter
• Hunted skillfully by nomadic tribes

Horses (introduced by Spanish):

• Revolutionized mobility and hunting efficiency

Which Indigenous groups lived in the Southwest and how did they adapt to the environment?

Pueblo peoples: Hopi, Zuni, Acoma, Taos

• Built adobe homes from clay and straw
• Created complex irrigation systems for farming in arid climate

Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi)

• Constructed cliff dwellings (e.g., Mesa Verde) for protection and insulation

What was the Iroquois Confederacy?

A powerful democratic alliance of five (later six) tribes

• Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca (later Tuscarora)
• Practiced collective decision-making via the Great Law of Peace
• Located in Northeast (New York, Pennsylvania)

What was the Mississippian culture known for?

Built mound cities like Cahokia

• Cahokia had thousands of residents, large earth mounds

• Practiced "Three Sisters" agriculture

• Corn, beans, and squash grown together for mutual support

What resources sustained Pacific Northwest Indigenous groups?

Abundant salmon and marine life

• Lived in permanent wooden villages
• Created totem poles to tell family stories and social status

Why did Great Plains tribes remain nomadic?

Geography: open grasslands not ideal for permanent farming

• Relied on migratory bison for survival
• Nomadic culture suited hunting and mobility
• Horses amplified nomadic lifestyle after European contact

How did the Pueblo peoples adapt to the harsh desert of the Southwest?

Engineered irrigation canals to direct scarce water to crops

• Built adobe houses that stayed cool in heat and warm in cold
• Settled life allowed for stable farming communities

What were key cultural traits of Northeastern tribes like the Iroquois and Algonquian?

Iroquois: longhouses, strong political unity, matrilineal society

• Algonquians: seasonal migration, canoes, mixed economy (farming + fishing + hunting)
• Environment (forests, rivers, lakes) shaped mixed-resource lifestyles

What does Cahokia reveal about Southeastern Indigenous civilizations?

Highly urbanized and organized

• Mounds used for rituals, leadership housing, burials
• Showed complex agriculture, trade networks, and societal structure

Why didn’t all Native American societies build massive cities?

Adapted to diverse environments:

• Plains = nomadic
• Southwest = irrigation & adobe
• Northwest = fishing and wood structures

Culture shaped by geography, climate, and resources

What is the big idea about Indigenous cultures in North America before European contact?

Native American societies were diverse and highly adapted to their local environments

• No single “Native culture”—instead, hundreds of unique traditions
• Varied lifestyles: nomadic hunters, urban builders, farmers, fishers
• Had complex political, economic, and social systems long before European arrival

How did geography shape Native American cultural development across regions?

Great Plains: flat grasslands → bison hunting, nomadism

• Southwest: dry deserts → adobe housing, irrigation
• Northeast: forests/lakes → mixed economy, longhouses
• Southeast: fertile land → agriculture, mound cities
• Pacific Northwest: coastline/rivers → fishing, totemic art

What are three key facts about Great Plains Indigenous groups?

Nomadic bison hunters using teepees

• Depended on bison for survival (food, tools, clothing)
• Adopted horses post-European contact, which transformed mobility

What are three key facts about the Southwest Indigenous groups?

Pueblo peoples lived in adobe houses

• Used irrigation systems to farm in deserts
• Ancestral Puebloans built cliff dwellings

What are three key facts about Northeast & Great Lakes tribes?

Iroquois Confederacy: democratic league, longhouses

• Algonquians: seasonal migration, fishing, farming
• Environment shaped mixed resource use

What are three key facts about Southeast tribes?

Mississippian culture built mound cities like Cahokia

• Practiced Three Sisters farming
• Complex urban centers with trade networks

What are three key facts about Pacific Northwest tribes?

Lived in permanent villages due to resource abundance

• Fished for salmon
• Built totem poles to tell stories and represent social hierarchy

What are complex irrigation systems?

Structures like canals and ditches used to transport water for farming.

Why are complex irrigation systems important?

They help supply water to crops, especially in areas with less rainfall.