vocab- contact and genocide

beringia (bering land bridge)

beringia (bering land bridge)

• land bridge between russia and north america

• covered by the bering sea after the ice age

• it was a vast grassland with dry winters and mild summers

mega fauna

• bison, mastadon, etc

• searching for this is what led the first humans across beringia to north america

• most of these from the prehistoric age are now extinct

wampum

• shells used as currency by native americans

• part of the legend of how the iroquois came together

  • in the legend, wampum belts represent words of condolence, and a belt is given to each iroquois nation to create the iroquois confederacy

hiawatha

• turned the iroquois from enemies to friends in the League of the iroquois, with help from a holy man named Deganawidah.

• hiawatha had the vision about wampum shells

deganawidah

• “the peacemaker“

• he met hiawatha in the woods and gave him wampum belts to console him

• they then took the belts to each iroquois nation as a message of peace

great league of peace

• the iroquois nation, how they joined together to keep good relations

• created by hiawatha and degandawida (aka “the peacemaker“)

• the model for federalism, separation of powers, and participatory democracy, inspired the founding fathers.