Introduction - North America before European Colonization

Introduction.

when Christopher Columbus set foot in the West Indies in 1492, how many people already lived in North America and since when was the continent inhabited ?

• apx. 5 million people already lived there by end of 15th

• Americas inhabited for 12K to 14K years

where did these people come from ?

believed →

• from the Bering Straits for food

• Northern Europe

how many languages were spoken on the continent ?

between 300-350 different languages

what differentiated the Native American tribes’ lifestyles ? +

• areas where they lived

• mode of subsistence

  • Great Plains (not agriculture-suited) = hunted, nomads & lived in groups

  • East & Southwest = agriculture mainly

  • Gulf of Mexico, Northwest = fishing mainly

how were agriculural societies organized in terms of housing ? +

• (semi-) permanent settlements

  • Pueblos (southwest) = buildings with several floors

  • Iroquois (northeast) = large & rectangular structures

how was labour distributed between men & women ? +

varied between the tribes

• hunting societies (large game) : men tasks & women prepared food, clothing and reared children

• Iroquois & Algonquian tribes (northeast) : men hunt, fished, went to war & women farmed and gathered food products

• agricultural societies : women ofter assumed leadership roles → families defined by female line of descent (=/ nomadic groups of the GP)

overall, what differenciated hunting groups and agricultural groups ? +

• hunting groups : small & autonomous

• agricultural groups : larger & more elaborate structure

  • Iroquois = confederacy of Indian tribes, sending delegates from each tribe to a Council meeting

  • in Pacific Northwest : highly stratified society between slaves & free men

what were the differences and similarities of the religious beliefs and practices of the Indian tribes ?

• all polytheistic & main rituals revolved around means of subsistence

  • Aztechs = worshipped 200 differents deities

  • Pueblos = main religious festivals centered on planting and harvest (=/ hunting groups with mainly associated with animals)