Prehistoric North American Cultures and Leif Erikson Day

Vocabulary flashcards covering major prehistoric groups, cultures, and a noted observance from the notes.

Paleo-Indian

12,000–9,000 BCE; traveled during the Ice Age with woolly mammoths as a food source; used Clovis points (spear tips).

Clovis point

Spear tip used by Paleo-Indians as a tool for hunting.

Archaic Peoples

8,999–1,000 BCE; Neolithic revolution—the dawn of agriculture (notes: began around 3,000 BCE in Mexico).

Neolithic Revolution

Dawn of agriculture; agricultural practices begin (notes mention ~3,000 BCE in Mexico).

Pacific Coast Peoples

Permanent settlements; highest population; abundant resources and notable art.

Great Basin Peoples

Hunter/Gatherer groups; nomadic.

Great Plains Peoples

Hunter/Gatherer groups relying on American bison; bow and arrow around 500 AD; nomadic.

Southwestern Peoples

Hunter/Gatherer groups; nomadic; later transitioned to agriculture and permanent settlements.

Eastern Woodlands Peoples

Lived along the Mississippi River; deer as a food source; hunted using fire-chasing techniques.

Algonquian Peoples

Subgroup of Eastern Woodlands; lived along the Atlantic coast; permanent settlements; deer as a food source.

Iroquois People

Inland group within the Eastern Woodlands; matriarchal society (female lineage); agriculture; formed the Iroquois Confederacy.

Iroquois Confederacy

League of Five Nations: Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Mohawk; Tuscarora joined later.

Muskogean Peoples

Native American language-family group in the southeastern United States.

Leif Erikson Day

October 9, 1964; designated day in the United States honoring Norse explorer Leif Erikson.

Leif Erikson

First explorer credited for finding America whom Leif Erikson Day is named.