Holmberg’s Mistake and Ancient North American History

This flashcard set covers the lecture on Holmberg's Mistake, competing theories of early human migration to North America, and the development of ancient indigenous civilizations.

Holmberg's Mistake

The anthropological belief that indigenous peoples lived in an eternal, ahistorical state without change, presence, or history, and that history requires continued progress.

Soriano

The indigenous people living in the Beni region of Bolivia with whom Holmberg lived for two years.

William Penn

A thinker who supported the theory that indigenous peoples were the lost tribes of Israel.

Clovis

A technology represented by carbon arrowheads findings that pushed the timeline of human presence in the Americas back to $14,000$ or $15,000$ years ago.

Brook Range

A geographic area that supposedly contained an ice-free corridor but likely impeded the movement of prehistoric people and animals.

Monateve

An archaeological site in Chile which, along with findings in Brazil, suggests human presence in the Americas as far back as $25,000$ years ago.

Seasonal Round

A non-random pattern of regular movements tied to the extraction of resources, such as berries or animal pelts, when they are at their best quality during specific times of the year.

Apache

A group, named by a Comanche word, that originated in northern Canada and migrated south into the American Southwest and plains in $1000\text{ AD}$.

Sioux (Sewa)

A group that immigrated to the Lakota and Dakota regions, including North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Wisconsin, Northern Iowa, and Illinois.

Neolithic Revolution

A global phenomenon beginning approximately $10,000$ years ago marking the shift from hunting and gathering to agriculture and horticulture.

Maize

A crop originating in southern Mexico around $5550\text{ BC}$ that developed from a wild ancestor which was a small cob of grass.

Three Sisters

The agricultural combination of squash, beans, and maize which together help retain soil water and fix nitrogen levels.

Succotash

A dish made from a combination of crops that created amino acids, effectively eliminating the need for meat in the diet.

Anasazi

Indigenous peoples of the American Southwest ($300$ to $1100\text{ AD}$) who built advanced canal systems and settlements on mesa tops.

Acoma

A community founded in $1300\text{ AD}$ that is considered the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States.

Mound Builders

Groups residing near the Mississippi River who built large earth mounds for ceremonial purposes and maintained rigid social hierarchies with powerful chiefs.

Cahiokas

A group that served as a major political and economic center in the heart of the continent until its decline in the $1300\text{s}$.