Colliding Worlds: Native American Societies Before European Contact

Native American societies were _________ and _________ (with some _______ common feature among them)

diverse, heterogenous, common

Native Americans _______ their __________ to meet their needs on their ___ _____.

shaped, environments, own terms

Native American societies had “_________” (influence) over the land they lived on (they were not _______ observes as was taught much throughout US history)

agency, passive

Total W. Hempishpere population estiamtes by 1491: ________ (however only ___________ on land that is now the US)

60 million, 7-10 million

Archeo/Anthro studies prove _____ Native American _____ had come and gone Before 1491 in Western Hempisphere.

many, civilizations

“__________” by the people who lived there was common through clearning land, engineering/refining agriculture, hunting, introducing new plant species, etc.

Land-shaping

____________ and ____________ other Native American peoples/ tribes/ nations through trade, language, war, etc.

Interaction with, knowledge

Dense _______, productive _______, ________ gov’t = keys to their power, size, and regional dominance

populations, agriculture

__________________ at the center of their empires (Tenochtitlan, Cusco) - larger in population than London, Paris, etc. at the time

Urban capital cities

Ruled by _________ and __________; conquered peoples/tribes in the region often paid steep _______ for peace or protection

religious, warrior-leaders, tribute

__________ were abundant

trade/ markets

__________________ crop cultivation started here (two Western Hemisphere crops that would change the world)

Mazie and potato

(Mississippi Valley Society) Believed to be ___________ Maize was _________ on land that would become the US

first place, cultivated

Maize = a stable, nutritious crop; leads to greater, healthier __________

lifespan

Leads to greater __________ and more ____________________

urban density, economic diversification

Leads to complex ______________________

social/ hierarchical ruling class

(E. Woodland people/culture) 2 Main Nations: ________ and __________

Algonquian, Iroquois

Smaller _______ instead of large cities

villages

50/50 split of __________ and ___________

agriculture, hunting/fishing

Maize was a staple crop but so were _______________ (“the three sisters”)

beans and squash

Changed their environment through ____________________ to accommodate agricultural/hunting lifestyle

brush-burning

Political structure = local _________, larger __________ (sovereign tribes united into larger alliances)

chiefdoms, confederacies

Many tribes/nations were “ __________” societies (Lenape, Iroquois, Hopi are three examples)

matriarchal

_______ controlled fields, homes, tools (except for weapons) in a village

women

women had _______ over their own _________________________________

agency, bodies, sexuality and relationships

Women = the “____________________________” behind most chiefdoms, caciques, etc. in N., C., and S. Americas/Carribean (male leaders could not make decisions w/o their input and consent)

driving political force

Viewpoint: Land = one’s ___________

identity

Viewpoint: humans = ________ of land

custodians

Land was not held in “__________” (i.e. private property); it was _________ to its people by a higher power (“creator”)

title, bestowed

Land was not a _________ to be bought, sold, and assigned; a person cannot be _______________ from land (to do so would violate the custodial agreement between Creator and people)

commodity, physically separated

Little devotion to accumulating ______________; one’s reputation was built on their ___________

personal wealth, generosity

Trade = the ________ form of ____________ between individuals and groups

highest, personal relationships

Old way of thinking: Native Americans were _________ to anything new/technologically advanced

ignorant

Reality: highly ________ to any change that ______________ (the horse, the rifle, steel tools, etc.)

adaptive, benefited them

Often understood and referred to as ___________ (natural world was suffused with spiritual power)

animist

Strong belief in “___________” (both human and non-human); _______ were often performed to appease them (dance, prayer, song etc.)

guardian spirits, rituals

One’s _________ was not ____________; it was based on inherent and acquired _______________ throughout one’s lifetime and would often change

name, permanent, characteristics/ actions

__________ (gain/defense of resources, mourning, revenge, feuds, etc.)

Geopolitical

____________ (rite of passage for young men- “counting coup” on Plains region)

Ritualistic

More ________ and ___________ (1:1 ratio raids, ambush/” guerrilla” tactics) in practice; objective was never to _________ enemy combatants or their people.

localized, symmetrical, annihilate