Pre-Columbian Test

Pre-Columbian America

Refers to the period in the Americas before the arrival of Columbus and other Europeans (before 1492).

Prehistoric Humans

Early inhabitants of the Americas who were nomads and hunter-gatherers.

Nomad

A person who has no fixed location and moves from place to place.

Ice Age

A period of extreme cold that led to human migration across the Bering land-bridge from Asia to North America.

Migration

The mass movement of people to new lands; early humans migrated as far as South America.

Ancestors of Native Americans

Prehistoric nomads who are the ancestors of modern Native American groups.

First Peoples/Indigenous

Indigenous people who were the original inhabitants of the Americas, adapting to their environments.

Culture

A society’s way of life, including language, clothes, rules, food, etc.

Environment and Resources

The environment shaped Native American cultures by providing essential resources.

Sedentary and Semi-Sedentary

Native groups that either stayed in one place (sedentary) or moved occasionally (semi-sedentary).

Hunters/Gatherers

Early Native Americans who hunted animals and gathered wild plants for food.

Iroquois

A Native American tribe from the northeastern woodlands known for forming the Iroquois League.

Iroquois League

A confederation of tribes with a sophisticated system of governance based on consensus.

Cherokee

A southeastern tribe known for farming, complex village life, and a rich oral tradition.

Comanche

A nomadic tribe of the Great Plains known for horse-riding skills and hunting buffalo.

Apache

Nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples living in the arid southwest, relying on hunting and gathering.

Shoshone

Inhabitants of the Great Basin region who used a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to survive.

Chinook

A tribe from the northwest coast known for fishing skills and large plank houses.

Wabanaki Confederacy

A group of tribes in Maine and parts of Canada, known as the "People of the Dawnland."

Natural Resources

Food sources like fish, game, and wild plants provided by the environment for the Wabanaki.

Government

Wabanaki tribes were led by councils with respected leaders called “Sakoms.”

Religion

The Wabanaki practiced shamanism as part of their spiritual beliefs.

Oral Tradition

The practice of passing down folklore and stories, such as the legend of Gluskabi.

Homo sapiens

Humans who originated in Africa and migrated to the Americas around 14,000 years ago.

Resource Availability

Access to food and water critical for the lifestyle of each Native American tribe.

Iroquois

A Native American tribe from the northeastern woodlands.

Pre-Columbian

The time in America before European explorers arrived.

Sedentary

A lifestyle in which people stay in one place.

Resources

Natural materials like food, water, and wood necessary for survival.

Writing System

A formalized method of writing, such as the Cherokee system created by Sequoyah.

Bering Land-Bridge

The land connection between Asia and North America during the Ice Age.

Animism

The belief that natural objects have spirits.

Ethnic Groups

Groups of people sharing common cultural traits.

Climate

The weather conditions of a particular region.

Oral Tradition

The practice of passing down stories and history through spoken word.

Tribe

A group of people who share a common culture and ancestry.