America Before Columbus

People of Precontact Americas

==The Coluis People==

• It is believed that around 11,000 years ago people crossed the Bearing Straight into Alaska, then eventually traveled to the habitable south
• They may be the creators of stone made tools that could be helpful for hunting
• Scholars think that they are some of the first to hunt with man made tools

@@Archaeologicalogists and Population Diversity@@

• People may have sailed to Chile and Peru, meaning some South Americans may have come by sea instead of land
• This means the diversity of new American populations may be very high
• The DNA characteristics of Indian Americans are close to those of Mongolians and Siberians

The Archaic Period

• Started in 8000 BCE and lasted around 5,000 years
• The beginning of this period consisted of hunting and gathering, and the extinction of many animals was caused due to this
• This didn’t stop hunting in the Great Plains, and people eventually hunted bison
• People later in this period started creating more advanced tools, and also began developing in farming

The Growth of Civilizations: The South

%%Incas%%

• The Incas were America’s largest empire
• Pachacuti ruled over the empire which was 2,000 miles of South America, though it started as a small tribe
• They were also able to create networks of roads

^^Mayas^^

• Had a language, numeric system, calendar, and agricultural system
• They formed around 800 CE

==Mexica==

• Combined Meso-American tribes and Mayans
• Had a population of 100,000 by 1500
• Had organized society and buildings for different purposes
• Their religion was based on human sacrifice, which used prisoners
• Their downfall was caused by the diseases brought by Europeans

The Civilizations of the North

@@Complex and Varied Civilizations@@

• Most people in the Northern Americas didn’t have societies as advanced as the South, and mostly depended on hunting, gathering, and fishing
• Some civilizations also depended on agriculture
• Small tribes created ‘towns’ to use for trade and religious centers
• Tribes that lived in woodland areas had access to the best food resources
• Agricultural societies usually combined hunting in their ways as the land isn’t fertile enough, farming practices tend to be temporary and groups move around consistently for new land

Mobile Societies

• Tribes near the Mississippi River tended to have similar linguistic roots, however, the alliances formed between those groups were never solid
• The language groups were Algonquian, Iroquoian, and Muskogean

Tribal Cultures

%%Agricultural Revolution%%

• Tribes were advancing in agriculture, clothing, and shelter techniques before the Europeans
• A lot of Native Americans’ religion was based on natural elements, and some even made totems and have festivals in celebration of their gods
• Many tribes divided tasks as gender roles, like agriculture, hunting, cooking, caring for kids, and fighting