Bellwork
• In the last lesson, we discussed the arrival of
the Paleo-Indians to the Americas. In 2-3
sentences, consider something that could
affect the cultures of the Native Americans
within the Americas.
American History
Section 2, Unit 2
Native American Peoples
Objectives
• Compare the cultures of Mesoamerica to
those of North America based on complexity.
• Identify how geographic regions affected
certain North American Native cultures
• Be able to differentiate between the culture
areas of North America and explain how these
culture areas effected the different groups of
people.
Mesoamerica
• Central America, and the southern and central
regions of Mexico is the area that
archaeologists refer to as Mesoamerica. It was
home to some of the largest of the early
cultures. It is estimated that at the height of
the region, the population would have been
almost 25 million people who all shared a
common cultural heritage.
Mesoamerica
Olmecs
• The Olmecs were the first
great culture of Mesoamerica
and would have thrived near
the Gulf of Mexico between
1200 to 400 B.C.
• The Olmecs were farmers
and that influenced their
culture:
– They prayed to a rain god
– Development of a calendar to
predict seasons
– The farms even circled
important ceremonial areas in
their cities.
Olmecs (cont.)
• However, around 400 B.C., the Olmec
civilization began to crumble.
• However, their way of life was adopted by
others in Mesoamerica and would lead into
the growth of the Mayan civilization.
• The Mayans improved
upon the Olmecs
accomplishments,
including developing a far
more accurate calendar
than the one used in
Europe.
– They even adopted the
concept of zero before the
Europeans.
• The Mayans also
developed a watermanagement system for
their farming, which
allowed them to vastly
increase their population
Mayan
Mayan Civilization Falls
• Despite a population of millions, around 900
A.D., the Mayans had abandoned almost all of
their cities and merged with other cultures in
the area.
• Why this happened is unknown.
Toltecs
• In a century prior to the
decline of the Maya, the
Toltecs came to
dominate the region
known as the Valley of
Mexico.
• Adopting the cultures of
the people they
conquered, they built a
vast empire.
• However, due to
internal conflicts, they
fell to invading groups
to the north in around
the 12th century.
• Of the groups that came
from the north, the Aztecs
(Mexicas) proved powerful
enough to control the vast
empire of the Toltecs.
• The Aztecs were a fierce
warriorlike people.
• Over the course of two
centuries, they would come
to dominate a region of
over 5 million people.
• Human sacrifice was central
to their religion and they
believed it was important to
do so as to ensure the
survival of their peoples.
• As we will discuss later, the
Aztecs in 1500’s would fall
to Spanish conquest.
Aztecs
Why such a brief overview?
• We did not go into a very in-depth discuss on
the Mesoamerican peoples. Why?
– They’re not the focus of this class.
– And there should have been a discussion of them
in World History.
Cultures of North America
• Unlike the Mesoamerican cultures, who were all
centralized in one location, the cultures of North
America never grew to the same size or splendor
of their southern counterparts.
• The North American natives were far too spread
out to reach the size and complexity of the Native
Mesoamericans. Few groups north of
Mesoamerica numbered over a thousand people.
• However, despite this, many Native American
cultures were similar to one another, despite
geographic separation.
Southwestern cultures
• Native Americans who settled in the
Southwest began to cultivate corn (maize) and
other crops by around 3500 B.C.
• Their farming methods, pottery styles, and
social practices show very strong
Mesoamerican influences, highlighting a
distinct possibility of either relationship or the
cultures having met.
Anasazi
• Between 800 and 1100 AD, the Anasazi began to build
multistory rock and adobe dwellings- usually nested
against cliffs.
• These structures are referred to as pueblos (villages)
and housed various members of the community.
• However, around 1400, the Anasazi ceased to exist as a
distinct people, but are believed to have been the
ancestors of the Pueblo people, who would have met
the Spanish in the 1500’s.
• The Adena and Hopewell
cultures in the east
dominated the region for
about 1,700 years.
• They are often referred to
as the Mound Builders
because of the distinctive
earthworks they created.
• The Hopewell eventually
pushed the Adenas out of
the region. The Hopewell
dominated the area until
a more advance culturethe Mississippian culturereplaced them.
Eastern Cultures
• The Mississippian people
occupied much of the Mississippian
Southeast and Midwest.
• Huge temple mounds
dominated their villages.
• At one point, it is believed
that some populations
reach almost 40,000.
However, overtime, the
Mississippian people
abandoned some of their
larger cities, but would
continue to dominate the
area for several more
centuries.
People
Iroquois League
• Eastern tribes (those near or along the eastern
coast) had much in common with the
Mississippian peoples, including a similar
environment. However, woodland groups of the
east developed a variety of cultures and spoke
very distinct languages- Algonquian, Iroquoian,
and Muskogean.
• Many of these groups fought one another for
land.
• However, some groups would come together and
form alliances.
Iroquois League
• The Iroquois League was
a political alliance
amongst 5 (five) tribes
living in the Eastern Great
Lakes Region: Mohawk,
Oneida, Onondaga,
Cayuga, and Seneca.
• The goal of the league
was to promote a joint
defense and cooperation
among the tribes– the
confederacy lasted for
almost 200 years.
Cultural Connections
• The relationship between the Iroquois
nations- and tribes outside of the league- was
both economic and cultural.
– As they traded, Native groups began to share
cultural concepts: in time, many groups would
have similar religious beliefs, and shared social
patterns.
• Trade was a major factor for the natives in
North America.
Trade
• Trade was very important to the Native peoples.
• Trade centers and traveling merchants were
found throughout North America.
– For example: the Chinook of Oregon established a
lively marketplace that brought goods from all over
the west.
• In some places, goods would travel hundreds (if
not thousands) of miles from the original source.
– This was especially true for exotic goods like colored
feathers and jewelry.
Religion
• Many Native Americans
shared a similar belief
system.
• Nearly all Native
American groups
believed that the world
around them was filled
with nature spirits- and the native peoples
recognized these spirits.
The Spirits
• Some groups of Native
Americans believed in a
supreme being, or the
Great Spirit (Wakan
Tanka) that lived above all
else.
• North American peoples
believed that the spirits
gave them rituals and
customs to guide their
lives.
• If people practiced these
rituals, they would live in
peace and harmony.
Land
• Native American
religious beliefs also
included a great
respect for the land
as a source of life.
• Native Americans
used the land, but
altered it as little as
possible– to them, it
was sacred.
– This would become
a contentious issue
later when the
Europeans, who
believed that land
could be bought and
sold, unlike the
Natives.
North American Cultures
• Before we continue forward, you are going to
need a map of the United States- which is broken
down into the Native American Culture areas.
• Prior to European contact, the Native American
populations of the Americas had divided
themselves into hundreds of groups. However, for
the purposes of comparison, many scholars
organize the Native American groups into groups
of broad cultural areas based on geographic
location and shared characteristics.
Cultural Areas
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Northwest Coast- coastal dwellers,
fishers, developed complex culture
Plateau- river dwellers, primarily
fishers, relatively low populations
Great Plains- grasslands dwellers,
nomadic buffalo hunters after the
introduction of horses
Northeast- forest dwellers- primarily
hunter-gatherers but also farmed
and fished.
Great Basin- desert basic dwellers;
primarily gathering society- low
population
California- desert, mountain, river,
or coastal dwellers- primarily
gatherers and fishers
Southwest- canyon, mountain, and
desert dwellers; usually farmers or
nomadic hunters
Southeast- river-valley dwellers;
primarily farmers, but also hunted
and gathered.
Questions?
• If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Review
• What was the major cause of cultural variety in North
American Natives?
• Why did the North American cultures never grow to
the size of their Mesoamerican counterparts?
• Why did many Native American groups have similar
customs/beliefs/etc.?
• How were the Europeans and Native Americans
different in their stance on land ownership?
• What was the goal of the Iroquois League?
• Opinion: The North American Native peoples never
created a large scale society, but what if they had? How
do you think this would have affected European
conquest?
Next Lesson
• In the next lesson, we are going to briefly
discuss Europe prior to the contact with the
new world.