Name:______________________________
Date:____________________Period:_____
Early Native American Cultures
Objective: students will examine early Native American culture in order to analyze the
development of sedentary-agricultural based communities
I.
Before you read: Answer using complete sentences.
1. What is the meaning of nomadic?
2. What other cultural groups in history or in other parts of the world were/are nomadic?
3. Why would nomadic people adapt a sedentary (settled) life style?
4. What might be the advantages to a group of people adopting a sedentary lifestyle?
II.
While you read
1. Read the selection
2. DO NOT WRITE ON THE READING—it’s a class set
3. Complete the graphic organizer after you finish reading.
III.
After reading: Answer using complete sentences.
1. What did the sedentary groups have in common with each other?
2. Why were sedentary groups able to develop more complex societies than nomadic
people?
3. Abundant food supplies resulted in a large increase in the population within sedentary
groups. Is this a positive or negative factor for a sedentary culture?
4. What was a major factor in the decline of the sedentary groups you explored?
5. Why were the groups studied unable to make the adaptations necessary to avoid their
decline?
The Hohokam
The geographic setting of the
Hohokam culture was the hot, arid
desert of present day Arizona. It is
believed that the original
Hohokam migrated from Southern
California and Northern Mexico.
From approximately 300 B.C. to
1000 A.D. the Hohokam culture
was concentrated in an area
between the Salt and Gila River
valleys. Archaeological evidence
shows that they built pit houses out
of clay. Due to a scarcity of game
and a lack of edible plants, the
Hohokam depended on a vast
system of irrigation canals to
transport water to their farm fields.
They successfully grew maize,
beans, squash, tobacco, cotton and
gathered cactus fruit. Their high
crop yields permitted the
development of large settlements
including a main urban center
called Snaketown which covered
over 300 acres. Artifacts
uncovered by archaeologists show
that the Hohokam were skilled
artisans who manufactured cotton textiles, pottery, some of which was highly decorated, carved
stone, and etched shell jewelry. The Hohokam traded with native people living in northern
Mexico. Repeated droughts that lasted over long periods of time prevented the Hohokam from
meeting their food needs. By 1000 A.D., population pressure and scarce food resources forced
the Hohokam to begin to leave their settlements for new lands.
The Anasazi
The Anasazi culture settled in an area known today as the Four Corners (the place where the
present days states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona meet). In this hot arid region,
the Anasazi, who were master builders, constructed stone dwellings known today as pueblos.
Many of the pueblos were multi-story apartment like buildings with underground ceremonial
chambers. One pueblo, known as
Pueblo Bonito, had more than 800
rooms with 30 subterranean
ceremonial chambers.
Archaeologists have also
discovered hundreds of miles of
roadways linking many Anasazi
settlements throughout the region.
This encouraged trade. They were
accomplished maize and bean
farmers who stored water in lakes
for irrigation. With surplus food
available, the Anasazi population
grew rapidly and gradually spread
throughout the area eventually
forming many smaller
communities. Unfortunately,
theAnasazi were also impacted by
long periods of drought. These
repeated droughts prevented them
growing enough food to feed their
growing population. Starvation
became a constant issue,
eventually leading to the
abandonment of their settlements
and a movement out of the area by
1300 A.D.
Hohokam and Anasazi Trade Items and Routes
The Mound Builder Cultures
Archaeologists believe that cultures from Mexico influenced people living throughout
North America. One major example of this cultural borrowing was the building of thousands of
earthen mounds by Native Americans that closely resembled the stone pyramids built by the
Mayans and Aztecs. These earthen mounds dot the present day landscape of North America.
Many of them are concentrated in Illinois, the Great Lakes region, Pennsylvania, throughout the
Mississippi River Valley, and as far south as Florida. Pottery and tools show that the first
mounds were built about 1000 B.C. The building of an earthen mound required the work of
many people who worked cooperatively to complete the task. Many of the mounds contained
burial chambers and were topped with ceremonial temples similar to the Mayan and Aztec
structures.
Among the first Mound Builders were the Adena People. They inhabited the Ohio River
Valley by 800 B.C. The Adena were subsistence hunters and gatherers. They were followed in
this area by the Hopewell culture, who flourished between 200 B.C. and A.D. 500. In addition to
hunting and gathering, the Hopewell adopted farming as a way to improve their lives. Because of
a large population, the Hopewell were able to construct huge mounds covering many acres of
ground. Most of the mounds were constructed in the shape of local animals such as birds, bears,
and snakes. In their excavations of the Hopewell mounds, archaeologists have discovered fresh
and salt water pearls, shells, woven cloth, and copper and mica jewelry. This evidence indicates
that the Hopewell were engaged in a widespread trading network.
The Hopewell people were replaced by a group called the Mississippians. The center of
their culture was present-day Illinois. Their largest urban settlement was named Cahokia and
may have been home to 20,000 people. It contained many earthen mounds, one of which was at
least 200 feet high. (It still stands today.) Cahokia resembled a city in many ways with its homes,
food markets, streets, and government buildings. The Mississippian people were master farmers.
Using the rich fertile soil of the region’s river valleys, they were able to produce surplus amounts
of maize, beans, squash, and pumpkins resulting in a diet that encouraged a major growth in
population. The Mississippians were also highly skilled artisans, manufacturing a wide variety of
specialized jewelry, statues, smoking pipes, and ceremonial objects. Their elaborate trading
connections extended as far as the Central Plains, the Gulf of Mexico, and the central Atlantic
Coastal Plain. Archaeologists have recovered Mississippian trade goods in Virginia, Maryland,
Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. These interactions provided them with resources such as
shells, mica, copper, obsidian, and soap stone with which to make some of their personal items
and trade goods. Archaeologists and historians believe that their rapid population growth,
changes in climatic conditions, and civil war resulted in the inability of the Mississippians to
manage their society. By A.D. 1500, the Mississippian urban centers had been abandoned.
Cahokia Trade Network