Unit 2: North American Cultures
SS8H1: The student will evaluate the development of Native
American culture and the impact of European exploration and
settlement on the Native American cultures in Georgia.
a. Describe the evolution of Native American cultures prior to
European contact.
SS8E1: Examples of goods & services produced during different
historical periods.
The First Five
September 2, 2014
Agenda Message: Writing Prompt- What do you think
archaeologists and anthropologists of future centuries
will think about today’s eighth graders, their schools,
their technology, and their homes? What artifacts do
you think might be used as evidence to describe your
society? Due Thursday!
Today’s Warm-up:
Think-Pair-Share: With a partner, brainstorm the
similarities and differences between archaeologists
and anthropologists.
Name________________
Period_____
Date_________________Prehistoric Native American Cultures Organizer
Indian
Periods
Paleo
Archaic
Woodland
Mississippian
Dates
Tools &
Weapons
Food
Dwellings
(Homes)
Evidence
of Religion
Other
Info
Paleo
Archaic
Woodland
Mississippian
Before
10,000 BC
8000 BC to
1000 BC
1000 BC to
1000 AD
700 AD to
1600 AD
Nomads (no
home)
Permanent
Huts
Groups
homes
Grass roofs
Large
villages
25-50 people
Crops
Mounds
Ceremonial
Buildings
Prehistoric Period SS8H1a
• Ancient people came
from Asia to the
Americas.
• Over time, they
developed complex
civilizations.
Beringia: A bridge of land that existed
12,000+ years ago.
Paleo-Indian Period
• Also known as the Paleolithic Period, this is
the earliest known timeframe for inhabitants
living in North America.
• Before 10,000 B.C.
• Occurred when the glaciers or the Ice Age
started melting.
Paleo-Indian Period
• Paleo-Indians hunted large game, gathered
plant foods, and fished.
• Extinction of large game animals ended the
Paleo-Indian way of life.
• They used “Clovis” point spears (sharpen
stone point attached to a wooden stick).
• Paleo-Indians were nomads
(no permanent homes)
Archaic Indian Period
• Around 8,000 B.C. to 1,000 B.C.
• Earth’s climate became warmer.
• Scientists believed the Archaic Indians were the 1st
culture of Georgia.
• Created better techniques for fishing, gathering, &
hunting
• Used a varied shaped small spear points.
• Used the atlatl spears and axes made from stone
to hunt small animals, plus chop down trees.
Archaic Indian Period
• They became permanent
settlers, who established
villages.
• The Native Americans of
this period began to grow
crops.
• They lived under circular
rock shelters (pit houses)
made of clay and logs.
The pit houses had rooms
that were either partially
or entirely underground.
Archaic Indian Period
• Artifacts suggest that they carved bowls out of
stone, which they traded with other Native
Americans in different regions for tools and
utensils.
3-2-1 Review
• Other than the Paleo culture, identify the
remaining 3 Native American cultures of
Georgia in chronological order.
• What were 2 types of tools/weapons that the
Archaic culture used to hunt?
• Which 1 Native American culture is known as
the first permanent settlers of Georgia?
The First Five
September 3, 2014
Agenda Message: Writing Prompt-Writing PromptWhat do you think archaeologists and anthropologists of
future centuries will think about today’s eighth graders,
their schools, their technology, and their homes? What
artifacts do you think might be used as evidence to describe
your society? Due TOMORROW!
Today’s Warm-up: ODD ONE OUT
• Which one does not belong? Justify your answer.
Paleo
Archaic
Woodland
Cherokee
Mississippian
Woodland Indian Period
• 1,000 B.C. to 800 A.D.
• Developed agriculture: cleared fields, planted,
& harvested crops (squash, beans, & maize)
• They produced enough food to store for
winter & early spring months.
• Indians began to live in larger groups called
tribes or clans.
Woodland Indian Period
• They developed:
A. bows and arrows for
hunting
B. well-developed pottery with
patterns & designs
• They built:
A. Villages with storage
facilities that were
protected by surrounding
walls
B. Burial mounds containing
bones, jewelry, and pottery
Mississippian Indian Period SS8E1
• 700 A.D. to 1600 A.D.
• Began along the
Mississippi & Ohio River
valleys
• In Georgia, they settled
along the Ocmulgee,
Savannah,
Chattahoochee, and
Coosa Rivers.
• They learned how to
plant a new type of corn
as well as beans from
Mexico.
• Religious centers were
built for ceremonies and
burials.
Mississippian Indian Period
• Mississippian Indians demonstrated the
following features of civilization (advanced
cities):
1. cities that were centers of trade
2. specialized jobs (jobs that required training)
3. organized religion and government
4. record keeping (supplies and traded items)
5. advanced tools
• Mississippian society was organized into social
hierarchies (levels of importance) .
Mississippian Indian Period
• Towns had 20 flat-topped pyramids with wooden
palisades or moats made of dirt.
• These flat-topped pyramids of the Mississippian
culture are also found in Mexico and Guatemala.
This suggests they had contact with cultures of
Mexico and Guatemala.
• Also, their pottery shows Mexican influence.
• Their artifacts include: stone axes, bowls, & pipes
• The Mississippians had no writing system or
stone architecture.
Mississippian Period
The End of Mississippian Indians
• Artifacts suggest that the Indian settlements
in Georgia were abandoned after only 200
years of living there. Why?
• The Mississippian Indians were the first to
meet the Europeans when they came to
explore North America.
• The Mississippian Indians were devastated by
the diseases that the Europeans brought.
What do anthropologists think?
• Artifacts suggest many reasons why the Mississippian Indians
disappeared:
1. Overcrowding of villages
2. European diseases killed them.
3. Diseases caused by unclean villages.
• The truth is that WE DON’T KNOW what happened to them!
What is your hypothesis?
• The few Indians who survived from the Mississippian period
banded together to create new Indian cultures. These cultures
were the Creek, Cherokee, and Seminole. They are NOT part of
the prehistoric Indian period because they were around when
WRITTEN Native American history began.
Alike & Different Graphic Organizer
The First Five
September 4, 2014
Agenda Message: Use your class notes and graphic
organizers to answer homework questions.
Today’s Warm-up: 3-2-1 Review…
• What were 3 kinds of crops that the Woodland
Indians planted and harvested?
• Which 2 prehistoric cultures became permanent
settlers?
• Which period (1) developed the bow & arrow to
hunt more effectively?
Homework for September 4, 2014
• Use your class notes to answer the following questions…
1. What are the disagreements about how and when
prehistoric cultures lived in America?
2. Why is there little evidence of Paleo Indian settlement?
3. How did the Archaic Indians use the environment for
survival?
4. What type of weapons did the Woodland Indians use for
hunting?
5. Why is the Mississippian culture characterized as a
civilization?
6. Which Native American tribes have descended from the
Mississippian culture?
The Last Word…
• With your elbow partner, develop an acrostic summary
for your assigned vocabulary word. Use your class
notes, graphic organizer, and or textbook.
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The First Five
September 5, 2014
Agenda Message: Use your study guide, notes, &
graphic organizers to study for the CDA on
Wednesday.
• Leave your homework on your desk
Today’s Warm-up:
1. What are five characteristics of a civilization?
2. Explain how the Mississippian culture
demonstrated each characteristic of being a
civilization.
Ticket Out the Door
Perspective Summary
• Answer the Essential Question from the
viewpoint of a Native American who lived in
Georgia during the Mississippian culture.
How did the Mississippian culture impact
Georgia’s society?