Louisiana Studies Chapter 3
First People in Louisiana
Lesson 1 Vocabulary
Ceremony: a formal act or event that honors a
people’s belief
Adapt: change the way you live
Environment: the air, water, soil, and living
things around us
Culture: the way of life, or the beliefs, ideas,
and language, of a group of people
American Indians in Louisiana
• Caddo
• Tunica
• Natchez
American Indians in Louisiana
• Atakapa
• Muskogean
• Chitimacha
Culture Includes……
•Stories
•Arts
•Food
The Natchez Indians
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Lived along the Mississippi River
Culture began 1,300 years ago
Recorded history in stories and songs
The central town of Natchez is called the Great
Village
They hunted animals
They gathered wild plants
Held green corn ceremony every year
The Natchez Indian did not believe in the one and
only true God. They made Idols and worshiped
man. (Exodus 2:20)
Lesson Review Pg. 43
2. What are three details that describe how Louisiana
Indians used their natural resources.
4. What were three Indian groups that lived in
Louisiana?
5. In what ways do you think that community life in
Louisiana today is different than in 1500?
Lesson 2 Vocabulary
Expedition: a journey taken for a purpose
Trade: to exchange things with someone
Colony: settlement ruled by a distant country
Early Explorers
• De Soto was the first European to explore
what is now the Southeastern United States.
• Christopher Columbus sailed west from Spain
in 1492
• Columbus was looking for Asia but instead he
landed on an island near North America.
• Columbus had reached a continent that he did
not know existed
• Other explores sailed after Columbus because
they thought that their was gold in America.
Search For Gold
Alonso Alvarez Pineda: explored the northern
coast of the Gulf of Mexico (became the first
European to see the coast of Louisiana).
Hernando De Soto: purpose was to find gold and
silver
French Exploration
Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet: paddle
canoes down the Mississippi River from the
north. They led the way for other explorers.
Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle: led an
expedition from the north in 1681. His goal
was to make money through trade.
Lesson Review Pg. 47
1. Write a sentence about De Soto using the word expedition.
2. Why did DeSoto explore Louisiana?
3. Who was the first European to see Louisiana’s coast?
4. Why did La Salle travel down the Mississippi River?
5. How many years after De Soto reached the Mississippi River
did La Salle reach the Gulf of Mexico?
Lesson 3 Vocabulary
Barter: to trade one item for another
Slavery: system under which people have no
freedom
Ally: a person on nation that helps another
group reach its goal
Lesson Review Pg. 53
1. Write a short paragraph about the French settlers
using ally and barter.
2. Why did the French build settlements in the
Louisiana colony?
3. Describe two groups of settlers in the Louisiana
colony.
4. When was Natchitoches built?
5. Why do you think the French built settlements near
rivers?
Using a Grid Map
Chapter 3 Review and Test Prep
Visual Summary
1. De Soto Goals: find gold and silver
2. De Soto Achievements: first explorer to reach the Mississippi
3. La Salle Goals: make money through fur trade, start a French
colony
4. La Salle Achievements: claimed land around the Mississippi
River for France.
Facts and Main Ideas
5. trees, animals, water, soil
6. Alvarez Pineda
7. He claimed the land around the Mississippi River for France,
so that France could start colonies and benefit from the fur
trade there.
Chapter 3 Review and Test Prep
8. The Choctaw moved to Louisiana because they were allies
with the French against the Natchez.
Vocabulary
9. Slavery
10. culture
11. expedition
Apply the Skills
12. C
13. b
Chapter 3 Review and Test Prep
Critical Thinking
14. The French and the Natchez both wanted to live and work in
Louisiana. The Natchez had lived in Louisiana for a long time,
but the French were newcomers. The Natchez knew more
about the land and its features. The French had more
advanced machines and weapons.
15. De Soto went hoping to find gold. He did not find any, and
died during the journey.