Who “discovered” America?
The American Indians
The American Indians
• Why It Matters The people who first
inhabited North and South America found
a land rich in resources and varied in
geographic features. As they spread out
across the land, they developed distinctive
ways of living and surviving. Their cultures
represent a central part of our heritage
and history.
The American Indians
The First Americans
• Paleo-Indians
• The 1st humans to live in the
Americas.
down the western coast
• Coastal route theory • Traveled
of North America (40,000 years
ago).
• Land bridge theory
• Crossed the Bering land bridge
during the last ice age (15,000
years ago).
Migration Map
The American Indians
The First Americans
• Paleo-Indians were
big game hunters who
hunted mammoths
and giant bison
The American Indians
The First Americans
• Clovis points have
been found at kill
sites for mammoth,
mastodon and bison
across the North
America
The American Indians
The First Americans
• As the Ice Age ended,
Paleo-Indians migrated
and adapted to the new
climate.
• Took place over a long
period of time and
involved small,
independent bands of
people
The American Indians
The First Americans
• As large animals such as the
mammoth disappeared,
Native Americans hunted
smaller game and ate plants
and berries.
• Native Americans began to
find new food sources by
learning to plant and raise
crops.
• People living near the coast
or rivers learned to fish.
Settlers formed villages and
communities. Some people
remained nomadic hunters.
The American Indians
The First Americans
• Never developed a
common identity
• Each group focused
on its own survival
• No common
language was
developed
• Due to isolation lost
inherited immunities
from disease (small
pox, tuberculosis)
The American Indians
Diverse Cultures Emerge
• The Native Americans
became culturally diverse
as they adapted to their
varying local climates and
environments.
• By 1492, the American
Indians spoke at least
375 distinct languages.
The American Indians
The Beginnings of Agriculture
• About 3,500 years
ago in central Mexico,
American Indians
developed three
important crops:
maize (corn),
squashes, and beans.
How does the rise of agriculture lead to
civilization?
The American Indians
Early American Indian Cultures
• Activity
• Research early American
Indian cultures and the
geographic region they
were located by reading
pages 6-9.
– The Southwest
– The Mississippi River
Valley
– The Great Plains
– Eastern Woodlands
The American Indians
Native American Cultures Map
1. Turn to page 8 in your textbook to complete the map.
2. Indicate the following regions: Southeast, Northeast,
Plains, Southwest, Great Basin, California, Plateau,
Northwest Coast, Subarctic, and Arctic. Use a different
color for each region.
3. Identify the Native American groups in each region.
Write the names of the Indian groups in the appropriate
region.
4. Summarize/Bullet Point the main characteristics of
each Native American culture in each region.
5. Critical Thinking: In what ways do Native American
cultures reflect geographic/environmental influences?
The American Indians
• What are some of the
common cultural traits
among early Native
American cultures?
• Did not have
centralized nations
like those in Europe.
• American Indians
owned little private
property.
• Similar spiritual
beliefs.
• Similar gender roles.