1.2 - Native American Societies Before European Contact

Early Migration and Settlement

• Migration from Asia: The first inhabitants of the Americas migrated from Asia across a land bridge that once connected Siberia and Alaska.

• Timeline: This migration occurred at least 10,000 to possibly 40,000 years ago.

• Population Spread: Migrants spread southward from the Arctic Circle to the southern tip of South America, adapting to diverse environments and evolving into hundreds of tribes with unique languages.

Central and South American Civilizations

• Mayas (300-800 AD): Built remarkable cities in the rain forests of the Yucatán Peninsula (present-day Guatemala, Belize, and southern Mexico).

• Aztecs: Developed a powerful empire in central Mexico with the capital, Tenochtitlán, home to about 200,000 people.

• Incas: Based in Peru, they developed a vast empire in western South America.

• Common Traits: These civilizations had highly organized societies, extensive trade networks, and advanced calendars. They also cultivated stable food supplies (corn for Mayas and Aztecs, potatoes for Incas).

North American Cultures

• Population: By the 1490s, the population in what is now the United States and Canada ranged from under 1 million to more than 10 million.

• Social Structures: Societies were less populous and complex than those in Central and South America, partly due to the slower spread of corn cultivation.

Regional Variations

• Southwest Settlements:

• Groups: Hohokam, Anasazi, Pueblos.

• Lifestyle: Lived in caves, under cliffs, and in multistoried buildings.

• Agriculture: Maize cultivation led to economic growth and irrigation systems.

• Challenges: Extreme drought and hostile neighbors impacted these societies.

• Northwest Settlements:

  • Region: Pacific coast from Alaska to northern California.

  • Lifestyle: Permanent longhouses or plank houses, rich diet from hunting, fishing, and gathering.

  • Cultural Traits: Carved totem poles to record stories, legends, and myths.

• Great Basin and Great Plains:

  • Climate Adaptation: Mobile lifestyles adapted to dry climates and grasslands.

  • Nomadic Tribes: Hunted buffalo, used teepees, and traded with other tribes.

  • Permanent Settlements: Some tribes lived in earthen lodges along rivers, growing crops and hunting.

• Mississippi River Valley:

  • Woodland American Indians: Prosperous with hunting, fishing, and agriculture.

  • Settlements: Permanent villages in the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys, with notable large earthen mounds.

  • Cahokia: A significant settlement with up to 30,000 inhabitants near present-day East St. Louis, Illinois.

• Northeast Settlements:

  • Descendants of Adena-Hopewell: Spread from Ohio Valley to New York, combining hunting and farming.

  • Iroquois Confederation: A powerful political union of tribes including the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, and later the Tuscaroras.

• Atlantic Seaboard Settlements:

  • Region: From New Jersey south to Florida.

  • Peoples: Coastal Plains tribes such as the Cherokee and Lumbee.

  • Lifestyle: Built timber and bark lodgings along rivers, relying on rivers and the Atlantic Ocean for food.