Prehistoric Native Cultures and Traditions Let’s Check Our Graphic Organizer!!

SS8H1a Describe the evolution of Native American cultures (Paleo, Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian) prior to European contact.

Paleo  Paleo- Earliest known culture dates back prior to 10,000 years ago  The first humans in Georgia  The word Paleo means “very old” or “long ago”

Weapons and Tools Their main hunting tools were regular hand held spears, as well as spears thrown with a special stick called at atlatl. This allowed the spear to be thrown harder and farther.  Atlatl-(pronounced) at-lattle

Weapons and Tools  The spears had points made of stone or flint. We call these “Clovis” points after the town in New Mexico where they were initially discovered  They used stone tools

PALEO HUNTING THE WOOLY MAMMOTH

THE PALEO HUNT

Food  Nomadic Hunters- followed herds of animals  Chased animals over cliffs to kill them  Large animal hunters

PALEO FOOD

EARLY PALEO SHELTERS

Lived in small groups of 25 to 50 people

Paleo  Not many artifacts found in one place because they moved around.  Most of the tools they used were made of stone.

Archaic  Three distinct time periods  Early BC  Middle BC  Late BC  The word archaic means “old”

Early Archaic  They still hunted large animals until extinction, then began hunting small game.  Invented useful items like choppers and drills and chipping tools from antlers. Moved each season for food.

Middle Archaic  Water levels receded so people began to eat shellfish found in low level waters.  Invented hooks to fish on the end of long spears as well as nets.  People did not move as often as the early Archaic.

Late Archaic  Common artifact of this time is the grooved axe (also the adz) which they used to clear trees and cultivate the ground for the growing season.  This meant they could stay in one area for a long period of time.

ARCHAIC FOOD

Food  Nomadic according to season in the early years.  In the fall they moved to find nuts, berries and fruits. Ate a wider range of food than Paleo.  In the summer they fished. Left shell piles called “middens” near their homes.

Food  Horticulture- the saving of seeds from fruits or vegetables to plant the following season- begins here but they do not rely on it for food.  Used clay containers to store, cook and serve food. They are the FIRST to make and use pottery which is a significant contribution to native American culture.

ARCHAIC SHELTERS

Homes  Crude shelter  Several small groups join together to establish camps.  Once they begin to grow their own food, their homes become more permanent and archeologists begin to find camps.

Religion  Had burial grounds for community members.

Woodland  From 1000 BC to 1000 AD 1000 AD  Several hundred families banded together to form “tribes”  The “tribes” lived in villages and built huts as houses.

Weapons and Tools  They developed the bow and arrow which was a significant contribution to Native American culture.  Arrows were made of stone, shark teeth and antlers.

WOODLAND COOKING

Food  Fishing, hunting, and gathering nuts and berries remained important ways of getting food.  People grew such things as squash, wild greens, and sunflowers. This culture is the first to rely on agriculture as a food source.  This group begins to depend on corn for survival.

Homes Smaller homes were dome shaped with grass roofs.

WOODLAND HOMES Several hundred members might live in the longhouses.

ROCK EAGLE Rock Eagle was built between 1,000 and 3,000 years ago by the Woodland Indians. Early settlers of the region thought it might cover some type of buried treasure and dug into it from time to time. Theories as to the reasons for its construction currently range from the need for some central burial place to the possibility that the people of Rock Eagle were sending a message to God.

Religion  Built mounds of earth and stone. This culture is the FIRST of the mound builders.  Some mounds were parts of villages; others were religious or burial sites  These mounds suggests that the Woodland Indians used religious ceremonies to honor their dead.  Believed in an after-life because of the items buried in the mounds. They placed weapons, jewelry and pottery beside the bodies.

Mississippian  Dates- 700 AD to 1600 AD  Most advanced civilization of all the prehistoric cultures.

Weapons and Tools  Hoes made of stone and bone  Digging sticks

MISSISSIPPIAN FARMING

Food  Grew most of their own food.  Rotated their crops for soil preservation.  Used advanced tools to prepare the land.  Favorite foods were Maize (corn), beans, pumpkins, squash and tobacco, to be used in ceremonies.

MISSISSIPPIAN VILLAGES

Homes  Several thousand families would live in a single settlement.  Moats and Palisades (wooden fences)protected the villages.  In Georgia some guard towers have been found in the digs which indicate they needed to defend themselves against tribal enemies.

MISSISSIPPIAN MOUNDS

religion  Built large impressive centers for ceremonies.

MISSISSIPPIAN ART

Other  Mississippians began to dress and fix their hair differently  Clothes were less simple  They wore beads and ear ornaments  They painted and tattooed their bodies and often wore feather headresses.  About 1600AD, people left the villages and there is nothing to tell us where they went. Because it is before written history (prehistoric times) we may never know!