Native Americans in Louisiana

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What’s the difference between Indians and Native Americans? Native Americans are tribes of people who lived in North America before ‘white man’. Indians are people who live in the country of India. Why do we call Native American tribes Indians?

Prehistoric vs. Historic Native Americans Prehistoric means before recorded (written) history. What does historic mean? How do we know about Prehistoric Native Americans?

Archaeology in Louisiana Archaeology is the study of past human cultures They study artifacts to research how people lived (artifacts such as spears, jewelry, burial sites)

Archaeology in Louisiana Archaeologists study prehistoric garbage dumps to learn as much as they can about how people lived in the past.

3 Periods of Native American People Paleo Period (10,000-6,000 B.C.) Archaic Period (6,000 B.C.-2,000 B.C.) Neo Period (2,000 B.C.-1492 A.D.)

How did Paleo people get to our continent? Paleo Period (10,000-6,000 B.C.) Paleo tribes are the first humans to move to North and South America. Paleo refers to anything that is very old. How did Paleo people get to our continent?

Paleo People Achareolosgists believe the Paelo People reached Louisiana around 10,000 B.C. During this time, Ice Age animals, such as mammoths and mastodons roamed across the land.

Paleo People Paleo people were nomads (didn’t have a permanent home) These nomads traveled in groups of 30-40 people wandering the land to hunt. The most exicting artifacts were discovered in Caddo Parish (spear points, knife blades, and scrappers).

Archaic Period (6,000 B.C.-2,000 B.C.) When the Ice Age ended, Paleo animals became extinct. Why? Louisiana’s climate became what it is today: hot and humid. Forests, prairies, marshes, lakes, and bayous soon covered the state. Modern day animals such as deer, bears, ducks, rabbits, and squirrels replaced mammoths and mastodons.

Archaic People (6,000 B.C.-2,000 B.C.) Prehistoric Native Americans adapted to their changing environment and became hunter gatherers. They hunted and began to fish and gather edible nuts, berries, roots, and acorns.

Archaic People (6,000 B.C.-2,000 B.C.) They practiced maximum forest efficiency.

Archaic People (6,000 B.C.-2,000 B.C.) Archaic People were very creative. They created a new weapon, an atlatl, which helps throw a spear farther.

Neo Period (2,000 B.C.-1492 A.D.) The Neo People in Louisiana were advanced. They established elaborate trade systems and governments. They began the domestication of plants. The first attempts of farming separates Neo Native Americans from Archaic Native Americas.

Neo People (2,000 B.C.-1492 A.D.) The Neo Period’s first known culture is one of the most famous in the United States. Poverty Point was discovered in East Carroll Parish so these people are called the Poverty Point People. It is a Louisiana Historic Site.

Neo People- Poverty Point Culture Poverty Point consists of six huge earthen ridges built in a semi-circle next to Bayou Macon. All the features were built by hand. It probably took about 30 million baskets loads of dirt, weighing 50 pounds each. It is estimated to have taken 50 million hours to complete.

Neo People- Poverty Point Culture Poverty Point is believed to have been a giant trading center. Poverty Point culture dominated the lower Mississippi Valley. After flourishing for 1,000 years, the Poverty Point culture suddenly disappeared. It appears the people stayed but for reasons unknown, stopped trading.

Neo People- Tchefuncte Culture After the Poverty Point Culture collapsed, the Tchefuncte Culture appeared. They were hunter gatherers. Their sites are found all over Louisiana.

Using the map below, answer the following question. What geographic feature did most of the Mound Sites develop around?