Coach Kuntz United States History Native Americans Coach Kuntz United States History

Native Americans Prior to 1492 -Prior to European “discovery”, the Americas were not empty. Estimates say that there could have been 10 million Native Americans living north of present day Mexico in in 1492 -These groups were all very different: they had their own cultures and their own languages -Native American groups can be divided into culture areas, which are regions where people share a similar way of life -Each culture area contains several Native American tribes

Culture Areas North America is broken into seven different culture areas: Arctic/Subarctic Northwest Coast California/Great Basin/Plateau Southwest Great Plains Eastern Woodlands Southeast

Arctic/Subarctic

Arctic/Subarctic -Tribes found in present day Alaska and Canada -These people lived as nomadic hunters and gatherers due to the cold climate -Housing consisted of pit houses

Northwest Coast

Northwest Coast - Located in present day northern California into southern Alaska -Better weather allowed these tribes to stay in one place and set up villages - Main housing type was permanent plank houses -The Northwest Coast tribes were able to use resources from the nearby ocean as well as from the dense forests -Engaged in potlatches as a way to celebrate and show wealth

California/Great Basin/Plateau

California/Great Basin/Plateau -Located in present day California, Nevada, and Utah -Lived as hunters and gatherers and ate primarily fish, berries, and acorns -Lived in smaller family groups rather than in large communities -Primary housing choices were tepees or tule-mat lodges

Southwest

Southwest -Located in present day New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, and Colorado -Lived in structures made out of adobe -Most tribes lived in villages, but some nomadic tribes existed -These groups developed irrigation systems to collect rain water to grow crops (primarily corn, beans, and squash).

Great Plains

Great Plains -Located in the central United States, in present day Texas up through Montana -These tribes survived through a combination of hunting and farming; men hunted and women farmed -Buffalo were a precious resource to these tribes -Tepees were the primary form of housing

Eastern Woodlands

Eastern Woodlands -Location stretched from present day Illinois into Maine -These tribes benefited from abundant resources (thick forests, rivers, and the ocean) -They hunted deer and other game, fished, and grew corn, tobacco, and other crops -The primary forms of housing were wigwams and longhouses

Southeast

Southeast -Located from present day Louisiana to Florida and into the Carolinas -Relied on hunting game such as rabbits and deer, fishing waterways such as the Mississippi River, and growing crops like corn, beans, squash, and tobacco -Lived in wattle/daub houses