“Prehistoric Pennsylvania”

I. Prehistory versus History A. A prehistoric society or culture that was without a written alphabet. B. History began in Pennsylvania with European contact (the Europeans had a written alphabet). In western Pennsylvania, this occurred in the late 1600s.

C. If they did not write how do we know anything about them and how did they communicate. 1.Prehistoric societies do not really lack a history. Some of what we know about prehistoric societies comes from oral histories, which is when knowledge of the past is passed from generation to generation orally. 2. They also used non-verbal communication methods. For example, they used pictographs on trails on trees or on cave walls.

D. Prehistory is the realm of the Anthropologist and Archaeologist. E. Anthropologist: one who conducts the scientific study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of humans. F. Archaeologist: one who conducts the scientific study of historic or prehistoric peoples and their cultures by analysis of their artifacts, inscriptions, monuments, and other such remains, esp. those that have been excavated.

G. These scholars, however, encounter several limitations in their work. 1. They have a limited idea of what life what like because they can only study the artifacts that have been found in an archaeological dig. 2. Also, many objects do not survive. Perishables do not survive but man made objects usually do survive. Lastly, carbonized material survives (objects burned in a fire) for scholars to study.

II. Native American Cultural Groups A. Paleo-Indians – 14,000 B.C. – 8,000 B.C. 1. Lived in Pennsylvania at the time of the last Ice Age. By 10,600 B.C., the glaciers had retreated from Pennsylvania. The northern portion of PA was tundra; however, the southern region was a blend of fir and spruce forests and open grasslands.

2. These people were hunter/gathers and they also moved as the seasons progressed to take advantage of the environment. 3. The mammals that exist today were encountered by Paleo-Indians; however, there were mastodons, mammoths, musk ox, caribou, deer, elk and moose.

B. Archaic Period – 8,000 B.C. – 1,000 B.C. 1. During this time a warming of the environment occurred. The trees begin to resemble what we see today.

2. The people developed new substance strategies. a. Trading begins with goods like flint or obsidian. This contact with other people changed people’s lives. b. Some copper working began. The copper sheets were worked into flat sheets and made into jewelry or weapons. c. Horticulture: the planting of wild seeds from wild plants occurred. Squash was the plant of choice. The seeds were collected and just planted.

3. Many of the people were settled around the three major river systems of Pennsylvania and their tributaries: Delaware, Susquehanna, and Allegheny.

C. Woodland Indians - 1,000 B.C. – A.D This is the blossoming of culture and technology. The presence of ceramic pottery shows the difference between the Woodland period and the Archaic. 2. There are examples of large mound building that may have been for burials or for ceremonies. There are examples of large mound building that may have been for burials or for ceremonies.There are examples of large mound building that may have been for burials or for ceremonies. 3. Agriculture began with corn, beans and native squash. These three crops were known as the Three Sisters. 3. Agriculture began with corn, beans and native squash. These three crops were known as the Three Sisters.

4. There is a beginning of increasing cultural distinctiveness. We begin to see what we know as tribes. The tribes evolved from the extended family groups. 5. As people crowd into semi-permit villages diseases begin to spread, most notably diseases like tuberculosis. 6. There are some commonalities among Woodland Indians. Many are farming, the bow and arrow is common, and pottery. There is increased conflict after 1000 A.D. Palisade villages have become common.

III. Overview of Major Prehistoric Cultural Groups in Pennsylvania after 1000 A.D. A. These people are named after the physical locations where they were found. B. Owasco, Clemsons Island, Munsee & Overpeck, Shenks Ferry, Monongahela, McFate.

C. By the year 1500, there were some common patterns developing among these Native groups. 1. The villages were dominated by females due to gendered labor divisions. 2. Villages were inhabited by women for most of the year. 3. Men were hunting and fishing in camps in the spring, fall and early winter. Also, warfare in the summers may have drawn men from the villages. 4. Only in the mid- to late winter were both sexes at home for extended periods of time.

IV. Arrival of Europeans ushers in Protohistoric and Historic periods (1500s) and cause tremendous turmoil among native people. A. Introduced Diseases like small pox, measles, and influenza. These diseases killed slowly overtime and the survivors mingled with other groups. B. Fur trade and dependency on European goods. 1. Native people trapped beaver (for hats) and hunted deer (for leather). 2. They traded the furs for European goods, which they become dependent on European goods.

C. The overhunting of animals and the desire for European goods leads to warfare among some Indian groups. D. Mourning War becomes common. 1. Mourning War returns the spiritual essence of their lost family members by capturing other people.

E. The 1600s were terrible for Pennsylvania natives. F. By the 1700s in western Pennsylvania, many Indians had died off. Most of the Indians living in western Pennsylvania in the 1750s were refugees (Delaware and Shawnee). G. Climate Change: the “Little Ice Age” begins. Globally, there is an overall cooling that began around 1350 A.D.

Serpent Mound in Ohio