The Anasazi and Fremont Peoples The Indigenous People of Utah

Traveling Peoples Some of the Archaic Indians of Utah left over time. Others stayed and joined with new people coming from other areas. These new groups are called the Anasazi and the Fremont. 1222

The Anasazi and The Fremont These were the first people to have permanent settlements and civilization in Utah. http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/21298-historys-harvest-agriculture-and-civilization-video.htm (agriculture and civilization)

The earliest of the two new groups: The Anasazi or Ancestral Puebloans The Anasazi were the earlier of these two new people to arrive in Utah (300 BCE to 1300 CE). They lived in the Four Corners regions of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. They are famous for several different reasons, including their cities, pottery, and petroglyphs (rock art). http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/10669-anasazi-the-geography-of-the-anasazi-video.htm (Anazazi Geography)

The Anasazi The Anasazi did many new things. They grew corn, beans, and squash. They made reservoirs to catch water to grow food. They also made clothes from cotton they grew.

Rock Art and Astronomy Both the Anasazi and the Fremont made petroglyphs, art made by carving or painting on rocks. Some of these pictures can be decoded, others are still mysterious. Maybe some of them are a calendar system. http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/5549-anasazi-petroglyphs-video.htm

Anasazi Baskets The earliest Anasazi were skilled basket makers. They used these baskets to carry things in, to store food, etc. Later, they began to make pottery.

Anasazi Pottery The Anasazi made beautiful pottery with black and white zigzag designs. Why are so much of the Anasazi pottery archaeologists find broken? http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/5550-anasazi-pottery-video.htm

Anasazi Religion An important part of the Anasazi religion were their kivas. These type of structures are still used by modern pueblo peoples. The modern Native Americans believe their creation stories are like those of the Anasazi. http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/5551-anasazi-kivas-video.htm (kivas) http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/10670-anasazi-pueblo-tales-of-the-creation-of-the-anasazi-video.htm (Creation story)

Anasazi Apartments The original Anasazi houses were pit houses, like the one in the picture. Later, as the Anasazi population grew, they began to build elaborate cities with apartments. Some of these houses were built into cliff sides. Modern Pueblo tribes still live in houses like their ancestors, the Anasazi.

What happened to the Anasazi? But just as Anasazi civilization reached its height, it suddenly collapsed. The amazing cliff houses were abandoned and the people moved away, probably south. There are many theories about what happened to cause this disaster. http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/10671-anasazi-the-disappearance-of-the-anasazi-video.htm

Not long after the Anasazi came to Utah, the Fremont people arrived. The Fremont had some similarities to the Anasazi, while in other ways they were different. Not as much is known about the Fremont although they once lived across much of Utah. Fremont culture existed in Utah from (400 to 1300 A.D.).

Farmers, and sometimes Hunters & Gatherers The Fremont people lived in many different environments, from the marshes west of Logan to the arid Great Basin. Most of these groups were farmers, but some would farm one year then become hunters & gatherers the next year, depending on the weather conditions.

Food Storage Some Fremont groups went to extreme heights to protect the food they grew. In some canyons, the Fremont built granaries (food storage bins) high in canyon walls. How did they climb there? Why would you build a granary on a cliff?

Fremont Villages The Fremont didn’t build large cities like the Anasazi. Instead they built small villages of pit houses. These pits houses had some advantages and some disadvantages.

Fremont State Park We still have a lot to learn about the Fremont. They have not been as well studied as the Anasazi. Fremont State Park was created in 1987 to protect one of the largest Fremont villages yet found. http://video.pbs.org/video/1192787828/program/1100231536/topic/1100231538

Range Creek: a canyon filled with Fremont sites.

Petroglyphs & Pictographs The Fremont style of rock art is different than that of the Anasazi. Petroglyph: A picture carved into a rock. Pictograph: A picture painted onto a rock.

The Fremont people made many of the same items that the Anasazi did. Baskets Coiled grey pottery Stone tools Jewelry Clay figures

The Mystery of the Fremont Just as with the Anasazi, the Fremont culture disappeared. No one is sure why. Drought Climate change Soil erosion Invasion by other people This process did not take place everywhere at once, but eventually all of the permanent cities and villages had been abandoned.