LEQ- Who were the first Americans and where did they come from?

 Most ancient Native American groups were nomadic so it is hard to find many remains of them since they moved so often.  2 types of Native Americans were the exception because they left large collections of artifacts. ◦ Mound Builders who created large artificial hills for burial or religious worship ◦ Cliff Dwellers who’s houses in cliffs in the dry southwest have survived for hundreds of years

 Lived and built mounds in southern Ohio  Their culture existed from 2700 to 1800 years ago  They were early farmers but got most of their food from hunting and gathering wild plants. Grave Creek Mound

 Lived in a wide area around the Ohio river valley and influenced many other groups of Native Americans  They were mostly farmers.  They traded with groups as far as Florida, Wyoming, and Canada  Their Mounds were usually larger and contained more advanced artifacts  They lived from 2100 to 1500 years ago

 They lived from year 700 to around 1500  Their mounds were used for temples rather than for graves  They were advanced farmers and were able to build cities as large as 40,000 people. The largest was Cahokia.  They traded farthest of all. We have found goods made as far away as Central America.  Cahokia alone had more than 100 mounds. Part of the remains of Cahokia

 This group is known for the houses they built into the walls of cliffs.  They were farmers who lived from years 100 to  Like the mound building groups they traded with groups thousands of miles away.  Their disappearance is a mystery. Many archaeologists suspect there was a drought that killed some and forced the others to move.

 Go back through the notes and answer any questions you did not finish.