America In The Beginning

Who were the first Americans?

How and why did they come here?

30,000 years ago During a period of low temperatures

called an ice ageThe world was covered in glaciers or sheets of ice.

This caused ocean levels to

drop and expose land.

In the Bering straight, a land bridge appeared connecting Siberia & the Americas

This land bridge is known as Beringia.

Animals like mammoths crossed the bridge or migration to the America's.

Hunter's in Asia who moved from place to place to

find food or nomads followed the mammoths and spread out or migrated to the America's

The ice age ended

warming up glaciers

causing water levels to rise covering up

the land bridge.

Some animals died off like mammoths.

Living in many different parts of the Americas the Natives needed

to adjust or adapt to every

thing in the new surrounds that

made up each of their own

environmentsin order to survive.

What happened when they came to America?

How did they meet their new needs?

America In The Beginning

America In The Beginning

Living in many different parts of the Americas the Natives used the different natural resources their own different environments for food, clothing, and shelter.

Different groups in different

environments developed their own beliefs and ways of life or

culture. Groups in the same

environments adapted similar life styles, and

language creating cultural region .

Many Native American have these things in common.1. Nature has a spirit & believes in many gods.2. No one can own land.3. Only use what is needed.4. Trade was important to most societies

How did Native Americans adjust to the new environments?

What did they have in common?

8 Cultural Regions

North West Coast

California

Plateau

Great Basin

South West

Great Plains

Eastern Woodlands

South East

8 Cultural Regions

North West Coast Weather:long cold winterscool summersheavy rainfall

Natural Resources:ocean/beachesthick forests of fir, spruce, and cedarrugged mountainsseafood/salmondeer, moose, bear, elk, beaver, mountain goats

Culture:

Tools: Used cedar to huntFenced in salmon laying eggsUsed cedar to make ropes, mats and baskets, shells neededUsed wedges, sledge hammers, drills and knifes to carve wooden masks.

Clothing: Cedar waterproof clothing like capes with decorative shells buttons

Shelter: Lived near coast Cedar Long Houses with cedar roof

California Weather: rainy wintershot dry summers

Natural Resources:ocean/coastfoothillsvalley'sdesertsmountainsacorns, oak treesgrass, and plantsredwood trees

salmon/seafood/shellfishdeer, rabbits, ducks, roots berries, pine nuts

Culture:

Tools: Used bows and arrows, snares, and netsused cooking stones to heat acorn meal tools from antlers

Clothing: grass/leather aprons and skirtsShelter: Cone shaped made of redwood bark, pole, and reeds woven into mats

Shelter: Cone shaped made of redwood bark, pole, and reeds woven into mats.

Great Basin Weather:little rainhot during the day cold at nightNatural Resources:

mostly dessertlow areas surrounded by mountains at the edgeswith valleys that had seasonal lakes and streams

plants that need little water likegrasses, sagebrush, pinon trees, at the outer edges pine trees, and willow

small animals rabbits, lizards, grasshoppers, snakes sometimes ducks , duck eggs during certain seasons seeds,berries pine nuts, roots, cattail

Culture:

Tools:Water baskets filled with tree sap.Floating duck decoys, nets, sharp sticks, flat baskets for catching seeds

Clothing: rabbit robes in winter

Shelter:Nomadic territory cone shelters of willow, bush and reeds

Plateau Weather:long cold winterscomfortable summers

Natural Resources:mountains with dense forests in areasflatter in the center with drier grass landsrivers

driftwood, mud, dirt,grass and sage brushfish, antelope, deer, seedsonions, carrots, camas roots, salmon

Culture:

Tools: woven baskets, willow digging sticks, wooden fishing platforms, nets, and spears for salmon

Clothing: antelope and deer hides leggings, dresses and skirts, woven hats, seed and shell designs

Shelter: near rivers, partly under ground out of driftwood, mud, sap, and reeds

Great Plains Weather:cold winters hot summers

Natural Resources:mountains surrounding edgestreeless grasslands in the centereast more water and softer soilwest drier dense grass

Buffalo and smaller animals

Culture:

Tools:Bow made of buffalo tendon, arrows, V shaped stone trap, fire, bone knives, shields,

Clothing: Buffalo robes and hides

Shelter: Houses called tipis

South West

Weather:high temperatureslittle rain dry/arid

Natural Resources:mountains, canyonsdesserts, flat top mesasrivers, little water

clay, brightly colored plants, cottoncorn, beans, squash, peppers, rabbitsCulture:

Houses: made of bricks of adobe (sun baked clay). Up to 4 stories and had hundreds of rooms. Clothes: Made of cotton. Using plants to dye the fabric.

Tools: Lived in flooded areas. Men dug irrigation ditches, and dams to hold summer rain. Women were grinding corn kernels into cornmeal. They used clay pots to cook chili pepper stews.

Eastern Woodlands

Weather:snowy winters , rain

Natural Resources:rivers, ocean/coastlots of lakes and streams

Forests, plants, maple trees, elm,

deer, bears, beavers, birds, fishcorn, sunflowers, tobacco, vegetables,nuts, berriesCulture:

House: Long house sturdy, log-framed houses covered with elm bark, about 20 feet wide and over 100 feet long. Several related families live in sections of the house

Clothing: Skirts, capes, and moccasins made of deer skins

Tools: Ground corn with wooden sticks , used wooden canoes, speared fish.For farming land, men burnt small sections of trees and underbrush. Women used hoes for planting. Made maple syrup and wooden storage canisters

South EastWeather:long warm humid summersmild winters

Natural Resources:rivers, ocean/coastFertile coastal plainsmountains, swamps

Trees, clay, shells, corn, beans, squash, pumpkins, sunflowers, sweet potatoessquirrels, rabbits, turkeys, deer, alligators, turtles,wild rice, persimmonsCulture:

Houses: made from strips of young trees woven into a rectangular frame, then plastered with clay. These houses had pointed roofs made of leaves.Towns included many mounds which as burial sights and used as platforms for temples.

Clothing: made of deer skin. Jewelry made of stones, shells, feathers, pearls, bones, and clay.

Tools: used hoes made of stone, shell or animal shoulder blades. Hunted using small blow guns, bows and arrows.