Download Prehistory of Native Peoples in the Western Hemisphere: Origins, Cultures, and Timeline - and more Study notes American literature in PDF only on Docsity! Prehistory/History Dating Terms: BP, BC/AD Where and when did the Native peoples in the Western Hemisphere originate? - there are many incorrect theories about how they came to be there - Beringia (Bering Strait): people went across that land bridge from Siberian areas and during the Ice Age following herding/migrating animals - 25000 years ago at the longest, closer to 10000 - Atlantic Route? – people could have gone around an ice sheet (from Spain or something) and reached North America - Ice Free Corridor or Coastal Route? Mitochondrional DNA- studies of this shows a connection between Native Americans in North and South America and Asia; differences between the two indicates that they were in Beringia for a long period of time before they moved south and west - “pause” in Beringia - Rapid dispersal throughout Western Hemisphere - Long-term isolation Clovis Culture- archaeological culture; called Clovis because it’s named after Clovis, New Mexico where the first artifacts of this type were found 11,500-10,800 BP Paleo-Indians Points-bifacial (worked on both sides) and fluted (carved out to fit neatly against the pole (for spears and arrows)) Found in all 48 states (not in Alaska) Formerly thought to be the earliest people in North America, not necessarily the case though because other cultures have been found that are a couple thousand years earlier Found with the bones of extinct megafauna (mammoth, etc) Pre-Clovis Technology: 1. Core and Blade technology- using an antler or something to nock off blade-like pieces of rock then attaching it to a wooden projectile on the front and on the sides so it slices from the side as well and causes more damage to a foe or food 2. Flake Technology Folsom- archaeology culture, more recent than Clovis - variation of Clovis points, longer flutes - associated with extinct bison species, bison bison antiques o Buffalo Drive/Jump- drive bison towards a cliff or a really steep embankment - restricted to Great Plains area Prehistory/History North American Timeline 1. Paleo-Indian- ? – 10,000 years ago 2. Archaic- 10,000 years ago – AD 0 - Increasing evidence for: Sedentism Inter-group trade Greater political complexity Use of greater diversity of resources, especially plants, ex. watertight basketry, nuts used for flour (ground stone) Appearance of ceramics - Lithic Variability- associated with different ethno-linguistic group - Plant Domestication: as early as 2,500 B.C.; domesticated things such as goosefoot, sumpweed, and sunflower - Domestication of Maize- wild ancestor (teosinte); process began before ~6,000 BP, maybe 8,000 BP? - Corn, Beans, and Squash (the three sisters)- introduced into southwest from Mexico during the later Archaic Period ~2,000-1,000 B.C. 3. A.D. 0 until the arrival of Europeans- chronologies become more regionalized More people became sedentary Incipient and full scale agriculture Long-distance trade networks Bow and arrow replaces the atlatl -Yukon territory ice patches where caribou were hunted are good preservation sites Adena 1,000-200 B.C. Trade in exotic materials: native copper, carved pipes, and mica Associated with burial mounds in Ohio Not everyone in this society is treated the same upon death Hopewell Interaction Sphere Middle woodland ~200 B.C. - A.D. 400 Exotic trade material circulating Long distance trade connections sort of broke down around A.D. 400 People took a new attitude about how people are buried and what they are buried with Late Woodland Period A.D. 400-800 Maize becomes widespread in the world (at least in the Americas), people become heavily dependant on it Increased sedentism (less mobile) Effect on fertility- because of higher intake of carbs/calories from maize; more desire to have children because they would be easier to take care of at once in a settled society
