Download Prehistory of North American Indians: Occupation and Settlements - Prof. Andrew P. Wright and more Papers United States History in PDF only on Docsity! 1 Periods of Indian Occupation North American Indigenous Populations prior to European Invasion Paleo-Indian ? First humans to arrive in North America. They followed the large-game herds i.e., wooly buffalo, mammoth, giant ground sloth, horses etc., across the Bering Land Bridge from Asia to America. ? Possibly as early as +/- 35,000 – 40,000 BC. ? Tangible archaeological evidence indicates +/- 20,000 BC. ? They were nomadic, used large, heavy spears & points. Possible use of the Atlatl by the end of this period. They had no settlements, pottery, or rituals indicating a belief system. ? Little gathering of food stuffs or living off the land, nutrition came primarily from meat. Early Archaic Base Camp Archaic ? +/- 10,000 – 1,000 BC ? Small game hunters, utilized the forests for food resources. Hunter/Gatherers – collected plants, roots, berries, nuts, acorns, shoots, etc. ? Built semi-permanent campsites, & later small settlements. Seasonal use, most likely following herds & wild plant growing seasons. ? Used carved stone bowls, (very heavy), early use of fired pottery. ? Fiber-Tempered Pottery - grass & moss were mixed in with the clay to keep it from cracking during the curing process. ? Emergence of Shell-Middens, “trash piles” located at the camps & settlements, that indicate what the Archaic Indians ate, worked with etc. These are indicative of this period. ? Still used the Atlatl, most of the “arrowheads” found on South GA. are actually dart points used in conjunction with the Atlatl. ? Earliest indication of burial mound usage in the latter years of this period. Early-Archaic Hunting Party 2 Archaic Semi-Permanent Settlement Archaic Points Woodland ? +/- 1,000 BC – 700 AD ? Small-game hunters, gatherers, early farming techniques, domestication of wild plants, use of the grindstone & mortar, use of the Bow & Arrow are wide spread. ? Sand-Tempered Pottery – mixing sand in with the clay to make the pots lighter & stronger. Fiber stamping & impression designs on the pottery. ? Development of Lunar & Solar calendars. ? Development of occupational specialties. ? Permanent settlements, development of trade relations ? Use of burial mounds & temple complexes, i.e. Kolomoki. (oldest known Temple complex in GA) Early Woodland Period Village Mississippian ? +/- 700 AD – 1300 AD ? Large settlements, development of Chiefdoms & usage of kinship lines. ? Use of the large Temple-Mound complexes, i.e. Ocmulgee, Etowah, etc. Large truncated, flat-top pyramids. ? Extensive farming, use of corn as staple crop, along with beans, squash. ? This was called Succatash (the 3 Sisters) energy from corn, protein from beans & vitamins from squash. This process saved on land, labor & fertilizer. ? Food storage buildings, palisades surrounded villages, extensive warfare for land & food. ? Religious influences from Mexico & South America, i.e. Spider Cult, Snake Cult, use of Charnel Houses, complex belief systems.
