NATIVE AMERICANS

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE NATIVE AMERICANS (INDIANS) OF NORTH

AMERICA

Essential Understandings 

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, American Indians (First Americans) were dispersed across different environments in North America.

Essential Questions

•  In which areas did the American Indians (First Americans) live?

Essential Knowledge

 

• Inuit inhabited present-day Alaska and northern Canada. They lived in Arctic areas where the temperature is below freezing much of the year.

 

• Kwakiutl inhabited the Pacific Northwest coast, characterized by a rainy, mild climate.

 

• Sioux inhabited the interior of the United States, called the Great Plains and characterized by dry grasslands.

 

• Pueblo inhabited the Southwest in present-day New Mexico and Arizona, where they lived in desert areas and areas bordering cliffs and mountains.

 

• Iroquois inhabited northeast North America, the Eastern Woodland, which is heavily forested.

Essential Understandings 

Geography and climate affected how various American Indian (First American) groups met their basic needs.

Essential Questions

 • How did geography and climate affect the way American Indian (First American)

groups met their basic needs?

Essential Knowledge

 • The American Indians (First Americans) fished, hunted, and harvested crops for food.

Clothing was made from animal skins and plants. Their shelter was made of resources found in their environment (e.g., sod, stones, animal skins, wood).

MOST RESEARCH SAYS THAT THE EARLY AMERICANS CAME TO THE NEW WORLD 15-25,000 YEARS AGO FROM ASIA.

DURING A PERIOD OF TIME WHEN THE ICE RETREATED ALONG THE ALASKAN INTERIOR OR ALONG THE COAST, THE AMERICAN INDIAN ANCESTORS MOVED FROM ASIA TO THE FAR NORTH AND THEN STEADLY SOUTHWARD AS THEIR POPULATION GREW AND THEY SOUGHT BETTER HUNTING AND A WARMER CLIMATE.

OTHER PEOPLE MAY HAVE JOURNEYED OVER THE OCEANS AT OTHER TIMES BUT MOST CAME DOWN THIS PATHWAY.

QUICK QUIZ!

1) WHERE DID THE FIRST AMERICANS MIGRATE FROM?

2) WHY WERE THEY CALLED INDIANS?

3) THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN CALLED ___________ BECAUSE THEY WERE THE FIRST HERE.

4) HOW DID THEY PASS ON THEIR HISTORY?

5) WHY WERE THE TRIBES DIFFERENT?

IMAGINE MOVING FROM THE COLD OF THE FAR NORTH TO A LAND THAT LOOKED LIKE THIS AND WHICH WAS INHABITED BY TEAMING GAME LIVING A MUCH MORE HOSPITABLE CLIMATE. WHAT IMPACT WOULD THE MOVE TO NEW LANDS HAVE ON THE PEOPLE THAT MOVED THERE?

TO UNDERSTAND WHY THE NATIVE AMERICANS (INDIANS) BECAME SO MANY DIFFERENT GROUPS YOU MUST REMEMBER YOUR GEOGRAPHY AND UNDERSTAND THE FIVE THEMES WE STUDY TO UNDERSTAND GEOGRAPHY.

LOCATION

PLACE (DESCRIBE ITS PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS)

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTIONS

HOW HUMANS ADAPT TO THE ENVIRONMENT

HOW HUMANS CHANGE THE ENVIRONMENT

MOVEMENT

PEOPLE, GOODS, IDEAS

REGIONS

LIKE ENVIRONMENT TYPE AND THEN WITH HUMANS

LIKE LANGUAGE OR FOOD GATHERING TYPES

WE WILL NOW SPEND TIME INTRODUCING EACH OF THE MAJOR GROUPS YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT. AS YOU WATCH EACH VIDEO AND PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION KEEP A RECORD OF:

WHERE, WHO, THE ENVIRONMENT, SHELTER TYPE, FOOD, TOOLS, RESOURCES & TECHNOLGY (LIKE WEAPONS, BOATS, AND POTTERY OR BASKETS)

Inuit inhabited present-day Alaska and northern Canada. They lived in Arctic areas where the temperature is below freezing much of the year.

THE INUIT STAYED IN THE FAR NORTH OF WHAT WOULD NOW BE CANADA. WHAT WAS THE LAND AND CLIMATE LIKE? WOULD THEY GROW FOOD OR HUNT? WHAT KIND OF HOUSES WOULD THEY USE? WHAT TECHNOLGY WOULD BE IMPORTANT?

NOTE HOW WELL THE INUIT (ESKIMO) PEOPLES ADAPTED TO LIFE IN THE COLD OF THE FAR NORTH.

NOW LETS MOVE FURTHER SOUTH.

Kwakiutl inhabited the Pacific Northwest coast, characterized by a rainy, mild climate.

ALONG THE COAST? WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD HAVE BEEN THEIR FOOD SOURCE? WHAT NEW TECHNOLOGY WOULD THE EVOLVE? HOW WOULD THEY LIVE DIFFERENTLY FROM THE INUIT? THEIR HOMES? DRESS? TOOLS? HOW WOULD THEY BE ALIKE?

Sioux inhabited the interior of the United States, called the Great Plains and characterized by dry grasslands

THESE PEOPLE MOVED EAST AND THEN SOUTH AND THEN AWAY FROM THE GREAT LAKES ONTO THE PRARIE—THE GREAT PLAINS. THEIR LIFE STYLE WOULD CHANGE MOST WHEN EUROPEANS CAME TO MEXICO AND BROUGH WITH THEM THE HORSE.

WHY WHERE THE LIVES AND LIVING STYLES OF THE INUIT, KWAKIUTL, AND GREAT PLAINS INDIANS LIKE THE SIOUX DIFFERENT?

ON YOUR SHEETS NOTE THE AREA, TRIBE, ENVIRONMENT, SHELTER, AND FOODS NOW…..

WE WILL DISCUSS HOUSES, RESOURCES, TOOLS, AND TECHNOLGY MORE AS WE GO ALONG.

LETS MOVE ON TO THE EAST. NOTE THAT THESE PEOPLES HAD SIMILARITIES IN THEIR LIVES TO BOTH THE GREAT PLAINS PEOPLE AND THE INUIT TO THE NORTH BUT THAT THEY CHANGED TO MEET THE ENVIRONMENT THEY CAME TO SETTLE.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW OF THE TRADE THAT BROUGHT IMPORTANT FOOD PRODUCTS FROM THE SOUTH AND WEST TO THESE PEOPLE.

FROM THIS ART WORK FROM THE IRIQUOIS MUSEUM IN NEW YORK WHAT DO YOU THINK THE IRIQUOIS FOUND SACRED – THE THREE MOTHER FOODS…. AND WHERE DID MAN COME FROM….NOTE THE TREE OF LIFE AND THE CLAN SYMBOLS….

NOW DOWN TO THE SOUTHEAST..VIRGINIA AND SOUTH TO FLORIDA AND WEST TO LOUISIANA.

NOTE THAT THE AREA WILL CHANGE THE LIFE STYLE OF THE PEOPLE BUT THAT THERE WILL BE SIMILARITIES WITH THE PEOPLE NEAR BY.

Pueblo inhabited the Southwest in present-day New Mexico and Arizona, where they lived in desert areas and areas bordering cliffs and mountains.

 

AS WE MOVE WESTWARD THE LAND WILL BECOME DRIER AND THE GRASSLANDS AND FORESTS WILL CHANGE OR DISAPPEAR. NOTE THAT THE HOUSE BUILD IN THIS AREA WERE OF A NEW MATERIAL BUT WERE BUILT TO FIGHT THE HEAT LIKE THOSE OF THE NORTH TO FIGHT THE COLD.

THE LAND OF THE ANASAZI – THOSE WHO CAME FIRST – THE PUEBLO DWELERS.

Essential Understandings 

Geography and climate affected how various American Indian (First American) groups met their basic needs.

Essential Questions

 • How did geography and climate affect the way American Indian (First American)

groups met their basic needs?

Essential Knowledge

 • The American Indians (First Americans) fished, hunted, and harvested crops for food.

Clothing was made from animal skins and plants. Their shelter was made of resources found in their environment (e.g., sod, stones, animal skins, wood).

CAN YOU MATCH THE PEOPLE AND AREAS WITH THE TYPE OF HOUSE THE PEOPLE LEARNED TO BUILD?

HOW WERE THEY SIMILAR AND HOW WERE THEY DIFFERENT?

EVEN AS THE FIRST AMERICANS BECAME GREAT BUILDERS…THEY USE SIMILAR TECHNIQUES WITH NEW MATERIALS TO ADAPT THEIR LIFE TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

HOW ARE THESE HOUSES LIKE THOSE OF THE FAR NORTH OR THE NORTHWEST OR NORTHEAST OR EVEN THE SOUTHEAST?

WHY DID SO MANY GROUPS COME TO BE?

HOW WERE HOUSES, TOOLS, TECHNOLOGY, & FOOD ALIKE?

HOW WERE THEY DIFFERENT?

COMPLETE YOUR NORTH AMERICAN CULTURE GROUP WORK SHEET AND LETS COMPARE ANSWERS.

CAN YOU ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE SET OUT FOR THIS UNIT?

NATIVE AMERICANS

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