Native Americans at 1492

1. Native Americans at 1492

2. Native American Origins • Ancestors of Native Americans probably started to emigrate from Asia 20,000 years ago • Paleo-Indians emigrated by 9,000 BCE: hunters of Siberian ancestry • Athapaskan speaking peoples crossed from north-eastern Asia • Eskimos and Aleuts emigrated from Siberia about 5,000 years ago • “Berengia” land bridge between Asia and America Clovis points used for spears

3. Major Tribes Became Stable Societies • Archaic peoples (8,500 – 1,500 years ago) after ice age mostly became agricultural and used many tools • Pueblo people developed from Anasazi ancestors (Taos Pueblo) • In Colorado, Arapaho lived on plains, Utes lived in foothills and mountains • Iroquois lived in eastern woodlands, and formed powerful League before coming of Europeans • Hopewell lived in Mississippi river area, basing communities around mounds • By 1492, about 7-10 million Native Americans lived in North America Images of the Iroquois

4. Land Use, Agriculture, Economy • Most tribes developed domesticated economies, whereas others were partially nomadic • men typically hunted • women typically worked agriculture and raised children • Food depended on locally occurring plants and animals, with some sharing of domesticated plants between tribes • Native Americans had few domesticated animals, and so knew few diseases • Turkey in North America • Guinea pig, llamas, and alpacas in South America Anasazi cliff dwellings with kiva

5. Land Use, Agriculture, Economy • Corn, squash, bison, fish, acorns, pine nuts • In most societies, no private land ownership, but respect for land despite man’s use of it • Complex trade routes and specialized products, such as pottery • Trade increased sharing of ideas, commonalities of culture, and bonds between tribes

6. Spanish Conquistadores

7. Diamond: “Guns, Germs, Steel” • Europeans dominated peoples of other continents because Europeans: • Developed with “Big 5” animals and major grains (wheat, oats, barley) • Animals passed disease to Europeans, who developed immunities • High food production allowed specialization of labor: jobs like metallurgy, soldiers, ships, guns, etc. • Native Americans had few domesticable animals, grains, or high-nutrition foods

8. Conclusions • When Europeans arrived, Native Americans were highly vulnerable to disease and mechanized warfare • Native Americans’ philosophy of land use did not cause them to defend themselves immediately against Europeans (Later, some Native Americans did resist Europeans’ expansion) • Lack of domesticated animals left Native Americans with no disease immunities • Lack of highest-quality cultivated grains (wheat, rye, barley) made highly specialized economies difficult