Three Worlds Meet: Ancient America Cultural Encounters

1. Mitten – CSHS AMAZ History – Semester 1 Three Worlds Meet,1200 B.C. – A.D. 1500Section 1: Peopling the AmericasSection 2: North American Societies Around 1492

2. Peopling the Americas • Three Worlds Meet • Native America culture • European culture • African culture • Main Idea = In ancient times, migrating peoples settled the Americas, where their descendents developed complex societies • Why it Matters Now – Patterns of immigration have always shaped and continue to shape American history

3. Peopling the Americas – Sect. 1 • Ancient Peoples Come to the Americas • The First Americans • 22,000 years ago hunters from Asia to Alaska over Beringia • Hunting and Gathering • Inhabitants hunt large animals until climate warms • 12,000 to 10,000 years ago hunt small game, gather nuts and berries • Agriculture Develops • Planting of crops begins in central Mexico 10,000 to 5,000 years ago • Some cultures remain nomadic – moving in search of food and water

4. Paleo-Indian Age • Clovis Points • Fluted projectile points – medium/large spear • Similar projectiles are found all across the Americas • unique and distinctive - pressure flaking • Kennewick Man – skeletal remains an estimated 6 to 9 thousand years old*

5. Review • Where did the first people to inhabit the Americas come from and how did they get there? • They were from northern Russia and they walked across a region known as Beringia. • What did they do to survive and how do we know this? • Hunted big game – mammoth bones and other artifacts such as Clovis Points • Where was evidence found of early native agricultural efforts? • Central Mexico – estimated to have begun some 5 to 10 thousand years ago.

6. Complex Societies Flourish • Early Cultures in the Americas • About 3,000 years ago, inhabitants begin forming large communities • Empires of Middle and South America • The Olmec flourish 1200 to 400 B.C. along Gulf of Mexico • A.D. 250 to 900, Maya culture thrives in Guatemala and Yucatan • Aztec begin building civilization in the Valley of Mexico in 1200’s • Inca establish empire around A.D. 1200 in western South America • Cultures have cities or ceremonial centers; some have writing

7. Complex Societies Flourish • Ancient Desert Farmers* • People have lived in Arizona for at least 11,000 years • About 3,000 years ago, groups begin growing crops in Southwest • Groups establish civilizations, 300 B.C. to A.D. 1400 • Hohokamsettle in river valleys • Anasazi live in mesa tops, cliff sides, canyons • Mogollon developed prehistoric culture in the mountains of Eastern Arizona

8. Complex Societies Flourish • Mound Builders • In East, Adena, Hopewell, Mississippian establish trading societies • Adena, Hopewell build huge burial and animal-shaped mounds • Mississippian people build giant pyramidal mounds

9. North American Societies Around 1492 – Sect. 2 • Main Idea: The varied landscapes of North America encouraged the diversity of Native American cultures • California • Kashaya Pomo hunt waterfowl along northwest coast • Yurok, Hupa gather acorns in forests, fish in mountain streams • Northwest Coast • Large communities live along streams, seashore, and in forests • Kwakiutl, Nootka, Haida gather shellfish, hunt whales, otters, seals • Place totems, symbols of ancestral spirits, on masks, boats, poles (totem poles) • Potlatches– elaborate ceremonies where families give away possessions – 12 years planning

10. Diverse Native Americans • Southwest • By 1300, Pueblo settle near waterways, build multistory houses • Hopi, Acoma live near cliffs, develop irrigation systems • Grow corn, beans, squash; build kivas, underground ceremonial rooms • Eastern Woodlands • Tribes like Iroquois build villages in forests; farm, hunt, gather • People develop woodworking tools, craft objects from wood

11. Shared Cultural Patterns • Trading Networks • Trade one of biggest factors in bringing tribes into contact • Groups specialize in making different products • Traders on transcontinental network trade items • Land Use • Native Americans consider land the source of life, not to be sold • Disturb it only for important reasons, like food gathering, farming • For Europeans, land is power, land is wealth. This is contrary to most Native American groups.

12. Shared Cultural Patterns • Religious Beliefs • People believe all things are filled with spirits; ancestors guide people • Conversely - Europeans are mostly Catholic with a growing Protestant minority – monotheistic • Social Organizations • Bonds of kinship, ties among relatives, ensure customs are passed on • Division of labor – tasks by gender, age, status – creates social order – groupsorganized by families