CHAPTER 2 Native Americans and Their Land
2.1 INTRODUCTION Native Americans are believed to be the first people to live in North America They first migrated into the Americas from the continent of Asia thousands of years ago They followed several migration routes into different parts of the Americas The Inuit people adapted and made their home in the ice fields of the Arctic
2.1 INTRODUCTION origin stories tales that a group of people tell about where they came from or how the Earth came to be migration routes the path followed by a group of people when they move from one country or area of the world to another environments places with different types of natural surroundings (land, water, air, plants, and animals) adapt to change ideas and ways of living to fit a new situation or environment
2.2 ORIGIN STORIES Origin stories were used to entertain one another and to teach about their beliefs and culture Hopi Origin Story: Earth was covered by water, and spirits, gods, & goddesses lived inside the dark Earth Goddesses of the West and East decided to create a living creature and made a bird from clay The bird was lonely, so they made humans to keep it company Everyone was happy until the rains stopped and crops failed, so the people began to argue The worried chiefs decided that the people needed to leave the Earth s dark inside The chiefs guided the people up a ladder that led to a hole in the Earth s crust (surface) Each chief set out in different directions with their followers (N,E,S,W) until they found good land to grow crops and build villages
2.2 ORIGIN STORIES goddesses female spirits who control parts of the world
2.3 MIGRATION ROUTES At least 15,000 years ago During the last Ice Age Asia and America were connected by a land bridge almost 1,000 miles wide
2.3 MIGRATION ROUTES Some of the first migrants were people from Siberia (Siberians) who had lived in northeastern Asia They hunted big game like mammoth, bison, and caribou
2.3 MIGRATION ROUTES The big game grazed on the grasses along the land bridge and they eventually wandered across it Small groups of Siberian hunters eventually followed the big game and eventually all the way to North America (Clovis) Other Siberians may have reached North America by traveling in boats along the coastline Native Americans continued to follow big game and eventually reached the Southern tip of South America The migrants paths to their new homes are called migration routes
2.3 MIGRATION ROUTES migration a movement of people from one country or area of the world to a new home in another country or area migrants people who move (migrate) from one country or area of the world to a new home in another country or area big game large animals that are hunted for their flesh, skins, and other valuable body parts ( game is another word for hunted animals)
2.4 NATIVE AMERICANS ENVIRONMENT After the last Ice Age, groups stopped migrating and settled into different environments Each environment had different climates, vegetation, and natural resources Natural resources are things found that help to support life mountains rivers timber (lumber) minerals like copper food
2.4 NATIVE AMERICANS ENVIRONMENT
2.4 NATIVE AMERICANS ENVIRONMENT Grasslands Get only enough rain to support grass and small bushes
2.4 NATIVE AMERICANS ENVIRONMENT Deserts Get very little rain People often dig wells and ditches to get water for drinking and raising crops
2.4 NATIVE AMERICANS ENVIRONMENT Mountains Receive lots of rain and snow Lower parts of mountains are often covered by forests of pine, fir, and spruce
2.4 NATIVE AMERICANS ENVIRONMENT Artic Ice Fields Near the North Pole Made up of huge ice sheets that permanently cover the land
2.4 NATIVE AMERICANS ENVIRONMENT Most Native Americans chose to settle in areas that had the most plentiful resources These environments had mild climates and plenty of food and water Fewer people chose to live in areas where there were fewer resources to support life Grasslands Deserts Mountains Arctic Ice Fields
2.5 ADAPTATIONS TO THE ENVIRONMENT Native Americans had to adapt their way of life to their surroundings They had to find ways to use the available natural resources wisely in order to survive
2.5 ADAPTATIONS TO THE ENVIRONMENT The Inuit (Eskimos) lived in the Arctic Ice Fields Alaska, Canada, and Greenland Adaptations to Survive: Hunted animals like whales, walruses, seals, salmon, caribou, polar bears, Arctic fox, squirrels, and birds
2.5 ADAPTATIONS TO THE ENVIRONMENT Did not waste ANY part of the animal Ate the meat Sewed animal skins together to make clothing, blankets, and tents Burned animal fat for fuel Used bones to make dogsleds and tent frames Carved bones into tools such as knives and harpoons Filled seal skins with air so that they would float and used these floats to tire out the walruses or whales they were hunting
2.5 ADAPTATIONS TO THE ENVIRONMENT Summer Shelters Used materials around them Made tents by stretching caribou or seal skin over driftwood Placed heavy stones or pieces of bone at the bottom to keep it in place Winter Shelters Built houses made of snow or ice called igloos
2.5 ADAPTATIONS TO THE ENVIRONMENT Clothing: Dressed in animal skins and furs Snow Goggles: Made from bone or wood Had narrow openings to eliminate glare Spread black soot (ash) on the inside to keep light from shining in their eyes
2.5 ADAPTATIONS TO THE ENVIRONMENT adaptations changes in a way of life that allow people to survive in a particular environment driftwood wood that has washed up onto the shores of rivers or oceans