THE PEOPLE OF NORTH AMERICA
During the last Ice Age, a natural land bridge connected the Asian and North
American continents. Early hunters used this land bridge when they followed herds of
bison and caribou into North America. These hunters became the first people to live in
North America.
The First North Americans
The Americas make up an enormous land area, stretching about 9,000 miles
(more than 14,000 km) from the Arctic Ocean in the north to Cape Horn at the tip of
South America. The North American continent is large and has varying climates and
geographical features. It has ice-covered lands and hot, dry deserts. Dense forests
cover some areas, and fertile river valleys are ideal for hunting and farming. Many
years ago, these different geographical areas became home to various peoples, who
created their own distinctive ways of living. Between 15,000 and 20,000 years ago,
the last Ice Age caused sea levels to drop. Low sea levels in turn created a land bridge
connecting the Asian and North American continents. Many scholars believe that
people from Asia used this land bridge to cross the Bering Strait into North America.
Most likely, these first Americans were hunters, pursuing herds of bison and caribou.
They lived in small, nomadic communities. To survive, they needed to remain close to
the source of their food supply.
Arctic and Northwest: The Inuit
About 3000 b.c., the Inuit moved into North America from Asia. They had to learn
very specific skills to survive in such a cold and harsh environment. Most Inuit settled
along the coasts of the tundra region, the treeless land south of the Arctic. Using
harpoons and spears made from antler or narwhal tusk, the Inuit were skilled hunters.
Seal, caribou, and fish provided both food and clothing. In winter, the Inuit built homes
of stones and turf. The traditional igloo, made out of cut blocks of hardpacked snow,
was only a temporary shelter used during traveling.
Eastern Woodlands: Mound Builders and Iroquois
Around 1000 b.c., farming villages appeared in the Eastern Woodlands, the land
in eastern North America from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. Although people
in the Eastern Woodlands region grew crops, they also continued to gather wild plants
for food. One Eastern Woodlands group was the Hopewell peoples in the Ohio River
valley. They extended their culture along the Mississippi River. The Hopewell people,
known as the Mound Builders, built large, elaborate earth mounds that were used as
tombs or for ceremonies. Some were built in the shape of animals. The shift to full-
time farming about a.d. 700 led to a prosperous culture in the Mississippi River valley.
This Mississippian culture grew corn, squash, and beans together to provide plants
with nutrients, support, and shade.
Cities began to appear, some of them containing 10,000 people or more. At the
site of Cahokia (kuh•HOH•kee•uh), near the modern city of East St. Louis, Illinois,
archaeologists found a burial mound over 98 feet (30 m) high. It had a base larger
than that of the Great Pyramid in Egypt. Between a.d. 850 and 1150, Cahokia
flourished and served as the seat of government. For reasons unknown, Cahokia
collapsed during the 1200s. To the northeast of the Mississippian culture were people
known as the Iroquois (IHR•uh•kwoy). The Iroquois lived in villages that consisted of
longhouses surrounded by wooden fences for protection. Each longhouse, built of
wooden poles covered with sheets of bark, was 150 to 200 feet (46 to 61 m) in length
and housed about a dozen families. Iroquois men hunted deer, bear, caribou, and
small animals like rabbits and beaver. They were also warriors who protected the
community. Women owned the dwellings, gathered wild plants, and grew crops. The
most important crops were the “three sisters”—corn, beans, and squash. In addition,
women cooked, made baskets, and took care of the children. Wars were common,
especially among groups of Iroquois who lived in much of present-day Pennsylvania,
New York, and parts of southern Canada. Legend holds that sometime during the
1500s, the Iroquois peoples were nearly torn apart by warfare. Deganawida, an elder
of one Iroquois group, appeared and preached the need for peace. One who listened
was Hiawatha, a member of the Onondaga (AH•nuhn•DAW• guh) group. From the
combined efforts of Deganawida and Hiawatha came the Great Peace, which created
an alliance of five groups called the Iroquois League. A council of representatives, a
group of 50 Iroquois leaders, known as the Grand Council met regularly to settle
differences. Representatives were chosen in a special way. Each Iroquois group was
made up of clans, groups of related families. The women of each clan singled out a
well-respected woman as the clan mother. The clan mothers, in turn, chose the male
members of the Grand Council. Much was expected of these men—patience and
firmness, but also a tenderness for their people and calm deliberation. The Grand
Council, an experiment in democracy, brought the Iroquois a new way to deal with
their problems.
Peoples of the Great Plains
West of the Mississippi River basin, the Plains Indians cultivated beans, corn,
and squash along the river valleys of the eastern Great Plains. Every summer, the
men left their villages to hunt buffalo, a very important animal to the Plains culture.
Hunters would work together to frighten a herd of buffalo, causing them to stampede
over a cliff. The buffalo served many uses for Plains peoples. They ate the meat, used
the skins for clothing, and made tools from the bones. By stretching buffalo skins over
wooden poles, they made circular tents called tepees. Tepees provided excellent
shelter; they were warm in winter and cool in summer
Peoples of the Southwest: The Anasazi
The Southwest covers the territory of present-day New Mexico, Arizona, Utah,
and Colorado. Conditions are dry, but there is sufficient rain in some areas for farming.
The Anasazi (AH•nuh•SAH•zee) peoples established an extensive farming society
there. Between a.d. 500 and 1200, the Anasazi used canals and earthen dams to turn
parts of the desert into fertile gardens. They were skilled at making baskets and
beautifully crafted pottery. They used stone and adobe (sun-dried brick) to build
pueblos, multistoried structures that housed many people. At Chaco Canyon in
northwestern New Mexico, they built an elaborate center for their civilization. At the
heart of Chaco Canyon was Pueblo Bonito. This was a large complex that contained
some 800 rooms housing more than 1,000 people. The Pueblo Bonita complex
included communal rooms where people assembled to perform religious rituals. This
flourishing center could not survive a series of droughts that occurred over a 50-year
period. Finally, the Anasazi had to abandon the center. The Anasazi culture itself did
not die. To the north in southern Colorado, a large community had formed at Mesa
Verde (MAY•suh•VEHR•dee). Today, this is a national park in the United States.
Groups of Anasazi there built a remarkable series of buildings in the recesses of the
cliff walls. However, the Anasazi abandoned the settlement in the late 1200s because
of a prolonged drought.
