Section A: Define the term “ Paleo-Indian” as traditionally used in North American archaeology. Discuss some of the differences between Paleo-Indian sites in the West and the East. What is the significance of these differences in regards to our understanding of the nature and diversity of Paleo-Indian lifeway and of how these lifeway facilitated the expansion of Paleo-Indian across the continent. In what ways does this evidence either reaffirm or contest traditional understandings of the Paleo-Indian period in North America? Paleo- Indian can traditionally be defined by the North American archaeology as being a part of the oldest known cultural period in North America. Many archeologists believe that Palo-Indians arrived in North America …show more content…
For Example, Western Paleo-Indian main method of survival was their dependence on big-game hunting that usually led to the extinction of animals like the bison, megafauna, etc.(Wheat 1967:97) Despite the growing population of this group of people, there is a decrease in resources due to the reduction of certain predators that hunt large mammals. For this reason it is highly likely that man and large mammals did not co-evolve ultimately resulting in the extinction of large mammals. (I changed a few things here but I’m still not sure what you are trying to say) Despite uncertainties left behind by these people, Paleo-Indian left clues that may provide unusually clear evidence of their movements and periodic gatherings. For example, they often used high quality stone for their tools, transporting it great distances, tracking the direction and distance of their travels. Although population densities are thought to have been low, there are a few large sites that may reveal the largest scale of group organization. The sites in the West made by the Paleo-Indian like the Folsom – Plano sites demonstrate to archaeologists that these people used hunting strategizes and worked in groups to maximize the amount of resources they could collect and kill. …show more content…
We have to look at the location and environment that this culture was living in. They lived in an environment that was rich and diverse and predictable, for example the salmon run as well as the advantage of the ocean resources. With the introduction of steady and reliable resources throughout the land, people in the Northwest Coast/ Plateau found methods to prolonging their food in storages and different preservation methods. With this introduction of storage, the ideology of how those with most land or food resources would have the most power in that society. Archeologists have discussed the notion of division of labor and gender roles to determine those who were collecting and those who were managing the distribution of the stored food. This model presented here suggests the context for cultural changes that occurred once social complexity was clearly established. The model proposes that culture changes showcase the shift in how people defined and maintained social inequality. The emergence of social inequality and ranking created political complexity for this region. We have to now examine how kin-groups are attributed to power and how not all kin-groups are treated equally. Power in this region were handed down through the kin line and based on prestige of different positions in society, while low-ranking families usually have no claim or privileges. Food rights is another way to showcase the political and
The French offered protection from neighboring enemies while the Indigenous people offered resources such as fur trade, and education of European settlers on how to use the land. In creating this mutual alliance, the differences between the two cultures of people led to a natural formation of gender and power relationships. To better understand the meaning of these gender and power relationships, we can look at Joan Scott’s definition. Scotts states that “Gender is a constitutive element of social relationships based on perceived differences between the sexes and gender is a primary way of signifying relationships of power (SCOTT, 1067).” By incorporating these two ideas from Scott, we can better understand the different perceptions of social relationships between the French and the Indigenous people and how the misunderstood conflicts created a hierarchy and struggle for
However, Richter establishes the notion of imagination in the reader’s mind to make up for the amount speculation he uses. Using the scarce amount of sources at his disposal, Richter writes about what likely happened during Euro-Indian contact. A prime example of this is Richter making a connection between European shipwrecks, evidence of nontraditional items in Native communities before European contact, and movement of Indian tribes to coastal areas. The author relies on what is known of Native people during the Mississippian Period, and European accounts of their travels to North America. Lack of primary sources becomes a strong point of the book, allowing Richter to use his historical prowess and imagination to channel an unknown world in Indian
The Netsilik and the Chipewyan were both tribes that lived in really tough area with extreme low temperature and a lot of ice that doesn’t allow any kind of farming. These tribes rely on deer hunting a lot and the process of using the meat is handled by women. Any kind of sewing, cooking or preparation of the meat to be used is done by women, but even though women have a big role in the post hunting life in both of these communities, they have quite different roles. First, they approach kinship in two different ways. The Netsilik have a bilateral descent system, which is similar to what we have in the United States today, but not completely. Netsilik have personal kindreds which are blood relatives of a person on his or her generational level which we don’t have. The Chipewyan system is
When the Europeans first migrated to America, they didn’t know much about the ancestral background of the different types of the Indian tribes that were settled in Virginia and along the East Coast. Many of the Indian tribes became hostile towards the colonist because the colonists were interfering with their way of life. This lead the natives to attempt to destroy the frontier settlements. Many forts in this area were erected to protect the settlers and their families. One the historical land...
There are three parts in West’s book; the first part focuses on the sociological, ecological and economic relationships of the plains Indians, starting with the first establish culture of North America, the Clovis peoples. Going into extensive detail pertaining to early geology and ecology, West gives us a glimpse into what life on the early plains must have looked to early peoples. With vastly differing flora and fauna to what we know today, the early plains at the end of the first ice age, were a different place and lent itself to a diverse way of life. The Clovis peoples were accomplished hunters, focusing on the abundance of Pleistocene megafauna such as earlier, larger forms of bison. Though, little human remains were found, evidence of their s...
The essay starts with the “Columbian Encounter between the cultures of two old worlds “ (98). These two old worlds were America and Europe. This discovery states that Native Americans contributed to the development and evolution of America’s history and culture. It gives the fact that indians only acted against europeans to defend their food, territory, and themselves.
Many people are under a false impression that early Native Americans are the original environmentalists. This is an impression that many people share. The Abenaki tribes that resided in Maine from 3700 BP were not by our traditional definition, environmentalists. In fact they were far from ecologically sound. This paper is meant not to criticize the Native Americans of the age, but to clarify their roles in the environment. To better understand this subject some background is needed.
There are arguments for both sides, however, I found the overkill hypothesis more compelling. The attributes toward such a massive event to human intervention seems beyond what the evidence actually provides. The early hominids expanded rapidly and were very innovative in how they developed their culture into that of hunter-gatherer-fishers. Being able to exploit their resources, the hominids themselves turned into a more dominant mammal within throughout the Late Pleistocene and Holocene eras.
The implementation of the NAGPRA has provoked a ranging conflict in interest between two groups, the scientists on one hand and the Native American tribes on the other. As expressed by Burt, scientists have held that the skeletal remains are a source of information that helps in relating the early and the new world (304). They argue that understanding the human evolution is beneficial to the modern communities as they are able to appreciate their history and origin. Conversely, the Native American tribes are of the views that preserving human remains prevents their spirits from resting. Unrest of the spirits may bring misfortune on the current and future generations. In terms of learning their history, the Native Americans bel...
As children, students are taught from textbooks that portray Native Americans and other indigenous groups as small, uncivilized, mostly nomadic groups with ways of life that never changed or disfigured the land. Charles Mann’s account of Indian settlements’ histories and archaeological findings tell us otherwise. Mann often states in his book 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus that the indigenous groups of North and South America were far more advanced and populous than students are taught. He focuses on many different cultural groups and their innovations and histories that ultimately led to either their demise or modern day inhabitants.
Quinn, David B. North America From Earliest Discovery to First Settlements. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1977.
In his essay, “The Indians’ Old World,” Neal Salisbury examined a recent shift in the telling of Native American history in North America. Until recently, much of American history, as it pertains to Native Americans; either focused on the decimation of their societies or excluded them completely from the discussion (Salisbury 25). Salisbury also contends that American history did not simply begin with the arrival of Europeans. This event was an episode of a long path towards America’s development (Salisbury 25). In pre-colonial America, Native Americans were not primitive savages, rather a developing people that possessed extraordinary skill in agriculture, hunting, and building and exhibited elaborate cultural and religious structures.
In the story “following the food” the author perspective of the Paleo-Indians in North America is that they were only following were there food led them. These nomadic hunters, would pick up everything they needed to start a new life and leave to follow the food because that was needed for survival. They would band together and walk to where there food led them, even if it was halfway across the world. The author uses this perspective of the Paleo-Indians to explain migration by showing us they could not stay in a place a long time because they had to follow where the food was. Still some Archaeologist believe that this was not the first time this had happened.
It has been the very controversial topic about the initial colonization of the paleo Indians and the disagreement between the Clovis cultures. The author has used the cladistics method to analyze the issue. This method is used with the models of the colonization and the other factors such as the environment, circumstances, and the cultural diffusions. The article has investigated the projectiles of the paleo Indians and the other patterns and living styles of these people as well. The article also has suggested that the paleo Indians have entered in the ice-free zone of the North America in 1200 calbp. The article is investing about the entrance of the paleo Indians and their culture in North America. The major migrations were the reason of emergence of the paleo Indian culture in the North
In regards to the degree in which conflict was present in Prehistoric North America, disagreement within the archaeological community as to the extent that which it occurred exists in spite of the plentiful amount of evidence in the form of defensive structures, iconography, materials of war, and skeletal remains. Each article of this Literature Review covers a different region of the North American continent, and between them the various kinds of evidence come with. Across the continent, a trend of violent indication can be found, but the disagreement comes from the nature of the people, the cause of the war, and the impact war had on polities, and vice versa. Using Patricia Lamberts “A North American Perspective” as a reference to chronology of the regions study, (excepting the Eastern Woodlands which I chose to begin with due to relevance in class) I hope to piece together a clearer picture of how the evidence of conflict varies, and what factors might influence the differences in causation of warfare across the continent.