Societies of North America Chapter 1 Section 2
Native American Diversity By 1500, hundreds of Native American cultural groups Environment shapes each group’s economy, technology, religion Environment affects religion; groups believe certain places sacred Trade links Native Americans
Peoples of the North and Northwest Coast Aleut live on islands off Alaska Inuit live on tundra—treeless, frozen plain They use kayaks, or small boats, to hunt sea mammals Northwest Coast people, such as Kwakiutl and Haida, fish salmon They make wooden houses, boats, carved objects
Peoples of the West Native Americans in West are hunters and gatherers Men hunt game; women gather wild foods, some are expert weavers Western groups have spiritual beliefs linked to nature
Peoples of Mexico Aztecs have great civilization in central Mexico Begin building capital city, Tenochtitlán, in 1325 Irrigation helps them grow many crops Conquer peoples who give food, resources to them Complex society with upper, middle, lower classes
Peoples of the Southwest In American Southwest, Pueblo people use irrigation to farm Build many-storied, adobe houses Men hunt, farm, weave, build; women cook, repair houses, craft pottery Navajo, Apache arrive later; hunters and gatherers; trade with Pueblo Later, Navajo become farmers
Peoples of the Great Plains Great Plains extend from Mississippi River to Rocky Mountains Some Great Plains tribes are nomads; others live in villages by rivers Hunt bison; use its hide for clothes, bones for tools Mandans and Pawnee live in large circular lodges Spiritual beliefs vary; some honor sacred places
Peoples of the Southeast Choctaw and Chickasaw are farmers Women farm; men hunt, fish, clear land Society is matrilineal—trace ancestry through the mother In villages, people gather at central square for meetings, ceremonies
Peoples of the Eastern Woodlands Most Eastern Woodland peoples speak Iroquoian or Algonquian language Use slash-and-burn agriculture—chop, burn trees; use ash to enrich soil Iroquois live in longhouses; Algonquin live in wigwams Warlike Iroquois take advice from Deganawida, make peace Form 5-tribe alliance—Iroquois League, brings period of peace to Iroquois