American Indians and Their Land Study Guide

An Origin Story is told to explain how the Earth and its people came to be. This is a Kiva. The Hopis and many other Native American tribes told origin stories in these holes in the ground. Origin stories explain how Earth and its people came to be. Hopis believe that people came from inside the earth. Other stories were told to teach about their beliefs and their way of life .

The first people chose to settle in different Natural environments. A natural environment is everything that surrounds us. It includes such things as sunlight, air, water, land, animals, insects, and plants. You have read about different environments in which American Indians lived and why they had different ways of life.

How did the first Americans get here? Most scientists believe that the first Americans came from Siberia. This is a region in northeastern Asia. They began their migration at least 12,500 years ago. They followed the big game across the land bridge. These were animals such as mammoths (large, elephant-like animals), bison (also called buffalo), and caribou (reindeer). Some came to the American continent by boat.

Most early American Indians settled in places that had rich natural resources. One feature of an environment is its climate. The climate supports certain kinds of vegetation, or plant life. Animals that are able to live in the climate and eat the plants thrive. An environment also has natural resources. These include soil, water, timber from trees, and minerals such as copper. Things that people and animals use and eat are natural resources, too.

Most American Indians settled in places that had few resources. The early American Indian tribes migrated across North America. They settled in many types of environments. In each place, people survived by adapting their ways of life. They used what was around them in nature to build homes, make clothes, and find food. Their homes and clothing fit their climate. For example, the Inuits made clothing from animal skins found in the artic region.

Indians had to adapt to life in each of these environments.

How did this Inuit Family use their natural resources?

The Inuits use the materials that they found around them. To build shelters, the Inuits used the materials that they found around them. In the summer, they made tents by stretching the skins of caribou or seals over driftwood. Sometimes they used whale bones to support the roof. They placed heavy stones at the bottom of a tent to keep it in place. In the winter, they built houses, called igloos, out of snow and ice.

The Lakota wanted to make a record to show future generations. To record their history, the Lakota would add a pictograph—such as a star—to an animal skin, or hide. The hide would already have other pictographs painted on it. These represented memorable events from earlier years. One pictograph might show a buffalo hunt. Another might show a war dance. The new image would show the meteor shower. It would also stand for the year 1833. The Sioux began calling this year the Year the Stars Fell.

The Inuits One group that lived in a harsh environment was the Inuits, who are also known as Eskimos. They built their culture in present-day northwestern Alaska, northern Canada, and Greenland. These places are part of Earth’s Arctic region. The Arctic ice fields have long, cold winters and land that is frozen most of the time.

Where did American Indians settle? Most American Indians settled in places that had rich natural resources. They needed the natural resources to survive. Food, water, shelter, materials for clothes.

What is a primary source and a secondary source? A primary source is a record of an event recorded by someone who was there and witnessed the event. A secondary source is a record of an event recorded by someone who was not there at the time of the event.