North American Cultures of the 1400’s

Pueblo peoples inherited many Anasazi traditions.

Hopi, Zuni, Acoma-lived in many room pueblos and were governed by a council of religious elders.

Farmers

Apache and Navajo were nomadic hunters from north. Learned the ways of the Pueblos

Southwest Region

Northwest had cool, rainy climate that allowed

for forests to be filled with wild game such as deer, moose, and bear.

Kwakiutl and Haida were skilled wood-workers that built houses, carved totem pole & masks.

California region spoke over 100 languages in region.

Fished and hunted for food year-round.

Northwest and California

Native Americans were known as Artic and

Sub-arctic are speculated to be last to arrive from Asia. (believed to have arrived by boat.)

Climate is brutal…treeless tundras that are frozen most of the year.

With a lack of vegetation, hunting was main source of food.

Archaeological evidence is rare due to rising sea levels from end of Ice Age.

Far North

Great Basin was a dry region that created

tough living conditions…little rain, little wild game, no large rivers, & few trees.

Small populations due to environment.

Plateau received more rain, has more rivers, and more forests.

Nez Perce and other groups lived along the rivers filled with an abundance of fish.

Great Basin and Plateau

Some of the best-known Native American

groups lived here. (Sioux, Pawnee, Cheyenne)

Flat terrain filled with prairie grasses and wildflowers. (Farming was difficult)

Buffalo was hunted in the Great Plains.

Great Plains

Covered area from Atlantic Ocean to

Mississippi River. Hills and mountain ranges made travel hard

leading to a wide variety of languages and traditions. (forests and rivers made finding food bountiful)

Iroquois- all spoke same language/often at war over land.

Known as “people of the longhouses”

Eastern Woodlands

Warm climate, abundance of rain, and fertile

soil were key for these farmers.

Were able to grow multiple crops a year.

Choctaw lived in thatched-roofed log cabins plastered with mud.

Southeast

Most families were organized into clans based

on kinship (blood relations).

Kinship often determined how property would be inherited and who could and could not marry.

Matrilineal- property was inherited through mother. (Iroquois and Hopi are best examples)

Native American Customs

Social and political structures varied…some

strict and some more relaxed.

Chiefs and Councils of Elders were most common forms of government.

Native Americans felt land should not be bought or sold. It was to be used and shared for farming and hunting.

Native American Customs

Division of labor was very common among

Native Americans. Men = hunters and Women = farming (except Southwest…both farmed).

Religion was commonality between groups. Trees and bears were important spiritual

symbols.

Native American Customs

Exchanging gifts became traditional sign of

peace and friendship Barter- exchanging of goods without money Specialization of skills led to vast array of

trade Adena and Hopewell are most recognized for

trade networks that covered two-thirds of modern day U.S.

Ideas, beliefs, and education were also commonly traded items

Native American Trade

Sahara was barrier to travelers and trade

(divides north from south).

Three main items for trade in the African Interior were gold, salt, and ivory.

Religion of Islam was brought to West Africa through trade.

African Cultures and Trade

Ghana- Earliest West African trading state.

Grew to be very powerful because of location (along trade route for gold and salt.

No written language so much of what we know is learned through oral traditions. (passing down info through storytelling)

Ghana was conquered and renamed Mali—biggest change went from Islamic to Muslim.

African Cultures and Trade

Geography impacted trade in Africa throughout

history. Access to seaports led to other cultures settling in African regions. Created blending of cultures.

Loyalty was a big part of African culture…especially those of the same village and lineage.

Nature of slavery in African changed drastically after Europeans arrived.

African Cultures and Trade

Building of plantations and harsh working

condition in other parts of world created need for Atlantic Slave trade. (demand for cheap labor)

Europe and America increased use of slaves as demand for work increased. (slaves became traded for firearms, to weaken a rival leader)

Estimated that 20 million African slaves were sent to America…millions more sent to other parts of the world…countless more died on ships and marches to and from coast.

African Cultures and Trade