America Before Columbus What is this? Archeological Beliefs Descendants of Asian groups that migrated from Siberia into North America via the Bering Straight then a land bridge between 20,000 40,000 years ago Fanned out over generations Predict: Where did they go and how did they organize themselves? What factors would you take into consideration? How are Native Americans depicted in history? Answer with a partner. Small Societies Large Societies Semi-permanent societies >300 population Hunter-gathering Some nomadic depending on lifestyle Permanent Complex social structures (1,000+) Multi-storied buildings Irrigation systems and agriculture Political confederacies with other tribes Cultures of North America Northwest Native Americans Southwest Native Americans Great Plains Native Americans Northeast Native Americans Southeast Native Americans Cultures of Central and South America Large populations (25 million on continent) 3 famous civilizations Maya; Central America Aztec; Mexico Inca; Peru Highly civilized societies Extensive trade networks Accurate scientific data Mayan Aztec Inca MAP DIRECTIONS Using pages 6 and 11, locate and shade the 13 groups listed in the book. Create a key on your map. North America: Anasazi & Hohokam, Mississippian, Adena & Hopewell, Algonquin, Apaches, Navajo, Kwakiutl, Ute, Choctow, Aztec Central America: Olmec, Mayan South America: Inca Debunking Native American Stereotypes MYTHS: primitive, dull, Pocahontas, peace loving hippie people Ingenuity in areas like astronomy, medicine, agriculture, and architecture Lacked important cultural advances like the plow, the wheel, and sailing ships BUT Used slash/burn and crop rotation Cities and religions as complex as Europe Sanitation system, syringes/aspirin SO Who was more primitive? Adj; relating to, denoting, or preserving the character of an early stage in the evolutionary or historical development of something WHY EUROPEANS TRIUMPHED What Happened? Review Compare: What were small societies? like? Large societies? Primitive Argument: Europeans v. Natives ASSIGNMENT: Chapter 1 Section 2-15 minutes Pre-Columbus: How many were there? Charles C. Mann American author and journalist Best Book Award by National Academies What were the Americas truly like before European arrival? Better yetexactly how many people were there? Estimate! I wrote an article for Science that involved going to the Yucatan peninsula. I visited some of the Maya ruins there and like so many other people was absolutely fascinated. I'd just spent two years living in Rome, and I was struck by how much more extensivebut equally finely built the Maya ruins were. I also was astonished by how different the aesthetic system wasthe vertiginous staircases, the corbel arches, the huge reliefs, etc. This dovetailed with something else. The summer before seventh grade, my parents moved from the suburbs of Detroit to the Pacific Northwest, an area where the presence of Native Americans seemed much more evident. I was fascinated by the idea that very different peoples had lived in the area in the not too distant past, and that their descendants were still living nearby. But it wasn't until I got to Yucatan that the penny dropped and I grasped, really and truly, that when Columbus landed he had stumbled across an entire **hemisphere** full of people whose cultures had nothing to do with Europe or Asia. Half the world! I knew practically nothing about this entire half of the world, and my teachers in school had known practically nothing about it. So I decided I would try to find out more when I could. 1491 Part 1: Questions to Consider 1. What catastrophic assumption was made by Dobyns in the 1960s? How did this differ from original estimations? 2. When and by whom was disease first introduced to the Native populations of America? How did it affect them? 3. Why are Dobyns estimations highly disputed? What could be some problems with his numbers? 4. How might this new information affect what has been previously taught in history classes about exploration of the New World? Something to Consider Data: 7 million to 12 million natives north of Mexico at the time of Columbuss arrival in 1492 Up to 250 different tribal groups speaking at least 300 languages Dobyns estimations + new anthropological research Low numbers vs. high numbers: why does it matter? MILLIONS OF PEOPLE COMPLEX SOCIETIES LARGE, INCREDIBLE STRUCTURES AGRICULTURAL AND MEDICAL ADVANCES HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN? THE BLACK LEGEND: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=6E 9WU9TGREC SO, WHAT HAPPENED? What caused their undoing? It wasnt character traits, good or bad, that ultimately hurt Native Americans. It was 1. An unwillingness or inability to unite against the European invader (250 tribes, 300+ languages) 2. A lack of numbers and technology 3. A lack of biological defense against European diseases 4. Not seen as human beings-just another exotic species in a strange New World Could it happen again? Assignment: YOU and 2 others are in charge of helping the President do research on once-powerful civilizations (in this case, the Mayan civilization). Teams of 3 or less Write a letter addressed to the President answering the first 7 questions-MUST FLOW Last question (#8): answer by yourself in thoughtful, complete sentences.