American Indians Before Columbus

Question 1

Bering Strait

Answer 1

• 30,000 BC ice age
• hunter gatherers walked from Siberia to Alaska on this dry land or ice
• not enough food = move to new areas
• 8,000-10,000 BC ice age ends, ice melts, seas rise

Question 2

Eastern Woodland Indians

Answer 2

• large group of natives eastern America
• culture = same
• 500 languages
• started farming, everything is communal
• freedom to leave society
• men hunted, women farmed
• nature gods must be kept happy
• brutal territory before arrival of Europeans

Question 3

Mound Builders

Answer 3

• well-organized, built mounds for temples
• 4,000-5,000 people
• mystery = Europeans arrive, empty towns