American Yawp Chapter One Flashcards
What did Europeans call the Americas?
The New World
How long have humans lived in the Americas?
Evidence suggests over 14,000 years.
What significant exchange occurred with the arrival of Europeans in the Americas?
The Columbian Exchange, which involved the exchange of people, animals, plants, and microbes.
What are some characteristics of Native American societies prior to European contact?
They built settled communities, maintained trade networks, cultivated art forms, and developed self-sufficient economies.
How did Native Americans communicate their creation stories?
Through oral traditions passed down through generations.
What does archaeological evidence suggest about the migration of Native Americans?
They crossed a land bridge from Asia to North America between twelve and twenty thousand years ago.
What was the significance of agriculture in Native American societies?
It allowed for social changes, population growth, and the establishment of settled communities.
What were the “Three Sisters” crops?
Corn, beans, and squash, which were crucial for nutrition in Native American agriculture.
How did Native American notions of property differ from European notions?
Native Americans felt a personal ownership of tools but did not believe in permanent possession of land.
What is a key feature of the political organization in Cahokia?
It was organized around chiefdoms, where leaders had both secular and sacred authority.
What caused the decline of Chaco Canyon?
Environmental challenges, such as drought and deforestation, leading to community collapse.
Describe the social organization of the Lenape communities.
They were matrilineal, organized by kinship networks, and relied on consensus-based political structures.
What role did salmon play in the Pacific Northwest cultures?
It was a primary food source and held spiritual significance, leading to sustainable harvesting practices.
What was the function of potlatches in Pacific Northwest societies?
They celebrated significant events and determined social status through elaborate feasts.
How did Native American cultures vary across North America?
They spoke hundreds of languages, had diverse lifestyles (some sedentary, some migratory), and developed unique cultures adapted to different environments.
What Native culture believed that a bald eagle made the first man out of clay?
Salinan
What Native culture believed in the origin story of Turtle Island?
Lenape
What was the name of the bridge that connected North America and Asia?
The Bering Strait
