The First Americans Flashcards
Who were the three most important Mesoamerican Indian Empires?
Aztecs, Mayans, Olmecs
Who were the Anasazi?
Located in modern-day Arizona and New Mexico, the Anasazi peoples created sophisticated networks of pueblos, cliff dwellings, roads, and canals for irrigation. The Anasazi civilization collapsed after 1150 due to severe and long-lasting droughts.
Where was Cahokia?
Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, near modern-day St. Louis; characterized by massive burial mounds. It was the largest urban concentration of Indians north of Mexico. Before it was abandoned around 1400 A.D., some 40,000 people were estimated to have lived there.
Describe the culture of the Native American tribes along the upper Atlantic seaboard.
Known as the Woodland Tribes, most Indians in these areas moved seasonally. Women were primarily responsible for agricultural production, while the men hunted and fished.
What was primary dietary staple for Indians in both North and South America?
Maize (corn), while they also raised potatoes and tomatoes.
How did the North American Indians view property rights?
With the exception of a few tribes, individual land ownership was virtually unknown. Most tribes did claim territorial lands for hunting and gathering, to the exclusion of other tribes. Among many of the Woodland Tribes, inheritance was matrilineal.
Prior to the arrival of Columbus, where was most of the population of the New World concentrated?
Most of the population of the New World was concentrated in Central and South America, where civilizations such as the Maya, Aztecs, and Incas flourished.
What was the Iroquois Confederacy?
Founded around 1451, the Iroquois Confederacy was a loose political alliance of five Indian nations. Impressed by the wisdom of this government, Europeans referred to them as the “Romans of the New World.” The Confederacy continued until it was finally destroyed during the American Revolution.
