Title: Prehistoric Native American Cultures
1Prehistoric Native American Cultures
2What is PREHISTORY?
- History before there was written language
- There was history before it was written down, but
some societies just didnt write - Native American societies were oral and have
always been aware of their history, even without
writing it down.
3Three Phases of Prehistory in North Carolina
- Paleo-Indian Period
- Archaic Period
- Woodland Times (includes the Mississippian
Culture)
4Bering Strait Theory
- During the last Ice Age (25,000-35,000 years ago)
people began populating North America, coming
across the Bering Strait from Asia - Around 14,000 years ago, North America was fully
populated by people - It is estimated that 100 million Native Americans
lived in North America before the arrival of
Europeans
5How do we know about the people that lived before
history was recorded?
They left items the items they left are
discovered today in archeological sites.
6Various levels of social organization among
prehistoric Native Americans
Bands/Clans (20-35 people)
Tribes (several bands)
Chiefdoms (100-300 people)
States (thousands of people)
7Paleo-Indian Period (14,000-12,000 Years Ago)
- Family
- People lived in bands (20-35 people), with 2 or 3
extended families - Natural leadership developed
- The social structure was based on kinship and
skills
8Paleo-Indian Period
- Way of Life
- Nomads who moved with the hunt (mostly ate meat
and hunted big game) - The archeological sites left by these people are
few with few deposits, probably because they were
nomads - In North Carolina, at least one Paleo-Indian site
has been found in every county
9Paleo-Indian Period
- Technology
- Only stone material is found from this period
- They had some of the finest tools in prehistory
- Projectile points are most of what is found (tips
of spears, darts, lances, etc.)
10Projectile Points Arrow Heads
- What are the differences?
Projectile points were created before arrow
heads. Arrow heads were not invented until
around 4000 years ago
projectile point
arrow heads
11Projectile Points and Arrowheads of
North Carolina
12The end of the Ice Age causes changes
- Global warming occurs between 12,000 10,000
years ago (it took about 2000 years) - It causes forests to change, thus food sources
change - Something else key happens.
- Culture evolves
13Archaic Period (10,000-4,000 years ago)
- Family
- Bands got larger, containing 50-75 people
- Tribes began to evolve consisting of closely
related bands of people tied together by kinship
14Archaic Period (10,000-4,000 years ago)
- Way of Life
- The archeological sites found from this period
are larger - The people are semi-sedentary, not moving as much
(they move with the seasons rather than the hunt) - They are still hunter-gatherers (nuts, berries,
plant material)
15Archaic Period
- Technology
- People begin making tools, to make other tools.
- They create more diverse and advanced tools such
as - Grinding stones
- Dishes
- Stone net sinkers
- Fish hooks
- Awls (engraving tool)
- Drills
- Scrapers
- Atlatl (Spear thrower)