Ch. 1: Native American Groups

Vocabulary:

conquistadors, habitat, nomad, origins, clan, confederacy

Ancient South and Central American Civilizations

• Olmecs

• Maya

• Aztecs

• Inca

Olmecs

• Olmecs are the first recorded civilization in Central America and Mexico.

• The Olmec civilization led to the rise of the Mayan and Aztec Empires

Maya

• The Mayan empire followed the Olmecs in power.

• They were eventually overthrown by the Aztec Empire.

Aztecs

• The Aztecs civilization was centered around the valley where present day Mexico City is located.

• Their capitol was named Tenochtitlán (Ten-ō-chit-lan).• The Spanish conquistadors, led by Cortez, travelled to the

Aztec Empire.• The Aztecs performed ritual human sacrifice as part of

their religion. • When the conquistadors discovered them they tried to get

them to stop, because killing people was against the Spanish religion (Christianity)

• Eventually it led to the Spanish conquering the Aztec Empire and taking control of what is now Mexico.

Early People of North America

• There are two different ideas about the origins of Native Americans on the continent of North America:

1. Scientists say: The Natives travelled from Asia over the land bridge that grew out of ice across the Bering Strait during the last ice age, or travelled by boat.

2. Some Native People say: We have always lived here. This is where we come from.

The Ancient People of Tennessee

• Paleo-Indians

• Archaic Indians

• Mississippi Mound Builders

• Cherokee

• Creek (Muscogee)

• Chickasaw

Archaeologists Uncovering a Native Settlement in Tennessee

Paleo-Indians

• Archaeologists call the prehistoric nomads of Tennessee the Paleo-Indians

• Paleo-Indians mostly lived in caves.

• They developed fishhooks and spearheads for hunting and fishing for big game, like mammoths and giant bison.

Archaic Indians

• The Archaic Indians developed a tool called an atlatl that allowed them to throw their spears father and more accurately.

Mississippi Mound Builders

• The Mississippi Mound Builders built their settlements around rivers, like the Mississippi.

• Archaeologists first found evidence of farms during the time of the Mississippi Mound Builders.

• They built gigantic earth mounds (as much as seven stories high).

• Inside the mounds archaeologists have found people remains, spears, jewelry, wooden carvings, and food containers.

Cherokee

• One of the three tribes that were located in Tennessee when it became a state.

• The Cherokee tribe is made up of seven clans: Wolf, Paint, Deer, Bird, Wild Potato, Blue, and Longhair.

• Cherokee children learned valuable skills from adults during the day.– Boys learned how to make blow guns, darts, and weapons

and tools from flint. They learned how to make cabins and canoes. They also learned how to hunt and be warriors for the tribe.

– Girls learned how to weave baskets, make jewelry, cook, and take care of their younger siblings. They also learned how to gather food from the forest, like nuts and berries.

Creek (Muscogee)

• One of the three tribes that were located in Tennessee when it became a state.

• The Muscogee had a form of government called a confederacy, where groups of villages got together to decide on major issues.

• It was one of the most advanced forms of government north of Mexico.

• The Muscogee were renamed the Creek when they were discovered by European explorers for the Creeks that they lived next to.

Chickasaw

• The smallest of the three tribes that were located in Tennessee when it became a state.

• Each Chickasaw family had two houses. A summer house and winter house.

• They would paint their houses with a white-wash mixture, both inside and out.

• They used a poison made of buckeyes, or green walnuts for fishing.

Questions about Chapter 1

1. Which group of people performed human sacrifices for their religion?

2. What type of tool did the Archaic Indians develop?3. Where did most Native Americans build their

villages?4. During the Mississippian period the Native

Americans built what type of structure?5. Where did Paleo-Indians live?6. What were the three groups of Native Americans that

lived in Tennessee during the time of statehood?7. What are the seven clans of the Cherokee?