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HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS
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PrehistoryThe first AmericansThe first American farmersThe first American

civilizations

The people of northAmerica

Pre-Columbian Indians16th - 17th century18th century19th - 20th century

HISTORY OF THE

AMERICAN INDIANS

Timeline

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The first Americans: 30,000 - 5000 years ago

During the most recent of theIce Ages,lasting from 30,000 to 10,000 years ago, an undersea ridgebetween Siberia and Alaska emerges from the sea. Knownas the Bering Land Bridge, it lies partly south of the icecap. It develops a steppe-like ecology of grasslands, grazedby large animals such as horses, reindeer and evenmammoth.

Gradually, in many separate incursions, the hunter-

gatherers of the Siberian steppes pursue their prey acrossthe land bridge and into America. When the melting icesubmerges the bridge, about 10,000 years ago, thesenortheast Asians become isolated as the aboriginalAmericans.

The Siberian hunter-gatherers probably make their wayalong the north coast of Alaska and down through thevalley of the Mackenzie river. Archaeological evidenceshows that by about 15,000 years ago the central plains ofAmerica are widely inhabited. Traces of human activity at

this time are preserved in the remarkableLa Brea tar pit inLos Angeles. The glacial conditions further north mean thatthe central plains are at this time cool and moist.

During the next 5000 years, while the glacial periodcontinues, humans penetrate far into South America.

The retreat of the ice caps (see Ice Ages) makes northernregions increasingly habitable both for large animals andfor the humans who prey on them. By 8000 years agohunter-gatherers have moved up the eastern side of the

continent into Newfoundland and the prairie provinces ofCanada.

From about 7000 years ago human groups adapt to theconditions of the northern coast of Canada, living mainly ashunters of sea mammals. They spread gradually eastwardsalong the edge of the Arctic Circle, eventually reachingGreenland. These hardiest of all human settlers survive
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today as the Eskimo (or, in their own name for themselves,inuit - meaning simply 'the people').

The first American farmers: 5000 - 2500 BC

The cultivation of crops in America begins in the Tehuacan

valley, southeast of the present-day Mexico City. Squashand chili are the earliest plants to be grown - soon followedby corn (or maize) and then by beans and gourds.

These are all species which need to be individually planted,rather than their seeds being scattered or sown over brokenground. This is a distinction of importance in Americanhistory, for there are noanimals in America at this timestrong enough to pull a plough.

At first these crops merely supplement the food produced

by hunting and gathering. But by 3000 BC the people ofthis area are settled agriculturalists. In this developmentthey are followed by the hunter-gatherers of south Americaand then, considerably later, by some in the northern part ofthe continent.

The earliest known settled community in south America isat Huaca Prieta, at the mouth of the Chicama river in Peru.By about 2500 BC the people here have as yet no corn, butthey cultivate squash, gourds and chili. They also growcotton, from which they weave a coarse cloth.

The first American civilizations: from 1200 BC

The earliest civilization in America develops in the coastalregions of the Gulf of Mexico. Dating from around 1200BC, it is the achievement of the Olmec people. Theirculture is contemporary with Mycenae and the Trojan War,with the spread of the Aryans through northern India andwith the Shang dynasty in China. At approximately thesame time the Hebrews are moving from Egypt throughSinai towards the promised land of Canaan.

The Olmecs represent the beginning of civilization incentral America. They are followed, about three centurieslater, by the earliest civilization of south America - theChavin culture of Peru.

These two first American civilizations, in Mexico and Peru,set a pattern which will last for more than 2000 years. A
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the woodlands for the planting of maize. But in most partsof the continent the tribes continue to live a semi-nomadicexistence, in the traditional manner of hunter-gatherers,even though they lack the one animal which makesmovement on the plains easy.

Hunted to extinction in America, this useful creature willonly become available again to the Indians through theevent which destroys their way of life. TheSpaniards arrivewith horses.

Pre-Columbian Indians: before AD 1492

The arrival ofColumbus in 1492 is a disaster for theoriginal inhabitants of the American continent. The chiefagent of their downfall is disease. With no resistance tonew germs, tribes rapidly succumb to unfamiliar illnesses

on their first brief contact with Europeans - in many casesvastly reducing the number of the Americans withoutanyone even firing a shot.

Where the tribes develop a closer relationship with the newarrivals, they are frequently tricked, tormented andmassacred by their visitors. Two elements make theEuropeans both strong and ruthless - their possession ofguns, and an unshakable conviction in the rightness of theirChristian cause.

The event of 1492, the biggest turning point in the historyof America, has had the Eurocentric effect of defining thathistory in terms of this one moment. Historians describe theprevious American cultures as pre-Columbian. And theoriginal people of the continent become known as Indians,simply because Columbus is under the illusion that he hasreached theIndies.

In recent years 'native Americans' has come into use as analternative name. But it is a misleading phrase - meaning,but failing to say, aboriginal or indigenous Americans. In

spite of its quirky origins, American Indians remains themore direct and simple term.

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