The Earliest AmericansChapter 3

What happened before Oklahoma’s history was first recorded?

First prehistoric people (those who lived before recorded history) reached the Americas millions of years after the dinosaurs became extinct

First people in America here some 12,000 to 25,000 years ago

Different theoriesDino tra

cks near B

lack Mesa

!!

How’d they get here? The first wheel?

Beringia land

bridge

What do you think life will be like in 1000 years?

archaeologist: scientist who study ancient cultures by examining artifacts (remains) left behind

midden: ancient garbage dump useful for studying ancient cultures

The modern day midden …. How will scientists 1000 years from now be able to tell how we lived by the things we threw away?

The same way current scientists discover things about earlier peoples.

Artifacts include people-used items such as – pottery, tools, bone, jewelry, & paintings

Petroglyphs: pictures or symbols conveying an idea

Artifacts found on the surface of the ground or near a waterway

How do they do it?Archaeologists: “dig”, study and document - any fragment of an artifact discovered

“Put the puzzle together”

Searching for clues….

Fossils: traces or remains of living things – animals, birds, & people

Most common fossils: teeth, bones, or shells

Carbon dating: isotope carbon 14 – analyzed to obtain age estimates on organic matter

Oklahoma reptile..

Paleo Indians (really old) 1961: scientists discover evidence of Paleo

Indian hunters in Oklahoma (Domebo Kill Site)

1961: Columbian mammoth: bones found at the Cooperton site in Kiowa County

Speculation on human involvement

Soil deposits: date to about 30,000 years ago at Burnham site

Cooperton WoollyMammoth

Packard Camp Site

Domebo Kill Site

Jake Bluff Site

14-16 feet tall at the shoulders

Remember these are

BIG DUDES!!!!

The people ….

Folsom People Sites: Cooper

Bonebed & the Waugh site as evidenced by various spear points and a painted bison skull

Dalton people: lived some 9,000-10,000 years ago

Skilled in clothing, containers, tools, & covers for shelters

Clovis People Named after the New Mexico site of first

artifacts Known for their spears (spear point usually 3-

4 inches long) Important Clovis site near Stecker in Caddo

County First hunted mammoths & then switched to

bison

Archaic Culture Foragers

Hunters and harvesters Made flour & stored it in baskets Pieces of bone & antler: became spear points,

needles, awls, punches, and atlatl hooks Ate a variety of wild animals Knew how to start a fire with a wood drill

What do these skills tell us about their lifestyle?

Woodland Culture About 2,000 years ago, Woodland culture emerged Planted, cultivated, & harvested First farms: in the Grand River area, the Ouachita

Mts, the Cimarron River area, and along the Canadian & Washita Rivers

Bow and arrow came in about this time and made hunting easier

Why along the rivers?

Plains Village Farmers Lived in Oklahoma from about 1,200 to 500

years ago Grew corn, beans, squash, gourds,

sunflowers, & tobacco Hunted bison & deer Also ate hickory nuts, walnuts, hackberry

seed, wild cherries, plums, persimmons & others

The Moundbuilders Built the Spiro Mounds American equivalent

of King Tut’s Tomb.Grossly pillaged and looted.

Various historical backgrounds Lived in small farming villages Fine craftsmen: worked with stone, shell, &

copper

Spiro mounds artifacts

Cahokia

Early Plains Indians Nomads Hunted buffalo, deer, antelope, rabbit, or

whatever available Foraged for wild plant foods Lived in grass houses covered with buffalo

hide May be ancestors of Wichitas

                                                                  

                                                 

Chapter 3:Chapter 3:Early Cultures in Our LandEarly Cultures in Our Land

Section 2: Section 2:

Historic Indian CulturesHistoric Indian Cultures

Section 2: Section 2: Historic Indian Historic Indian CulturesCultures

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What elements of culture were exhibited

by the Indians during first contact with Europeans?

Section 2: Section 2: Historic Indian CulturesHistoric Indian Cultures

1. First Encounters

2. Indian Culture

- The Family

- Food

- Plants

First EncountersFirst Encounters

1540: Coronado’s expedition first recorded contact between Indians & the Spanish

1542: Spanish monks at Kaw 1601: Juan de Oñate – explored

western Oklahoma Mid-1700s: French hunters

Indian CultureIndian Culture

Indians: believed in afterlife Cowards & thieves punished Life sacred to the Plains tribes Believed in Mother Earth Believed all things tied together Honesty expected

Indian CultureIndian Culture

The Family Marriages permitted between related

tribes & could have more than one wife Men: warriors & hunters Women: kept the home & family

Indian CultureIndian Culture

Food Women: prepared the food Meats: eaten raw, roasted, boiled, or

dried Wild animals were food source Other foods were wild honey & other

natural foods

Indian CultureIndian Culture

Plants Used many wildflowers & plants About 170 used by Indians Many used for medicine

Much of their time spent in surviving

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