Lecture Notes: Pre-contact Societies in North America

Introduction

• Focus on pre-contact societies in North America, specifically before 1492.
• Discuss the migration and adaptation of Native American cultures prior to European contact.

Terminology

• Pre-contact: Period before 1492, often referred to as the pre-Columbian era.
• Pre-Columbian: Suggests contact before Columbus, possibly more accurately referred to as pre-contact.

Migration Theories

• Uncertain when people first migrated to the Americas.
• Pleistocene Theory: Suggests migration from Asia to the Americas during the Ice Age via a land bridge.
  • Bering Strait land bridge formed due to lower sea levels connecting Asia and North America.
  • Migration prompted by big game hunting.

Clovis First Theory

• James Ridgely Whiteman discovery in New Mexico (1920s) initiated the theory of Clovis big game hunters as first Americans.
• Clovis First Theory: Widely accepted but debated; other sites suggest earlier migrations.
• Monteverde Site: In South America, possibly dates to 30,000 years ago.

Cultural Impact

• Clovis culture had a significant and enduring impact despite not being the first.
• Spread from northern to southern United States, into Latin America.

Cultural Diversity

• Native American cultures evolved based on environment; very diverse.
• Focus on three main culture groups:
  • Eastern Woodlands
  • Southwestern Farmers and Raiders
  • Mesoamerican Civilizations

Definition and Stereotypes

• Indian: A European construct, not reflective of the diverse Native American cultures.
• Native Americans were diverse and not a homogeneous group.
• Stereotypes of violence often stem from European depictions and territorial disputes.

Eastern Woodlands Culture

• Engaged in hunting, gathering, and horticulture.
• Horticulture: Less intensive form of agriculture; involved planting and later harvesting.
• Nomadic Lifestyle: Seasonally nomadic based on resource availability.
• Territoriality: Claimed and defended resources critical for survival.

Social Organization

• Kinship and Clans: Primary social bond; small groups (30-40 people) based on extended families.
• Tribes and Nations: Larger groups of families sharing culture; nations form during duress.
• Confederations: Political and military alliances of different tribes/nations.

Spiritual Beliefs

• Animism: Belief in spiritual essence in natural objects like mountains, rivers, and animals.
• Spiritual balance believed to affect human life.

Economy

• Subsistence Economy: Focus on survival, not surplus production.
• Wampum: Decorative shells used as gifts and later as trade currency.
• Shift towards surplus production with European contact.

Key Groups in Eastern Woodlands

• Powhatan Confederation
• Iroquois Confederation
• Shawnee Confederation
• Cherokee Nation

Conclusion

• Next lecture will cover Southwestern Farmers and Raiders, and Mesoamerican Civilizations.