Lecture Notes: Pre-Contact Societies in North America

Introduction

• Focus on pre-contact societies in North America.
• "Pre-contact" refers to the period before 1492, also known as the pre-Columbian era.
• Pre-contact is preferred over pre-Columbian to acknowledge earlier European contact with North America.

Migration to the Western Hemisphere

• Exact timing of migration is unclear.
• Widely accepted theory: migration from Asia during the Pleistocene (20,000 - 10,000 years ago).
• Lower sea levels during Pleistocene connected Asia and North America (Bering Strait land bridge).
• Migrants were likely big game hunters (e.g., mammoths, mastodons).

Clovis First Theory

• James Ridgely Whiteman's discovery in New Mexico led to the Clovis First theory.
• Clovis culture dated to roughly 12,000 years ago, characterized by unique spearheads.
• Debate exists about pre-Clovis populations (e.g., Monteverde site in South America).
• Clovis people had significant impact and spread widely.

Diversity and Cultural Evolution

• Native American cultures were diverse.
• Cultures evolved in response to different environments.
• Pre-contact societies were more different than alike.

Focus on Culture Groups

• Eastern Woodlands culture groups.
• Southwestern farmers and raiders.
• Mesoamerican civilizations (focus on Aztecs).

The Concept of "Indian"

• Term "Indian" was a European construct by Columbus.
• Oversimplifies diverse Native American cultures.
• Encouraged to use "Native Americans" instead.

Eastern Woodlands Culture Groups

• Engaged in hunting and gathering and horticulture.
• Seasonally nomadic based on resource availability.
• Territorial disputes due to resource control.

Social and Political Organization

• Kinship was the key social bond.
• Organized into clans, tribes, and sometimes nations (e.g., Iroquois nation).
• Confederations formed for political/military purposes (e.g., Shawnee confederation).

Religious Beliefs

• Animistic worldview: spiritual significance in natural objects (e.g., mountains, rivers).
• Balance with the spiritual world was crucial.

Economic Practices

• Subsistence economy: produced enough to survive, not surplus.
• Localized trade occurred, wampum used as a form of currency.

Key Groups in Eastern Woodlands

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

Conclusion

• Next lecture will cover southwestern cultures and Mesoamerican civilizations (focus on Aztecs).