The Earliest Americans Chapter 3 What happened before

The Earliest Americans Chapter 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 u First people in America here some 12, 000 to 25, 000 years ago u Different theories u !! a es M k c la B r s a e n n i D k c ra t o

How’d they get here? The first wheel?

Beringia land bridge

u archaeologist: scientist who study ancient cultures by examining artifacts (remains) left behind u midden: ancient garbage dump useful for studying ancient cultures What do you think life will be like in 1000 years?

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. u Artifacts include people-used items such as – pottery, tools, bone, jewelry, & paintings u Petroglyphs: pictures or symbols conveying an idea u 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…. u Fossils: traces or remains of living things – animals, birds, & people u Most common fossils: teeth, bones, or shells u Carbon dating: isotope carbon 14 – analyzed to obtain age estimates on organic matter

Oklahoma reptile. .

Paleo Indians (really old) u 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 u Speculation on human involvement u

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

Jake Bluff Site Domebo Kill Site Cooperton Woolly Mammoth Packard Camp Site

Remember these are BIG DUDES!!!! 14 -16 feet tall at the shoulders

The people ….

Folsom People Sites: Cooper Bonebed & the Waugh site as evidenced by various spear points and a painted bison skull u Dalton people: lived some 9, 000 -10, 000 years ago u Skilled in clothing, containers, tools, & covers for shelters u

Clovis People Named after the New Mexico site of first artifacts u Known for their spears (spear point usually 34 inches long) u Important Clovis site near Stecker in Caddo County u First hunted mammoths & then switched to bison u

Archaic Culture Foragers Hunters and harvesters u Made flour & stored it in baskets u Pieces of bone & antler: became spear points, needles, awls, punches, and atlatl hooks u Ate a variety of wild animals u Knew how to start a fire with a wood drill u u What do these skills tell us about their lifestyle?

Woodland Culture u u u 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 u Grew corn, beans, squash, gourds, sunflowers, & tobacco u Hunted bison & deer u Also ate hickory nuts, walnuts, hackberry seed, wild cherries, plums, persimmons & others u

The Moundbuilders Built the Spiro Mounds American equivalent of King Tut’s Tomb. Grossly pillaged and looted. u Various historical backgrounds u Lived in small farming villages u Fine craftsmen: worked with stone, shell, & copper u

Spiro mounds artifacts

Cahokia

Cahokia

Cahokia today

Early Plains Indians Nomads u Hunted buffalo, deer, antelope, rabbit, or whatever available u Foraged for wild plant foods u Lived in grass houses covered with buffalo hide u May be ancestors of Wichitas u

Chapter 3: Early Cultures in Our Land Section 2: Historic Indian Cultures

Section 2: Historic Indian Cultures ESSENTIAL QUESTION: n What elements of culture were exhibited by the Indians during first contact with Europeans?

Section 2: Historic Indian Cultures 1. 2. First Encounters Indian Culture - The Family - Food - Plants

First Encounters u u 1540: Coronado’s expedition first recorded contact between Indians & the Spanish 1542: Spanish monks at Kaw 1601: Juan de Oñate – explored western Oklahoma Mid-1700 s: French hunters

Indian Culture u u u 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 Culture The Family u Marriages permitted between related tribes & could have more than one wife u Men: warriors & hunters u Women: kept the home & family

Indian Culture Food u Women: prepared the food u Meats: eaten raw, roasted, boiled, or dried u Wild animals were food source u Other foods were wild honey & other natural foods

Indian Culture Plants u Used many wildflowers & plants u About 170 used by Indians u Many used for medicine Much of their time spent in surviving Click here to return to Main Menu.