Lesson 5: North American Cultures (The Early Americas)

🏜️ The Earliest North American Cultures

Long ago, before the Aztecs and the Incas, many cultures lived in North America. They lived in different environments and built unique homes and ways of life.

🌵 Southwestern Cultures

In the dry Southwest, people like the Ancestral Puebloans (also called Anasazi) lived in desert lands. They built homes inside cliffs to stay cool and safe. These homes had many rooms, like small apartment buildings! One famous place is Mesa Verde.

They also built kivas, round rooms underground used for religious meetings. They farmed corn, beans, and squash, using irrigation to bring water to the dry land.

⛰️ The Mound Builders

Far to the east, people called Mound Builders made huge earthen mounds. Some were for burials. Others were shaped like animals, such as the Serpent Mound in Ohio—a long, snake-shaped hill.

One big city was Cahokia, near the Mississippi River. Around 20,000 people lived there! It had a giant mound taller than a 10-story building. People held ceremonies on top. It was a center of trade, art, and religion.

🪵 Later Cultures of North America

As time passed, many new cultures grew across North America, each using the land in smart ways.

🌲 Northwestern Cultures

Near the coast in what is now Canada and the Pacific Northwest, tribes like the Tlingit and Haida used the ocean and forests. They caught salmon from rivers and made large wooden houses from cedar trees.

They carved totem poles—tall wooden poles with faces of animals and people. These told stories about families and history. One story tells of Raven, a clever bird who stole the sun and gave light to the world!

🐎 Plains Cultures

In the Great Plains, many tribes lived on wide grasslands. Tribes like the Sioux and Cheyenne followed buffalo herds. Buffalo gave them food, clothes, tools, and homes.

After horses came from Europe, life changed. Native people learned to ride and hunt better. They lived in teepees, which they could pack up quickly and move to follow the buffalo.

Young people heard stories around campfires. One story tells of a boy raised by wolves, who became a great hunter and saved his people from hunger.

🍂 Eastern Cultures

In the Eastern Woodlands, tribes like the Iroquois and Algonquin lived in forests with many rivers and animals. They farmed, hunted deer, and lived in longhouses made of bark.

The Iroquois had a special government called the Iroquois League. It was one of the first examples of democracy in North America. Different nations made peace and worked together. Leaders met in councils to make decisions.

One legend tells of The Peacemaker, who crossed a lake in a stone canoe to bring peace to the five nations. His message helped unite the Iroquois.