Building Blocks for History Lab:
SS.5.A.2.2 Identify Native American tribes from different geographic regions of North America (cliff dwellers and Pueblo people of the desert Southwest, coastal tribes of the Pacific Northwest, nomadic nations of the Great Plains, woodland tribes east of the Mississippi River).
Essential Question: How did geography affect the development of The Great Plain Native American tribe?
Before introducing this history lab to students, they must be familiar with the general details surrounding the events leading up to European Exploration. In general students will need to understand what a Native American is and where they migrated from. See below for a partial list:
· Native Americans
· Migration to America
· Different Native American Tribes
Name ______Period _____ Date ______
SS.5.A.2.2 Identify Native American tribes from different geographic regions of North America (cliff dwellers and Pueblo people of the desert Southwest, coastal tribes of the Pacific Northwest, nomadic nations of the Great Plains, woodland tribes east of the Mississippi River).
Essential Question: How did geography affect the development of The Great Plain Native American tribe?
Source 1
Journal entry from Lewis & Clark exploration
Source 2
Environment Adaptations of the development of Great Plains Native Americans
Source 3
Map of the location of the Great Plains Native American Tribes
Source 4
Uses of the Buffalo
Summary Statement: ______
Source #1
Lewis & Clark Journal Entry
regarding the geography, land resources and food available in
The Great Plains
http://people.ucls.uchicago.edu/~snekros/2007-8%20webquests/Time%20and%20Culture%20A%2034/timeandculturea.html
Sgt. John Ordway - May 9, 1805 - "The game is getting so plenty and tame in this country that some of the party clubbed them out of their way." Pvt. Joseph Whitehouse, May 9, 1805 - "The men informed us that the buffalo were so numerous and tame at a small distance from us that some of them went up near enough to strike them with clubs, but were so poor as not to be fit for use." William Clark, May 3, 1805 - "Great numbers of buffalo, elk, deer, antelope, beaver, porcupines, & waterfowls seen today, such as geese, ducks of different kinds, & a few swans." Sgt. Patrick Gass, May 27, 1805 - "The views from the hills are interesting and grand. Wide extended plains with their hills and vales, stretching away in lessening wavy ridges, until by their distance they fade from the sight. Large rivers and streams in their rapid course, winding in various meanders. Groves of cottonwood and willow along the waters intersecting the landscapes in different directions, dividing them into various forms, at length appearing like dark clouds and sinking in the horizon. These enlivened with the buffalo, elk, deer, and other animals which in vast numbers feed upon the plains or pursue their prey, are the prominent objects which compose the extensive prospects presented to the view and strike the attention of the beholder. . . There are Indian paths along the Missouri and some in other parts of the country. Those along that river do not generally follow its windings but cut off points of land and pursue a direct course. There are also roads and paths made by the buffalo and other animals; some of the buffalo roads are at least ten feet wide."
https://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/geography-the-great-plains.htm
Summary: Lewis and Clark and their men wrote in their journals about the unbelievable numbers of animals they encountered, at one point saying that they had to club the animals out of their way to proceed onward.
The grasslands of North America developed incredible populations of a single animal, the bison, with smaller numbers of elk and deer. Bison at one time existed in numbers up to 40 million, while pronghorns probably numbered 15 million. This region was teeming with wildlife during the prehistoric and Indian periods, one of the most biologically rich in the world, comparable to the Serengeti in Africa.
Source #2
Environmental Adaptations that contributed to the development of
The Great Plains Native Americans
Their extended tenure in the Plains allowed Native peoples to experience significant alterations in the environment. Between 11,500 and 11,000, precipitation declined, the range of temperatures increased, and free-flowing streams began to turn into small lakes and marshes, eventually becoming part of the expanding grassland. Species adapted to the wetter world–such as mammoths, camels, and horses–died out, opening ecological niches in the Plains grassland. Most of these niches were filled by bison, which were becoming smaller and more mobile in order to be more effective in the drier climate.
Plains peoples adjusted to these changes as well. Around the time that the larger game disappeared, nomadic hunters shifted from Clovis-style spear points and arrowheads to the smaller Folsom points and heads, which were used until about 8000 b.c. Like more recent Native peoples, Folsom hunters and their successors depended heavily upon the bison and relied upon the more sophisticated social organization necessary for group hunting. Such organization allowed for the creation and use of "buffalo jumps," a large funnel of trees, rocks, poles, and people designed to channel stampeding bison over a cliff. Plains hunters used buffalo jumps like the Head-Smashed-In site in southwestern Alberta as early as 5,500 years ago. Along with the bison, Indian hunters' prey included deer, elk, and other smaller game.
Plains residents began experimenting with pottery and more sedentary villages at least as early as 2,000 years ago. Ancestors of the Mandans and Hidatsas eventually settled in fortified villages along the Missouri River, where they raised corn, beans, and squash. These villages generally ranged in size from ten to ninety lodges and were built from bracing poles and packed earthen cover. Between spring planting and fall harvest, the villagers probably left the river's bottomland to hunt bison.
Some of the crops these villagers grew became part of the extensive trade networks that linked the horticulturalists with Plains hunters and with peoples outside the Plains. The Caddo and Wichita trade networks included some of the Pueblos in present-day New Mexico, Cahokia (a city built by the Illinois people near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers), Hiwasee Island on the Tennessee River, Etowah near the Chattahoochee River, and the Platte River Pawnee communities. The Mandans, Hidatsas, and Arikaras traded with peoples from what is today the American Southwest and with more nomadic Plains hunters like the Crows, Assiniboines, Plains Crees, Cheyennes, Arapahos, Kiowas, and Comanches. Both material goods (agricultural products, dried meat, flint, and animal hides) and cultural products (songs and dances) traded hands.
http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.na.001
Source #3
Map showing the location of the Great Plain Native American Tribes
Great Plains - One of the largest areas and perhaps most famous group of American Indians, the Great Plains Indians were known for hunting bison. They were nomadic people who lived in teepees and they moved constantly following the bison herds. Tribes of the Great Plains include the Blackfoot, Arapahoe, Cheyenne, Comanche and Crow.
http://www.ducksters.com/history/native_american_tribes_regions.php
Source #4
Uses of the Buffalo
Due to the geographical area that the Native Americans of The Great Plains settled, they had access to buffalo. The buffalo proved to be a vital resource for these Native Americans. Food was just one of the many things they were able to get from the buffalo.
http://manithefriendlybuffalo.blogspot.com/2010/10/uses-of-buffalo.html