Life in North America

In AD 1500 2,000,000 people lived in Mesoamerica.  The Mesoamericans had 300 languages.  They inherited the land from their ancestors who eventually spread their civilization to North America.

The People of the Far North

Scientists believe that the people who settled in present day Canada and Alaska arrived by boat in around 3000 BC. These people called themselves the Inuit which meant " The People," The Inuit lived in a place with a very cold climate. Their form of shelter was called igloos. Igloos are domed shaped shelters made from snow and ice. They Inuit used dogsleds to travel around on land a seal skin kayaks for traveling by water. The Inuit were hunters. They hunted seals, walruses,caribou and polar bears. They most valuable part of the animal to the Inuit was the blubber which is fat. Blubber provided oil for lambs and calories for humans.
 
Life on the West Coast

Civilizations on the Pacific coast had a mild climate. These groups included people like the Tlingit, Haida and Chinook. These people lived in the Pacific Northwest by present day Oregon and Washington. They built wooden houses and canoes used for sailing on the ocean. They fished in the ocean for seals, otters and whales. Since the Pacific Northwest had such a good food resource, it was one of the highest populated American areas. Only California today supported more people. People in the north they preferred fishing but in the south they planted palm trees and harvested crops.

Life in the Southwest

For such a dry climate people like the Hopi, Acoma and pueblo couldn't farm well, but then they learned about irrigation.  This allowed them to farm in the desert.  Their homes made from adobe in an apartment-like atmosphere. 2 groups of people called the Navajo and the Apache moved into a desert like area.  They were both hunters but overtime they learned hoe to farm. 

Life On the Great Plains

On the Great Plains they could farm but it was difficult.  Grass covered the whole area and the roots got in the way.  While women planted gardens, men hunted on foot because they didn't have horses.  Buffalo was a main hunting product.  They used the meat for food, bones for tools and skin for clothes and shelter. 

Life in the Eastern Woodlands

In the Eastern Woodlands farming was much easier. This helped the people there start a government. They had a law system and everything. Some groups set of social classes and some made confederations or a government that work together with another. The most famous confederation was the Iroquois. The groups involved were the Onodaga, Seneca, Mohawk, Oneida and Cayuga. They created the group to end fighting with each other. Their code of law was called the Great Peace and it led the government. They had a council which they elected a males to discuss and fix problems. When they worked together they were unstoppable.