Who discovered America?First Americans / Native Americans

/ Amerindians

Who discovered America (for whom)?

Nomenclature…

• Amerindians

• Native Americans

• First Nations

Sources of knowledge on pre-Columbian America

• pre-history – no written records

• archeology– anthropology– ethnography

• linguistics

• oral tradition

Archelology and its problems

Linguistics as archeology's auxiliary science

• nearly 30 language families

• plus nearly 30 isolates

• in total – nearly 300 languages spoken north of Mexico

• Europe – 2 families and 1 isolate

• Total of all Indian languages – approx. 2000

Major linguistic families• Algic

– Algonquian – Wiyot– Yurok

• Na-Dene – Eyak-Athabaskan

• Eyak • Athabaskan

– Tlingit • Caddoan• Chimakuan • Chinookan• Chumashan [chúmash] • Comecrudan • Coosan [kus] • Eskimo-Aleut

– Eskimoan – Aleut = Unangan

NumicTübatulabalTakicTepimanTaracahitic Tubar Corachol Aztecan

Wakashan Kwakiutlan Nootkan

WintuanYokutsan Yuman-Cochimi

Yuman Cochimi

Iroquoian Kalapuyan [kalapúyan] Kiowa-Tanoan Maiduan Muskogean [m^sk^djían] Palaihnihan (Achumawi-Atsugewi) Pomoan [pómo, pomóan] Sahaptian Salishan [sélish] ShastanSiouan-Catawban

Siouan Catawban

Tsimshianic Utian

Miwok Costanoan

Utaztecan

Names of American States of Native American origin

• Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, North & South Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Navajo Codetalkers

Problems with studying pre-Columbian America

• cultural / race bias

• noble savage bias

• 'white-washing' of Indian history and revisionist histories of Amerindians

First wave of migration: Paleo-Indians

• Beringia / Bering Land Bridge

• Wisconsin Ice Age (Glaciation)

Second and third wave of migration: Inuits, Yupik, Aleuts

• anorak

• goggles

• igloo

• kayak

• umiak

South America / Latin America

• Mayas

• Teotihuacan

• Incas

• Olmecs

• Aztecs

Significant archeological sites – North America

A mosaic of cultures / varied ratio of development

• big game hunting– mastodons– mammoths

• hunters – gatherers• nomads• nearly no farming

– why?– no traction animal

• various cultural forms throughout pre-historic period

• various forms of social and political organization– North American Indian civilizations

North American Indian civilizations

• Archaic Tradition

• Woodland Tradition

• Mississippi Tradition

• Basketweavers

• Burial Mounds Tradition

• Temple Mounds Tradition

Pueblo

Eurpoean motives for colonization

• Age of geographical explorations

• New ways of life

• Conversion of natives to Christianity

• Hope of wealth

Columbian Exchange

• the totals of the mutual influences on the natural environment and human habitat brought about by the Columbus expedition

• great number of animals, plants, diseases moved from one continent to the other, nearly every society on Earth affected by the Columbian exchange.

• diseases brought from Europe caused major depopulation of America

• Syphilis, in turn, proved more deadly in Europe than in America