Archaeology & Evidence
What prehistoric site in Harper County, OK shows evidence of organized hunting?
Cooper Bison Kill Site
What group built the Spiro Mounds?
Spiro Mound Builders.
What deadly diseases spread to Native Americans after European contact?
Smallpox, measles, influenza.
Name one item that Native Americans traded before European contact
Pottery, salt, hides, crops (corn, beans, squash).
What was found at the Cooper Bison Kill Site?
Bison bones, spear points, tools, signs of group hunting.
What crops are called the “Three Sisters”?
Corn, beans, squash.
What animal most transformed Native hunting and travel?
Horse.
What kinds of goods did Native Americans often trade with Europeans?
Hides, furs, salt, pottery, crops like corn and beans.
Why does the Cooper Bison Kill Site matter to historians?
Shows prehistoric Natives hunted in organized groups and lived in Oklahoma thousands of years ago.
Which culture was known as the “Tattooed People”?
Wichita.
Name two new technologies introduced by Europeans.
Metal tools, guns, cooking pots, cloth.
What goods did Europeans trade to Native Americans?
Horses, guns, metal tools, cloth, cooking pots.
How does archaeology help us learn about cultures without written records?
Provides evidence of culture, diet, tools, religion when no written records exist.
How did the Spiro Mound Builders show their society was complex?
Large ceremonial centers, social classes, long-distance trade, advanced farming
What were the goals of Europeans when they came to Oklahoma?
Wealth, trade, spread religion (Christianity), new land.
Why were transcontinental trade routes important for Caddo and Wichita cultures?
They connected tribes across North America, spreading goods, ideas, and culture long before Europeans arrived.
If archaeologists found metal tools at a Native site, what would that suggest about European contact?
Evidence of European contact and trade
Compare the Caddo and Wichita in terms of farming, housing, and trade.
Both farmed, traded, and used matrilineal systems; Caddo lived in grass houses, Wichita also hunted bison and were heavily tattooed.
How did European and Native views of land ownership differ?
Natives saw land as communal and spiritual; Europeans saw land as private property to be bought and sold.
How did trade change Native life before and after European contact?
Before Europeans: trade focused on goods like crops, pottery, salt, and hides. After Europeans: trade included new technologies (guns, metal tools, cloth), which transformed Native lifestyles and economies.