Geography and Migration
What name is given to the land and water route that scientists believe people first used to move from Asia into North America during the Ice Age?
Beringia / Bering Strait
Which shelter pictured was used by people living in very cold Arctic regions who hunted whales and used kayaks?
Igloo
What is the definition of culture?
"The way of life shared by a group."
What is the definition of an economy?
"A system for making and exchanging goods."
How did women have political power in some American Indian governments if they were not typically leaders?
"Women could choose or remove the men who served on councils."
Which directions did many early people move after entering North America to find food, according to the worksheet?
They moved south and east to find food.
What type of shelter would Plains peoples often use that allowed them to move with the buffalo herds?
Teepee
Why might a hunter pray for permission before hunting an animal?
Because animals have spirits of their own (asking permission shows respect).
If a Woodland group has extra beaver furs, what action would most directly help its economy?
Trade the extra furs for needed resources.
How might council leaders be chosen or removed?
Leaders might be chosen or removed by council selection or community vote/consensus (example: women of the clan had voice in choosing male council members).
Name two environmental factors that caused different American Indian groups to develop different cultures.
Geography (climate & features) and resources of a region
Who lived in the cliff homes in the Southwest region?
How was a decorated drum most likely used in religious ceremonies?
It is used for music rituals.
Name two resources a group in the Desert Southwest might trade for items they lack
corn, pottery, or woven goods traded for shells, fish, or furs
Explain briefly one way that family roles (age or gender) influenced who did certain jobs in a community.
Older family members or parents teach skills to children; girls often learned tasks from women and boys from men.
On the migration map, what ocean lies to the west of North America that some coastal migration routes follow?
Pacific Ocean.
Give an example of how Native Americans may make changes to their environment in order to help their crops grow.
Digging canals to carry water to crops (irrigation)
Give one example of how traditions or roles were passed through generations
Gender determined roles passed through generations (e.g., skills and tasks taught by parents to children of same gender).
Give an example of how communities might make group decisions about resource use
Fishing groups used rich water resources and developed fishing tools while farming groups developed irrigation and planting methods; each economy used local resources. etc.
Give an example of how communities might make group decisions about migration or resource use.
A community might hold a council meeting where leaders and families discuss resources and decide together to move or change planting plans.
Explain why climate and available resources affected where groups settled and the food they used
Climate affected which plants could grow and which animals lived there, so groups settled where they could find food and water.
Describe two daily tasks commonly done by men and two commonly done by women in many early American Indian societies
Men — hunting, keeping camp safe, clearing land. Women — planting/processing crops, making pottery, preparing and storing food.
Explain how art, stories, or ceremonies helped people in a group keep their culture across generations.
Ceremonies and stories teach beliefs and history so children learn values and skills; art records important events and honors ancestors.
A coastal group needs pottery and has fish to trade. Which inland group resource might they trade with, and why would that help both groups?
They would trade with tribes from the Southwest for pottery. Then the Southwest tribes would be able to coastal resources like fish and sea shells.
Describe one reason why different groups would develop different political or leadership systems.
Different geography and resources require different rules — e.g., nomadic groups need flexible leadership for moving, while farming groups need organized plans for irrigation and land use.