Natice American Societies - Essay Example

Sur Native American Societies In the 1300s, the of Cahokia, in today’s Illinois, hada population of 20,000 at its peak before its decline by foreign diseases and devastation. There had been pyramids, mounds, and several large ceremonial areas. Representatives from eleven tribes are working with archaeologist and anthropologists to assist the Art Institute of Chicago to develop an exhibition that looks at artistic and cultural themes of pre-Columbian civilization, the ancestors of most of today’s American Indians (Berg, 2011).

The Eastern Woodland Culture Indians lived in the eastern United States and Canada. The Adena and Hopewell were the earliest Eastern Woodlands inhabitants. They lived in the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys between 800 B.C. and 800 A.D. Their burial mounds were often decorated with sophisticated grave goods. They were hunters and gatherers who later even had a class system that included a chief, his children, the nobility and commoners. “The Eastern Woodlands’ original inhabitants were the first the European colonists met.

The settlers adopted many of the natives proven methods and paraphernalia” (Eastern Woodland Culture, 2011). The 7,000 year old Anasazi are the ancestors of today’s Pueblo Indians. By a.d.700,they were building villages on top of mesas or hollowed-out natural caves at the base of canyons that included multiple-room dwellings and complex apartment structures of stone or adobe masonary (Native American Culture, 2011). Student Surname 2 Works Cited Berg, Emmett. The lost city of Cahokia: Ancient tribes of the Mississippi brought to life. Web. 21 November 2011.

Eastern Woodland culture: Native Americans, Pre-contact. Web. 21 November 2011. Native American cultures: The Anasazi and Pueblo Indians. Web. 21 November 2011.