Indians in America
eingegangen am: Dienstag, 29. Juni 2004
von: Carina
1. Different theories about the Indians origin
2. The Ancient Indians
2.1. Bering
2.2. Lithic-Indian
2.3. Archaic-Indians
3. Ancient civilizations
3.1. Southwest
3.2. The Mound Builders
3.3. The Temple Mound Builders
4. Indian Lifeways
4.1. Woodwork
4.2. Stonework
4.3. Skinwork
4.4. Textiles
4.5. Basketry
4.6. Pottery
4.7. Metalwork
4.8. Shelter
4.9. Clothing
4.10. Religion
5. Indians and explorers
6. Indian wars
7. Population
1. Different theories about the Indians origin
- The Bibletheorie: people thought the Indians are descendants (=Nachkommen) of the 10 tribes who have been chased away from
Israel.
- theory of Charles Darwin: apes who developed into humans
- descendats of surviving citisms of Atlantis or other missing continents.
2. The Ancient Indians
- Bering: The first Americans, called Paleo-Indians, have probably arrived on the American continent during the last Ice Age, coming from Asia across the Bering Strait while following animal
herds.
- Lithic-Indian: Hunters probably used fire to harden the tips of their spears, but there did not remain (=übrig bleiben) any spears. Also workable stone was used to make cutting tools and the spear points, which were very important for hunting.
- Archaic-Indians: Characterized by Indians hunting and trapping, fishing and gathering of edible plants. More materials were used during this time and food was stored in baskets and skin containers. Archaic Indians were the first North Americans to craft wooden boats and domesticate the dog.
3. Ancient civilizations
- Southwest: The cultures which lived here especially developed village life, tools, arts and pottery. The three most important cultures were: Mogollon, Hohokam and Anasazi.
- The Mound (=Erdhügel) Builders: Advanced cultures with bigger populations could arise without much agriculture.
- The Temple Mound Builders: Farmers who lived near rivers and grew corn, squash (=Kürbis), pumpkins and tobacco. Because they were obsessed with death they built mounds and also temple mounds.
Because of the migration of the ancient indians there can hardly geographical groups be divided. A method of distinction is the language.In Northamerica are nearly 200 different languages, in former times there have been nearly 2,200!
4. Indian lifeways
- Woodwork: variety of tools to shape the wood
- Stonework: Stone was the primary material used to form tools for cutting, piercing, scraping and hammering.
- Skinwork: The Indians used the skin of animals for shields, boxes, drums and rattles.
- Textiles: Indians not only used skin for clothing, also plant fibres (=Faser) and wool from buffalo, too.
- Basketry: Indians made various forms of baskets for various purposes.
- Pottery: mainly used by local tribes in North America
- Metalwork: metals were used all over the continent
- Shelter: They were all specialized for the lifestyle of a specific tribe.
- Clothing: The style of clothin depended on the climate the Indians had to face and on which materials were available for them.
- Religion: This part of Indian life was very important and had influence on their whole lifestyle.
5. Indians and explorers
There are different speculations if there came other people to America before Columbus. The white exploration of North America lasted for four centuries, from the end of the 15th into the 20th century. Five European nations sent out expeditions: Spain, France, England, the Netherlands and Russia. Even Sweden held a territory in the Delaware Bay.
6. Indian wars
The Whites did not accept traditions and habits of the Indians, so they started wars. These wars should last for four hundred years and in the end the Indians lost the Four-Hundred-Year-War.
7. Poulation
The number of indians in pre-kolumbian time was around 25 million, it decreased because of the fights and new illnesses rapidly, and has just now reached his old level (inkluding half-caste-indians).
