Assignment 1

Assignment#1
This course is titled Sociology 321 Native Americans of the Great Plains. The first Native Americans were thought to have come to the Americas by crossing what is now known as the Bering Strait. There are several theories which historians have put forth in order to explain the appearance of these particular people. The first theory is that the first Native Americans were migrants who went the coastal route by crossing ice sheets formed in between Siberia and Alaska about 13,000 and 14,000 years ago. This would have taken place during the late stages of the ice age and would have enabled the people to walk across ice that is no longer there. Historians debate a second theory that has the Native Americans migrating before the ice age approximately 22,000 to 30,000 years ago. Both theories could have some truth to them, however, the majority or historians agree that the first Native Americans were migrants from parts of Asia and crossed at some point through Siberia to Alaska before 10,000 years ago.
These first people of the Americas were known as Paleo-Inidians. They were nomadic and followed the megafauna in order to make a way of life. Megafauna were a group of large animals that became extinct about 10,000 years ago. There are also many theories that contemplate why these large animals became extinct such as overhunting or climate change. Whichever the case, the paleo-indians were dependent on hunting these animals along with gathering from local plant sources. It was around the time of the paleo-indians that more sophisticated arts were being taken up such as making grinding stones and bowls, simple pottery, stone and wood pipes, and fishing hooks. Their way of life was evolving and would soon transition.
As new developments took place their way of life was changing. They began to cultivate food and plants by using simple tools and were more or less semi-nomadic and didn’t pick up and move as much. These evolving Native Americans were known as Archaic Indians “the three sisters.” With the simple tools they developed they were able to create a sense of horticulture. This new identity by cultivation of the land was spreading across the Americas from around 4,000 BC to AD1. Communities were taking shape around rivers and bodies of water. Hunting and gathering was still very important, however, the communities were not constantly following the animals in search of food. One of the most important advances these early Native Americans made was in producing corn “maize.” Corn was originally a wild grass that was cross-pollinated with other grasses /grains and evolved into what it is today. The Archaic Indians used maize as their main food source along with hunting buffalo and other game and still gathering local plant life.
The evolution of this new horticultural society had its pros and cons. Their hunter/gatherer societies were egalitarian and each man was equal and each woman was equal, however, with this individual freedom came consequences. Each man or woman could act according to his/her own will, but many times this would bring crisis because of no true hierarchy. There was a chief of the communities in most cases, but each person had their own sense of freedom and rights and did not have to follow along with the majority or leader. This lack of hierarchy is said to be one of the leading causes of the Native Americans demise. A few of the exceptions to this thought are the Mayans, Aztecs, and Cahokia Indians because there was a high sense of hierarchy in these societies and they could stand stronger against opposition.
This brief introduction to the early Native Americans sets a screen for a prosperous society with many trials to come. There were two points that especially caught my attention. The first was the human development of maize/corn. Somehow, it had never occurred to me that it could have been cross-pollinated and made into such a sustainable food source by such early people. The second point was about the lack of hierarchy in the Native American societies. It was always my understanding that everyone in a tribal society had to follow the leader/chief, but now the history is making a bit more sense because of each person’s individual freedom.