Term | Definition |
Archaeology | the scientific study of past cultures and the way people lived that is based on material evidence or things they left behind |
Artifacts | objects that have been made, used, or changed by humans |
Archaeologist | studies human behavior by taking clues left behind by the people of the past |
Cactus Hill | humans may have lived in this location in southeastern Virginia along the Nottoway River as early as 18,000 years ago; one of the oldest archaeological sites in North America |
Natural Resources | come directly from nature; examples include rivers and animals |
Human Resources | people working to produce goods and services; examples include people fishing, hunting animals, and making clothes from materials found in their environment |
Capital Resources | goods produced and used to make other goods and services; examples include canoes, bows, and spears |
Inuit | inhabited present day Alaska and northern Canada; lived in the Arctic where the temperature is freezing much of the year |
Kwakiutl | inhabited the Pacific Northwest coast where the climate is rainy and mild; clothing made from the bark of cedar trees; lived in plank houses made from cedar trees |
Lakota | inhabited the interior of the United States in an area called the Great Plains; their environment consisted of dry grasslands where they hunted the buffalo (bison) for survival; dwellings made from the hides of the buffalo |
Pueblo | inhabited the the Southwest in present-day New Mexico and Arizona; their environment was desert areas and areas bordering cliffs and mountains; dwellings were made from dirt and clay found in their environment |
Iroquois | inhabited northeast North America in the Eastern Woodlands which was heavily forested; dwellings known as longhouses were made from material found in their environment |
Bering Strait | It is believed that the humans entered North America from Asia by crossing this narrow body of water when ice covered its surface about 12,000 years ago |
Stationary | to stay in one place; examples include the Kwakiutl, Pueblo, and sometimes the Iroquois--they usually built their homes and stayed put |
Nomadic | groups of people tending to travel and change settlements frequently; examples include the Inuit, Lakota and sometimes the Iroquois |