Student Resources

Learning Objectives

Chapter 1

At the completion of the chapter the student will be able to:

1. Recognize the three major landmasses of the western hemisphere: North America, Mesoamerica, and South America.
2. Recognize the concept of the culture area and how it applies to geographic region and general culture.
3. Argue that all inhabitants of the western hemisphere were Native Americans before the arrival of Christopher Columbus.
4. Attempt a definition of Native American today using criteria that are biological, administrative, and mystical.
5. Discuss various attempts at estimating Native American population before the arrival of Columbus.
6. Compare the Native American cultural perspectives to Western perspectives.
7. Describe the information about the research on Native North Americans.
8. Outline a general prehistory of North America.

Chapter 2

At the completion of the chapter the student will be able to:

1. Describe the Norse discovery of North America in approximately A.D. 995, and explain why the impact was so minimal.
2. Detail the “discovery” of North America by Christopher Columbus and describe the ensuing explorations.
3. Analyze the impact on North America because of its “discovery” by Christoper Columbus.
4. Review the colonization of North America by the Spanish, English, French, and Russians.
5. Assess the damage to Native American groups due to slavery practices of the colonists.
6. Describe governmental policies toward Native Americans by the governments of pre-revolutionary North America: the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
7. Analyze the impact of European disease on Native America.
8. Illustrate the Spanish Mission system as it was used in North America and a tool of colonization.
9. Review the impact of the Spanish Mission system on Native Americans.

Chapter 3

At the completion of the chapter the student will be able to:

1. Describe the harsh conditions that exist in the Arctic region of North America.
2. Review the prehistory of the North American Arctic with an emphasis on the Paleoindian Period, the Archaic, and the Contact Period.
3. Analyze the impact of European contact on the natives of the Arctic.
4. Discuss the history of ethnographic research in the Arctic.
5. Describe the various Arctic groups focusing on their political organization, social organization, economic systems, religions, and their material technology.
6. Compare the life ways of modern Arctic peoples with those of the past.

Chapter 4

At the completion of the chapter the student will be able to:

1. Describe the environmental conditions that exist in the subarctic region of North America.
2. Describe the geography of the subarctic region of North America.
3. Detail the prehistory of the North American subarctic with an emphasis on the Paleoindian Period, the Archaic, and the Contact Period.
4. Analyze the impact of European contact on the natives of the subarctic.
5. Discuss the history of ethnographic research in the subarctic.
6. Describe the various subarctic groups; focusing on their political organization, social organization, economic systems, religions, and their material technology.
7. Compare the life ways of modern subarctic peoples with those of the past.

Chapter 5

At the completion of the chapter the student will be able to:

1. Describe the environmental conditions that exist in the plateau region of North America.
2. Map the plateau region including modern political functional divisions.
3. Describe the geography of the plateau region of North America.
4. Detail the prehistory of the North American plateau with an emphasis on the Paleoindian Period, the Archaic, and the Contact Period.
5. Analyze the impact of European contact on the natives of the plateau.
6. Discuss the history of ethnographic research in the plateau.
7. Describe the various plateau groups; focusing on their political organization, social organization, economic systems, religions, and their material technology.
8. Compare the life ways of modern plateau peoples with those of the past.
9. Analyze both the causes and results of the Modoc War.

Chapter 6

At the completion of the chapter the student will be able to:

1. Describe the environmental conditions that exist in the Northwest Coast region of North America.
2. Map the Northwest Coast region including modern political functional divisions.
3. Describe the geography of the Northwest Coast region of North America.
4. Detail the prehistory of the North American Northwest Coast with an emphasis on the Paleoindian Period, the Early Holocene, the Middle Holocene, the Developed Northwest Coast Pattern, and the Contact Period.
5. Analyze the impact of European contact on the natives of the plateau.
6. Discuss the history of ethnographic research in the Northwest Coast region.
7. Describe the various Northwest Coast groups; focusing on their political organization, social organization, the Potlatch, economic systems, religion, and their material technology.
8. Compare the life ways of modern Northwest Coast peoples with those of the past.
9. Describe the art of the Northwest Coast peoples.

Chapter 7

At the completion of the chapter the student will be able to:

1. Describe the environmental conditions that exist in the Great Basin region of North America.
2. Map the Great Basin region including modern political functional divisions.
3. Describe the geography of the Great Basin region of North America.
4. Detail the prehistory of the North American Great Basin with an emphasis on the Paleoindian Period, the Archaic, the Late Farmers, and the Contact Period.
5. Analyze the impact of European contact on the natives of the Great Basin.
6. Discuss the history of ethnographic research in the Great Basin.
7. Describe the various Great Basin groups; focusing on their political organization, social organization, economic systems, religion, and their material technology.
8. Compare the life ways of modern Great Basin peoples with those of the past.
9. Analyze the purpose of the Ghost Dance.

Chapter 8

At the completion of the chapter the student will be able to:

1. Describe the environmental conditions that exist in California.
2. Identify California on a map of the United States.
3. Describe the geography of California, recognizing its many subregions.
4. Detail the prehistory of California with an emphasis on the Paleoindian Period, the Archaic, and the Contact Period.
5. Analyze the impact of European contact on the natives of California.
6. Discuss the history of ethnographic research in California.
7. Describe the various California groups; focusing on their political organization, social organization, economic systems, religion, and their material technology.
8. Compare the life ways of modern native California peoples with those of the past.
9. Appraise the knowledge made available to anthropologists by Ishi.

Chapter 9

At the completion of the chapter the student will be able to:

1. Describe the environmental conditions that exist in the Southwest region of North America.
2. Map the Southwest region including modern political functional divisions.
3. Describe the geography of the Southwest region of North America.
4. Detail the prehistory of the North American Southwest with an emphasis on the Paleoindian Period, the Archaic, Farmers and Pueblos, and the Contact Period.
5. Analyze the impact of European contact on the natives of the Southwest.
6. Discuss the history of ethnographic research in the Southwest.
7. Describe the various Great Basin groups; focusing on their political organization, social organization, economic systems, religion, and their material technology.
8. Compare the life ways of modern Southwest peoples with those of the past.
9. Review the myth of Don Juan.

Chapter 10

At the completion of the chapter the student will be able to:

1. Describe the environmental conditions that exist in the Plains region of North America.
2. Map the Plains region including modern political functional divisions.
3. Describe the geography of the Plains region of North America.
4. Detail the prehistory of the North American Plains with an emphasis on the Paleoindian Period, the Archaic, the Plains Woodland Period, The Plains Village Period, and the Contact Period.
5. Analyze the impact of European contact on the natives of the Plains.
6. Describe the impact of the diffusion of the horse on Plains cultures.
7. Discuss the history of ethnographic research in the Plains.
8. Describe the various Plains groups; focusing on their political organization, social organization, economic systems, religion, and their material technology.
9. Compare the life ways of modern Plains Indians with those of the past.
10. Describe the contribution of Sitting Bull to the modern political environment of the Plains peoples.

Chapter 11

At the completion of the chapter the student will be able to:

1. Describe the environmental conditions that exist in the Northeast region of North America.
2. Map the Northeast region including modern political functional divisions.
3. Describe the geography of the Northeast region of North America.
4. Detail the prehistory of the North American Northeast with an emphasis on the Paleoindian Period, the Archaic, the Woodland Period, and the Contact Period.
5. Analyze the impact of European contact on the natives of the Northeast.
6. Discuss the first English colony, Jamestown, and the marriage of Pocahontas to John Rolfe.
7. Discuss the history of ethnographic research in the Northeast.
8. Describe the various Northeastern groups; focusing on their political organization, warfare, social organization, economic systems, religion, and their material technology.
9. Compare the life ways of modern Northeast Indians with those of the past.
10. Describe the contributions of Hiawatha to the creation of the League of the Iroquois.

Chapter 12

At the completion of the chapter the student will be able to:

1. Describe the environmental conditions that exist in the Southeast region of North America.
2. Map the Southeast region including modern political functional divisions.
3. Describe the geography of the Southeast region of North America.
4. Detail the prehistory of the North American Southeast with an emphasis on the Paleoindian Period, the Archaic, the Woodland Period, the Mississippian Period, and the Contact Period.
5. Analyze the impact of European contact on the natives of the Southeast.
6. Explain the development of the Seminole culture in Florida.
7. Discuss the history of ethnographic research in the Southeast.
8. Describe the various Southeastern groups; focusing on their political organization, social organization, economic systems, religion, and their material technology.
9. Compare the life ways of modern Southeast Indians with those of the past.
10. Describe the contributions of Sequoyah, the great Cherokee leader.

Chapter 13

At the completion of the chapter the student will be able to:

1. Discuss the revival of native culture in North America.
2. Analyze the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM) and the consequences of its actions.
3. Identify the changes in United States law surrounding Native American sovereignty.
4. Detail land claims made by Native Americans and the outcomes of these claims.
5. Analyze the impact of the Native American Graves, Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) on American archaeology and Native Americans.
6. Analyze the question “who controls the past?”
7. Describe the impact of gaming on modern tribal groups.
8. Discuss modern tourism and its impact on modern tribal groups.
9. Examine the reasons for the creation of the Peyote religion.
10. Identify Internet resources for materials on Native Americans.

Interactive Quiz