Dec 21, 2015
Culture AreasGeographic Area of “ethnic” groups with similar cultural traits.
http://www.nmia.com/~jaybird/AANewsletter/southwestmap.html
Names…
IndiansHoldover from the search by explorers for a route to the “Indies”.Some Native Americans dislike this name.
Amerind, Native American, or First Nation also used.
Names…
Names of tribes are necessarily what they called themselves. At the time of contact, some explorers used names that other groups called a specific group.Thus, Navajo prefer Dine and Yuman prefer Quechan.
EnvironmentBiome
A larger biological community of interacting plants and animals, as exemplified by tundra or coniferous forest.
HabitatAn area of land with physical characteristics such as minerals, soils, rainfall, and temperature that affect which plants and animals live there.
EcotoneA community of plants and animals found at the transition between biomes or other large biotic units; characterized by a mixture of species that may attract predators, including humans.
Tundra
Frozen tarn pond in alpine tundra near Dillon, Colorado
Images (c) by James L. Reveal, Norton-Brown Herbarium, University of Maryland
Coniferous forestEvergreens-pine, spruce, fir, and hemlock
Images (c) by James L. Reveal, Norton-Brown Herbarium, University of Maryland
Moist Temperate Forest
Mostly coastal and in low mountains (less than 9,000 ft)Abundant precipitation, rain and snow; 25-160 in (65-400 cm).Cool temperatures, rarely below 5° F or above 100° F; moister and cooler in the north.
http://www.life.umd.edu/emeritus/reveal/pbio/biome/lec35c.html
Temperate Deciduous ForestBeech - maple - yellow poplar, oak - hickory, mixed pine - hardwood.Cool /cold winters, warm summers.Moist winters, moist summers.
http://forestry.about.com/library/tree/bl_na_biomes_eastdec.htm Photos Courtesy of Steve Nix, About Forestry
ChaparralArid, very little rain in summer.
Chaparral fire near Ensenada, Baja California
Images (c) by James L. Reveal, Norton-Brown Herbarium, University of Maryland
Cold Desert/Hot Desert Biome
Cold Desert-cold in winter, arid.
Cold desert of the Great Basin near Lunar Crater, Nevada
Images (c) by James L. Reveal, Norton-Brown Herbarium, University of Maryland
Temperate Grassland Plains, Prairies
Mid-grass prairie near Manhattan, Kansas
Images (c) by James L. Reveal, Norton-Brown Herbarium, University of Maryland
Native American Impact on the Environment
Environment of the past dynamic.InterglacialsHypsithermal
Prehistoric people did impact the environment.
Clearing forests, diverting water.
Culture Histories
Use of archaeological methods to construct cultural types based on culture area and artifacts.Temporal Types
Artifacts with temporal signatures
Components
ComponentAn archaeological unit that includes a culturally homogeneous stratigraphic or spatial unit within a site and is thought to represent a single occupation of the site.
Phases
PhaseAn archaeological unit consisting of several components at a number of sites defined by similar artifacts and other characteristics and found in a unique geographical area and time period; phases are thought to loosely represent cultures
Horizons
Horizonan archaeological unit that links phases based on traits of material culture that appear to have spread widely during a relatively short period of time.
Tradition
Temporal continuity in material culture the archaeological unit that links phases and sites based on general attributes of material culture that persist over a long period.
Culture History
PaleoIndian (Pleistocene)Archaic (Beginning with Holocene, continuing through contact with some groups)Woodland (ca 3000)Mississippians, Iroquoians, Plains Village (ca 1000)Historic Period (after contact)
Culture Concepts
TribeLarger groups, sometimes villagesKinship groups-clans“Big men” in some groups (NW Coast)
Culture Concepts
EgalitarianStatus based on age, individual, gender
RankedSocial position inherited, nearness to chief (or chiefs lineage)=higher status
StratifiedSharp class distinctions