The Land Bridge

The Big Question…

• Who were the first people to live in North America?

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• Where did the “Native Americans” come from?

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The First People in America

• Scientists do not know for sure how the first people came to North America
• One idea is that Asia and North America were once connected.
• Scientists formed the land bridge theory to explain how early native peoples arrived in North America.

Theory – Land Bridge

• Scientists believe that large sheets of ice covered much of the Earth.
• Water levels in the oceans would have dropped as ice formed.
• This could have caused a large strip of land, or a land bridge, to appear.

Migration - movement of people�

• Many scientists believe that nomads crossed the land bridge searching for food.
• Nomads followed the mammoth - a giant hairy elephant.
• They ate the meat and used the fur, skins, and bones, to make clothing, shelters, and tools.

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Land Bridge Disagreements

• Not all scientists agree with the land bridge theory.
• Some think that native people may have traveled by boat along the coast of Asia and North America.
• Most scientists do not believe the boat theory is possible.

Migration

• 30,000 years ago – people began to travel back and forth between Asia and America
• probably following animal herds for food
• large numbers of people moving to new places is called migration
• people who move from place to place are called nomads

Migration, con’t

• 15,000 years ago – people began shifting further to the south and east
• moved into what is the present-day USA
• moved through present-day Mexico
• settled as far south as present-day Chile

What Happened to the Land Bridge?

• As the climate became warmer, the ice began to melt.
• When the ice melted, ocean levels began to rise causing water to cover the land bridge.
• This stopped the migration of people from Asia to North America.

The First Americans

First Americans lived in many places in the United States. These places are called “regions”.

To meet their basic life needs, First Americans were very wise. They used the natural resources of their region.

These are examples of natural resources:

Trees and plants

Animals

Land and water

Hunters and Gatherers

• The early paleo-Americans were hunter-gathers who were mostly nomadic (moving place to place) living on a diet of meat and berries
• The paleo-Americans used spears to hunt for food
• Most weapons used flint rock fitted onto a base

Tribal Groups

• As different tribal family groups separated and moved into different areas, they developed their own languages.
• During this time five major language groups developed: Algonquian (Canada and New England), Iroquoian (Great Lakes region), Muskogean (Southeast), Siouan (Great Plains), and Uto-Aztecan (North & South West).

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Life of the Early Man

• People hunted game in all seasons of the year for food
• They also began to farm plants
• They travelled in one person kayaks
• Wore clothing made from the pelts (fur)
• The Natives also domesticated the dog and the turkey for a ready food source.

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