Answer to Question #85529 in Human geography for Lewis Martin

Question

What complex human societies and cultures existed in this region prior to European colonization? Name the big three that are described in your text and describe one way each society/culture made changes to the environment to suit their needs.

Answer 1

The Artic Culture Area was home to the Inuit and Aleut. The landscape was inhospitable. Furthermore, the region was cold. A majority of the inhabitants lived in dome-shape houses. The houses were of either sod or timber. The communities made unique weatherproof clothing from the skins of seal and otter.

The Southwest Culture Area was generally a desert region and groups here survived by either farming or nomadism. The Hopi, the Yaqui, and the Yuma were farmers. Other groups such as the Navajo and Apache were nomads. The two groups also stole crops from neighboring communities to supplement their diet.

The Subarctic Culture Area was mainly swampy and remained waterlogged most of the time. The region consisted of two major groups: the Athabaskan speakers and the Algonquian speakers. Due to the condition, the inhabitants did not live in permanent settlement. Instead, they settled in small groups (the size of a family). This facilitated easy migration.