Quarter 1- In Class Essay (1491 & Lecture Notes)
Thesis: Charles Mann attempts to refute the argument that “native Americans came across the Bering Strait 20,000 to 25,000 years ago and had so little impact on their environment that even after millennia of habitation the continents remain mostly wilderness.
Introduction: Holmberg’s Mistake: After being with the Indians known as the “Siriono,” he described them as non-changing/advancing people - “culturally-backward.”
Part 1: Numbers from Nowhere
- Humans arrived in the Americas earlier than thought, and population levels in the Native Americans were probably higher than traditionally believed among scientists.
Mann disagrees with the idea that European technologies were superior to those of Indians. (17th Century)
Europeans actually preferred bows and arrows as they were easier to aim and to prepare, than the guns they had.
The canoes of the Indians is another example, as they moved faster and were more maneuverable than European boats.
Although, with the European arrival in Lime, Peru in the 1960s, they brought with them disease and this heavily affected the “virgin soil” of the Native Americans. This happened in many places of the Americas (New England, etc.)
There immune systems could not handle the intensity of the disease. This hurt the society as a whole.
This affected the Indians badly as many people became sick and died, leading to starvation as one could not tend to the environment, stopping their ability to feed people.
This weakened tribes (ex. Wampanoag) which led to alliances with the Europeans to receive protection from them.
However before the European arrival, Indian tribes and nomadic peoples were thriving.
New England (Nomadic People): Rise of agriculture and communities.
Along the coasts, rivers, lakes, rivers: Small, mobile group of hunters and gatherers thrived.
New England Major River valleys: Held large, permanent village. Fields of maize, beans, and squash surrounded every home.
PATUXET: tucked into Cape Cod Bay;
Introduction: Holmberg’s Mistake: After being with the Indians known as the “Siriono,” he described them as non-changing/advancing people - “culturally-backward.”
Part 1: Numbers from Nowhere
- Humans arrived in the Americas earlier than thought, and population levels in the Native Americans were probably higher than traditionally believed among scientists.
Mann disagrees with the idea that European technologies were superior to those of Indians. (17th Century)
Europeans actually preferred bows and arrows as they were easier to aim and to prepare, than the guns they had.
The canoes of the Indians is another example, as they moved faster and were more maneuverable than European boats.
Although, with the European arrival in Lime, Peru in the 1960s, they brought with them disease and this heavily affected the “virgin soil” of the Native Americans. This happened in many places of the Americas (New England, etc.)
There immune systems could not handle the intensity of the disease. This hurt the society as a whole.
This affected the Indians badly as many people became sick and died, leading to starvation as one could not tend to the environment, stopping their ability to feed people.
This weakened tribes (ex. Wampanoag) which led to alliances with the Europeans to receive protection from them.
However before the European arrival, Indian tribes and nomadic peoples were thriving.
New England (Nomadic People): Rise of agriculture and communities.
Along the coasts, rivers, lakes, rivers: Small, mobile group of hunters and gatherers thrived.
New England Major River valleys: Held large, permanent village. Fields of maize, beans, and squash surrounded every home.
PATUXET: tucked into Cape Cod Bay;