• The Great Plains Indians

• The Olmec

• The Pueblo Indians

Adrianna

• The Incas

• The Mississippi Indians

• The Inuits

Jaehyung

• The California Indians

• The Maya

• The Aztec

Jina

• The Iroquois

• The Southeast Indians

• The Northwest Indians

Culture: Iroquois clans are matrilineal and led by women. The Iroquois people held multiple festivals throughout the year, usually in connection with agricultural events. Onondaga, for example, celebrated among others: a Maple Festival, Planting Festival, Strawberry Festival, Green Corn Festival, and Harvest Festival.

Time of existence: 1450 and 1660

Agricultural method: Hill-planting method, (placing several kernels of corn in a hole)

Chief Technological Achievements: Inventing the game of Lacrosse, and steel traps for hunting.

Architecture and Housing: They build the longhouse as they're housing.

Traditions: Iroquois art are deer hide clothing, shoes, bags

(They were done in quillwork, and glass beading) ,two kinds of masks, (Husk face mask made of corn husks; symbolizing corn harvest, and the false face mask, carved from basswood; used in spiritual ceremonies)

• ~1200 to 1533 (AD)

Economics

• Agriculture

  • The Inca would get many of their needed resources from the nearby Amazon rainforest. They farmed in terraces, which were made by cutting narrow, level areas of land into the mountainsides they lived in.

• Chief Technological Achievements

  • The Inca were proficient in astronomy. Thus, they were able to create accurate calendars, and they even knew when the equinoxes, winter solstices, and summer solstices were going to take place.

• Architecture and Housing

  • The Inca were able to create huge, long, roads that stretched all over their empire (15,000 miles). They even built architecture with stone blocks that fit perfectly in place with each other. They did not even have to use cement mixture to hold the blocks together.

• Traditions

  • The Inca were polytheistic, meaning that they believed in multiple gods. The most honored was the god Inti, who was also known as the sun god. The Sapa Inca were so respected because they were believed to be descended from Inti.

• 800 to 1600 (AD)

Economics

• Agriculture

  • At first, the Mississippians hunted deer, elk, bison, fish, and other small animals. They also gathered berries, nuts, and fruit. Later, the Mississippians grew corn, beans, and squash. Corn became especially important for them, as it was a food source that they could easily rely on.

• Chief Technological Advancements

  • The Mississippians created a new type of hoe called the chart hoe. It was made of chart, which is a tough sedimentary rock. Thanks to the chart hoe, they were able to farm crops, especially corn, more easily.

• Architecture and Housing

  • The Mississippians would create mounds made of earth near their homes. The mounds would be used for religious ceremonies and for burials. Some mounds were even 100 feet tall!

• Traditions

  • The Mississippians deeply admired the sun and their ancestors. They also used a variety of materials, such as copper, shells, stones, and wood to make tobacco pipes, weapons to be used in rituals, and other things such as intricately designed headdresses.

• ~1000 to present day (AD)

Economics

• Agriculture

  • The Inuit generally could not farm because they lived in the arctic and subarctic. As a result, they heavily relied on hunting. They hunted caribou, moose, and whales. They also hunted seals, elk, ducks, and walruses. However, they also ate berries and other plants.

• Chief Technological Achievements

  • The Inuit, unlike most other native Americans, had to get almost all of their resources from hunting. They used whale and seal oil to warm up their homes. They even developed snowshoes and toboggans to move around in the snow.

• Architecture and Housing

  • Some of the Inuit would live in circular houses made of blocks of ice called igloos during the winter. Many lived in tents or in homes beneath the ground during the summer.

• Traditions

  • The Inuit had many traditional games that they would play. One such game was the Inuit vocal games, where two woman would try to make a wide range of sounds, high and low. Other games included high-kick and kneel-jump.

Culture

The Mayan built many of their temples and palaces shaped as stepped pyramid shapes. They also decorated the buildings with elaborate reliefs and inscriptions.

Date of Existence

2000 BC - 1697AD

Economics

Classical period Mayan people’s lifestyle was mainly agriculture. People lived in villages, relying heavily on a combination of mainly corn, beans, squash, and amaranth. Other plants that Mayan farmers domesticated or exploited included cacao, avocado, and breadcrumbs.

Chief Technological Achievements

Mayan used astrological cycles to aid in planting and harvesting and developed two calendars that are as precise as those we use today. The calendar round was based on two overlapping annual cycles: 260 sacred years and 365 secular years. In this system, every 52 years is counted as one cycle, that is a calendar round. After each cycle the calendar is reset like a clock.

Architecture and housing

Features of Maya architecture include multi level elevated platforms, massive step pyramids, corbelled roofing and monumental stairways. The Mayans built huge amounts of temples, palaces, roads, schools, and markets.

Traditions

The Mayans called their rituals costumbre. They use blood for rituals, blood was often part of these Mayan rituals, sometimes obtained by human blood spilling and by animal or human sacrifice.

Culture

Aztecs, who lived in Mexico long ago, were known for their detailed religious practices, including sacrifices, and they were very good at farming and building. They also placed a lot of importance on learning and fighting. 

Existence

1428-1521

Economics 

The Aztecs traded a lot, exchanging things like chocolate, gold, and clay pots with other places. They had big markets in their cities where people could buy and sell different items. This trading helped their economy grow. 

Chief technological achievement of aztec

The Aztecs major technological achievement was the creation of chinampas which allowed them to farm on water.

Architecture and housing

The Aztecs built temples, pyramids, and palaces in their capital, Tenochtitlan, and developed water systems like aqueducts. Common people lived in simple mid houses with straw roofs. Nobles usually lived in bigger stone houses with decorations. 

Traditions

The Aztecs had ceremonies and sacrifices for their gods, celebrated with festivals and saw war as sacred. They taught all children about their culture and important skills to keep their society strong. 

Culture

California Indians, from different tribes like the Chumash and Miwok, adapted to their environments by either fishing or hunting and were deeply connected to nature in their daily and spiritual lives. 

Approximate year

13000 years ago

Economics

California Indians traded items like shells and stones, and they hunted, fished, and gathered foods like nuts and plants to support their communities. 

Chief Technological Achievements

California Indians were experts at making baskets, using different weaving techniques to create strong and often waterproof items. These baskets were used for cooking, storing items

Architecture and housing

California Indians built their homes from what was around them like coastal tribes, inland tribes used bark, and desert tribes used brush.

Tradition

California Indians practiced traditions like weaving baskets, holding dance festivals, storytelling, and making art and pottery.