Native Americans or Amerindians

The inhabitants of the new continent were called, for many years, Indians. Only recently
these first Americans have been described as “native Americans” or Amerindians.

Origin

Scientists believe that the distant ancestors of Amerindians came from Asia during the
earth’s last ice age. At that time a bridge of ice joined Asia and America across what is now
the Bering Strait. Hunters from Siberia crossed this bridge into Alaska and from Alaska they
moved south and east across America. They followed herds of caribou and buffalo as the
animals went from one feeding place to the next. For many centuries they lived only as
wandering hunters and gatherers of food. Then a more settled way of life began.

Tribes

The Pueblo people, who lived in present day Arizona and New Mexico, were the best
organized of the Amerindian farming peoples. They lived in groups of villages or towns
which were built on the sides and tops of cliffs. They built terraced buildings made of adobe
(mud and straw) bricks. Some of these buildings contained as many as 800 rooms. Long
before Europeans the Pueblo were building networks of canals across the deserts to bring
water to their fields. For food they grew crops of maize and beans. They gathered cotton,
which grew wild, to make clothing and blankets.

The Apache never became settled farmers. They wandered the deserts and mountains
in small bands, hunting deer and wild plants. They also obtained food by raiding their
Pueblo neighbours and stealing it.

The Iroquois were a group of tribes that lived in the thick woods of northeastern North
America. They were skilled farmers who grew beans, squash and twelve different varieties of
maize. They lived in permanent villages in long wooden huts. The Iroquois were fierce
warriors. From boyhood on, male Iroquois were taught to fear neither pain nor death. Bravery
in battle was the surest way for a warrior to win respect and a high position in his tribe.

The Sioux, another warrior nation, lived between the Mississippi River and the Rocky
Mountains. This group called themselves Dakota, which means “allies”. But they were better
known by the name which other Amerindians gave to them - Sioux, which means “enemies”.
The Sioux grew no crops and built no houses. For food, for shelter and clothing they
depended upon buffalo. When the buffalo moved the Sioux moved. They took down their
tepees, the conical buffalo-skin tents that were their homes, packed their belongings in leather
bags and moved off after the buffalo. They even carried fire from one camp to the next.

The Amerindian people of North America developed varied ways of life. They could
live from the abundance of nature and they lasted for centuries. But the Europeans with their
guns, their diseases and their hunger for land would eventually destroy them all.

The potlatch was a popular ceremony amongst the wealthy Pacific coast tribes (e.g.
the Haida).The word “potlatch” means “gift giving”. A modern potlatch is a kind of
party at which guests are given gifts, but the original potlatch went much further. A
chief or a head of family might give away everything that he owned to show how
wealthy he was and win respect. To avoid disgrace, the person receiving the gifts had
to give back even more. If he failed to do so his entire family was disgraced.

Exercises- comprehension

1. Find pictures of Amerindians and prepare a short description of their appearance

2. Why are these sentences false? Correct them.

a. The first settlers in North America were farmers.

b. The Pueblo and the Apache were settled farmers.
c. The Apache built terraced buildings.
d. The Iroquois didn’t build houses.
e. The Sioux lived in Arizona.
f. The name “Sioux” means “allies”.
j. The Pueblo lived in the forests.

Exercises – vocabulary and grammar

Match the animals with the proper name of the group.

cattle, buffalo, elephants, bees, goats, wolves, hounds, sheep, birds, supporters, geese, flies,

insects, ants, people

pack of …………………………………………………………………………………………
flock of …………………………………………………………………………………………
swarm of ……………………………………………………………………………………….
herd of ………………………………………………………………………………………….
crowd of ………………………………………………………………………………………..
band of …………………………………………………………………………………………
Explain the meaning of the verb “gather” in these sentences.

a. I didn’t gather much from the lesson. ……………

b. A crowd gathered to hear her speak. ………………
c. From the look on their faces she gathered that they were angry with her. ……………………
d. Tom went to the library to gather information about Amerindians. …………………………
e. The cows gathered in a herd. ………………………
f. I never really gathered why he had left his job. …………………………..
g. We gathered blackberries from the nearest forest. ………………………
h. Gather around children and I’ll tell you the story. …………………..

.Match the words and expressions from the text with their meanings: obtained, abundance, grew
crops, belongings, shelter, disgraced, fierce,

a. violent and frightening ………………………………

b. dishonoured ……………………………
c. got ……………………………..
d. farm ………………………….
e. large quantity ………………………..
f. possessions …………………………
g. a place giving protection from weather or dander …………………

Use either wander or wonder

a. I ……………………… where Tom is.
b. The film was really ………………………….
c. In the middle of a meeting my mind started to ………………….
d. No ……………………children are excited. They have holidays.
e. The first homo sapiens were ……………………..They followed the animals.
f. My thoughts always …………………….. during History classes.
g. Students …………………….why school is so boring.
h. She was …………………the streets for several hours