9781422283561

Native American Cultures

The Great Plains T he Great Plains stretch from the Gulf of Mexico in the south to the tundra in the northernmost part of the continent. They start in the west at the Rocky Mountains and stop in the east at the Mississippi River. This is a land of blazing hot summers which reach temperatures of 100°F (38°C) and bitterly cold winters with heavy snow in winter, when temperatures fall to – 40°F/C. The Wandering Life The people who lived in this area were hunters and farmers. They grew com, beans, and squash , and hunted animals such as the enormous bison and birds. They traveled everywhere on foot (the Native American horse had died out in prehistoric times). There were many different nations in this vast region and they can be

Hunting the Bison The horse in North America died out shortly after the last Ice Age, so the nations of the plains hunted bison on foot. In this painting by George Catlin (dating from 1832) two men covered in wolf skins attempt to frighten the bison towards another group of men (out of the picture) who lie in wait ready to spear the bison. There is also evidence of another hunting method used by the Native Americans. They frightened and then chased a herd of bison over a cliff.

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