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Critical Thinking: Native Virginians - A Chronology
14,000-6,000 B.C. EARLY HUNTERS
The earliest inhabitants of Virginia lived at the end of the Ice Age during the time of the great northern glaciers. For
thousands of years, small bands of people roamed the grass and pine-covered land, hunting bison, elk, deer, small
mammals, and gathering a variety of plants. To bring down the game, butcher the carcasses, and dress the hides,
they developed a wide array of stone tools. A rapid environmental change occurred after 8,000 B.C. The
cold of the Ice Age gave way to a warmer, drier climate. The people adapted to the oak and chestnut
forests, relying more on plants, nuts and fruits, and small animals, including deer, rabbit, turkey, and fish.
Nurtured by this milder environment, populations grew rapidly.
6,000-2,500 B.C. DISPERSED FORAGERS
Blessed with a varied and abundant land, the people prospered by diversifying hunting and gathering strategies
in their woodland habitat. They had become masters of the oak and chestnut forests, moving about easily, and
hunting and gathering according to the seasons. They developed new technologies: the spear thrower, or atlatl,
for greater range and power, the axe for more efficient use in the thick forests, and the mortar and pestle for
pounding and grinding nuts, seeds, and roots. Families lived in larger bands and remained mobile but within
a smaller fertile area. Populations grew rapidly.
2,500-900 A.D. SEDENTARY FORAGERS
People settled on the rich flood plains along Virginia's rivers. They intensified their hunting and gathering practices
and domesticated local plants such as sunflowers, squash, and amaranth, (a herbaceous or shrubby plant such as
cockscomb or pigsweed). Two important technological advances were the innovation of fired-clay vessels for
cooking and storage, and the bow and arrow for hunting. Indian cultures were changing rapidly as people
created specialized crafts for local use and for trade. Various bands merged through marriage and trade to
form small hamlets that took on simple tribal identities under guidance of an elder.
A.D. 900-1,600 FARMERS
The Indians of Virginia settled into large permanent villages of hundreds of people and developed a growing
reliance on the cultivation of corn, beans, squash, and tobacco. Groups of villages which included thousands
of residences, were united around complex economic, social, and political structures known as chiefdoms. These
were composed of social classes: chief, elite, priests, warriors, and commoners. Corn introduced from Mexico
became a staple crop for the expanding population. By A.D. 1000, corn, squash, beans, and tobacco were
major crops. For most of their food, Indians primarily depended on gardening which was supplemented by
the old hunting and gathering practices.
• Why did these various bands merge together?
• What threats did they have that would necessitate this?
• Discuss the importance of the development and use of the bow and arrow and clay-fired pottery.
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