S.S. PROJECT

MoUND BUILDER

What were Mound Builders known for?

The Mound Builders were known for their impressive earthworks. These mounds were often used for ceremonial purposes or as tombs for the deceased. The largest of these mounds can be found in Cahokia, Illinois, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are also many other examples of Mound Builder architecture around the United States. For example, the Monks Mound at Cahokia is the largest Pre-Columbian earthwork in North America. It covers more than 14 ac (6 ha) and stands nearly 100 ft (30 m) tall. The Mound Builders were known for their impressive earthworks. These mounds were often used for ceremonial purposes or as tombs for the deceased. The largest of these mounds can be found in Cahokia, Illinois, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are also many other examples of M…

Who were the Mound Builders?

Mound Builders were not specific people but instead comprised pre-Columbian tribal cultures who built mounds, or large earthen structures, in various locations across North America. These mounds served a variety of purposes, including burial sites, homes, and ceremonial centers.

What is inside these mounds?

The mounds were built by pre-Columbian cultures as burial sites or ceremonial structures, often linked to cosmology.

WHAT DID THE MOUND BUILDERS EAT?

The Mound Builders were not specific people, rather a group of Native American cultures. The people who built these earthworks were often highly spiritual, and their religion was an important part of their lives. However, they were also skilled farmers and craftspeople. They grew crops such as corn, beans, and squash, and they hunted game such as deer and buffalo.

Where did the Mound Builders come from?

The Mound Builders were various tribes of native Americans of pre-Columbia who built various earthworks. The first recorded instance of the Mound Builders was in the year 1539 when the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto came across them while exploring the Mississippi valley. The Mound Builders left behind many clues about their way of life, including thousands of burial mounds that they built as burial sites and places of worship.

WHY DID THE MOUND BUILDERS DISAPPEAR?

There is no one answer to this question, as the descendants of the pre-Columbian people, the native Americans, are still around today. The question should be; why did the burial mounds disappear? It is possible that a combination of factors led to their disappearance, including climate change, disease, conflict, or even a cultural shift.

What language did the Mound Builders speak?

Again, the Mound Builders were a group of archaic tribes. Scholars think they would speak the languages of the native Americans of the area, maybe even early versions of the languages, such as proto-Quapaw for the Siouan people up the Mississippi, from Louisiana to Illinois. Muskogean is the language of the Algonquian people living in the lower Ohio River valley, primarily Shawnee, so a version of that was probably spoken by tribes in that area.

HOW DID MOUND BUILDERS ADAPT TO THEIR ENVIRONMENT?

Mound Builders were very resourceful and adapted to their environment by using what was available to them. For example, they used trees for tools, canoes for transportation, and plants for food and medicine. They also built their homes and mounds out of natural materials like earth, wood, and stone. By using what was around them, Mound Builders were able to create a culture that lasted for millennia.

Why did the Mound Builders build mounds?

Archaeologists know that some were used as a mortuary mound, and they believe other mounds were used as religious, ceremonial, and celestial sites. Some people think that the mounds were used to store food or weapons. Still, others believe that they served as lookout points or signal towers. There were many different uses, according to the individual tribe.

Where did the Mound Builders live?

The vast majority of Mound Builders lived in what is now the south-eastern United States, including parts of modern-day Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Some also lived in the Ohio River Valley. The largest concentration of mounds is in the Lower Mississippi Valley, with more than 20,000 sites identified. Many of these sites are now submerged by lakes and rivers or have been destroyed by farming and development.

Inuit

The Inuit people live in the far northern areas of Alaska, Canada, Siberia, and Greenland. They originally made their home along the Alaskan coast, but migrated to other areas. Everything about the lives of the Inuit is influenced by the cold tundra climate in which they live.

What kind of homes did they live in?

The typical materials for making homes such as wood and mud are hard to find in the frozen tundra of the Arctic. The Inuit learned to make warm homes out of snow and ice for the winter. During the summer they would make homes from animal skin stretched over a frame made from driftwood or whalebones. The Inuit word for home is "igloo".

What was their clothing like?

The Inuit needed thick and warm clothing to survive the cold weather. They used animal skins and furs to stay warm. They made shirts, pants, boots, hats, and big jackets called anoraks from caribou and seal skin. They would line their clothes with furs from animals like polar bears, rabbits, and foxes.

WHAT DID THE INUIT PEOPLE EAT?

The Inuit people were unable to farm and grow their own food in the harsh desert of the tundra. They mostly lived off of meat from hunting animals. They used harpoons to hunt seals, walruses, and the bowhead whale. They also ate fish and foraged for wild berries. A high percentage of their food was fatty, which gave them energy in the cold weather.

How did they hunt whales?

In order to hunt larger prey like walruses and whales, the Inuit hunters would gather in a large group. To hunt a whale, typically at least 20 hunters would gather on a large boat armed with a number of harpoons. They would attach a number of seal-skin balloons filled with air to the harpoons. This way the whale could not dive deep into the water when it was first speared. Each time that the whale would come to the surface for air, the hunters would harpoon it again. Once the whale died, they would tie it to the boat and tow it back to shore.

It would sometimes take a number of men a long time to catch and kill a whale, but it was well worth it. The Inuit used all parts of the whale including the meat, blubber, skin, oil, and bones. A large whale could feed a small community for a year.

Transportation

Despite the harsh landscape of the Arctic, the Inuit still found ways to travel long distances. On land and ice they used dogsleds called qamutik. They bred strong sled dogs from wolves and dogs to pull the sleds which were made from whale bones and wood. These dogs became the husky dog breed.

On the water, the Inuit used different kinds of boats for different activities. For hunting they used small single-passenger boats called kayaks. They also built larger, faster boats called umiaqs that were used for transporting people, dogs, and goods.

STUNNING AND TRUE FACTS ABOUT THE INUIT

Stunning and True Facts about the Inuit

• A member of the Inuit people is called an Inuk.
• The warm soft boots worn by the Inuit are called mukluks or kamik.
• In order to mark areas and to keep from getting lost, paths were marked with a pile of stones called an inuksuk.
• Nearly ninety percent of the Inuit in Western Alaska died from disease after they came into contact with Europeans in the 1800s.
• Inuit women were responsible for sewing, cooking, and raising the children. The men provided food by hunting and fishing.
• The Inuit had no formal marriage ceremony or ritual.
• After hunting, they would perform rituals and sing songs in honor of the animal's spirit

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