“Geography Is the Mother of All History”

An Investigation of the First Americans

Developed by Gail Desler

How does a cultural group reflect its geographical environment?  In Chapters 1 and 2, you have studied Native Americans who lived in many different environments.  What have you discovered about the ways pre-Columbian groups lived and adjusted to their environment?

Task:

Working in a team, you will investigate the culture of one of the following North American Indian tribes: Chinooks, Makahs, Hopis, Navajos, Mandans, Kiowas, Iroquois, Cherokees, Mayas, or Aztecs.  Together you will research the following essential questions:

  1. What was the environment of your tribe?
  2. How did the environment affect the kind of food eaten by the tribe?
  3. How did the environment affect the kind of housing in which they lived?
  4. What kind of items did they have for trade?
  5. What beliefs or morals were taught in their myths?  Is their environment reflected in these myths?
  6. How does their artistic work reflect their environment and culture?

Once you have completed your research, you and your partner will design a poster to teach other people how geography has affected the culture of your tribe.

Online Resources:

General

Northwest Coast

Southwest

Great Plains

Eastern Woodlands

Middle America

Evaluation:

Make every minute of your in-class research time count! Be sure to refer often to both the Scoring Guide for the First Americans Poster and the Scoring Guide for Group Participation. By knowing the project expectations and requirements, you will have a good chance of developing a full-credit project. Good luck!