Introduction
The indigenous American Southwest is characterized by substantial environmental and cultural diversity. In this module you will become familiar with the physiographic and climatic setting of the region, and briefly review the major Native American groups that occupied this region.
|
|
|
|
|
Petroglyphs or rock carving on Newspaper Rock, Utah, USA. Many of the tribes that we will study in this course have deep temporal connections with the Southwest. The rock art may have been produced centuries ago by ancestors of the modern Puebloan people. |
||
Key Concepts
- Village farmers
- Rancheria settlement
- Forager-farmers
Learning Objectives
- Students will be able to describe the four major physiographic zones in the American Southwest, be able to identify which tribes traditionally called each zone their home, and be able to explain how the physiographic features of these zones impacted Native American social and subsistence organization
- Students will be able to describe the general climatic and environmental factors of the American Southwest and explain how these factors impacted Native American social and subsistence organizations
- Students will be able to describe the differences between village farmers, rancheria farmers, and forager-farmers, and be able to identify in what areas of the Southwest these different types of settlements were found when the Spaniards arrived.
Assigned Readings
- Griffin-Pierce Ch. 1
- Pp. 33-50 of Linda Cordell (1997) Southwest Environment
Click next page to continue.