native americans, discovery, exploration and settlement 12,000 bc to 1803
TRANSCRIPT
NATIVE AMERICANS, DISCOVERY, EXPLORATION AND SETTLEMENT
12,000 BC to 1803
Paleo-Indians 12,000 BC-9,500 BC
25,000 years ago Following herds of wild animals the first settlers in North America came over the land bridge that connected what is now Alaska and Russia
Earliest dated Indian remains in Arkansas are from around 10,000 BC Lived by hunting wild animals and gathering
wild plants Lived in groups of 20-30 men and women frequently moved to follow the animals
Climate of Arkansas was cooler and drier, had less plant life
Most of our knowledge comes from archeologists
Archaic Indians 9500 BC-1000BC
Major climate changes mark this period Climate became warmer and drier Large mammals die out replaced by deer,
bears, elk, wolves, racoons Native American populations grew Tools and weapons became more efficient
Atlatl (throwing stick that made spears go further)
Adze (made cutting wood easier) People began to settle down for parts of the
year Lived along river banks and other high ground Different groups met and exchanged goods
and ideas Beginning of religious beliefs and the idea of
an afterlife
Woodland Indians 1000 BC-950 AD
Important change was the practice of agriculture
Crops- squash, goosefoot, marshelder, sumpweed
Growing food allowed them Stay in one place (villages developed) Have a secure food supply Develop governments
Began to bury their dead in small hills or mounds
Trade increased Traded items like salt, hematite and
novaculite Traded for items like copper, seashells
Indians began to make elaborate pottery
Mississippian Tradition 950 AD-1541 AD
Population began to grow large and live in villages Center of village was a large open plaza surrounded by
mounds Mounds contained public buildings Religious services and harvest festivals were held on the plazas in
the village Native Americans began to use the bow and arrow at this
time Corn was introduced
It improved the health of the population Bad side was this it promoted tooth decay and lead to early death
Historic Indians after 1541AD
When the first European explorers arrived in 1521 in Arkansas there were three distinct tribes Caddo, Osage and Quapaw living in Arkansas
Called the historic period because we have written records from European travelers
Caddo
Lived in Southwest Arkansas Built mounds
Buried important leaders there Built religious temples on top
Large, complex farming culture Lived in small family farms Grew the “three sisters” crops (corn, beans, squash) Houses had a distinct cone shape
Caddo
Important industry was making salt
Boiled water to evaporate the moisture, when the water boiled off salt remained behind
Salt was used to preserve and season food
It was also used as a trade item Most famous salt making site in
Arkansas was the Hardman site in Clark County
Salt making was Arkansas first large scale industry
Quapaw
Moved into Arkansas 550 years ago Lived in river valleys of eastern
Arkansas Arkansas, White and Mississippi River Grew the three sisters crops Believed that everyone owned the
land and they farmed all land together Houses were shared by several
families Kappa was the largest known Quapaw
village (present day Arkansas County) They were the first Native Americans
to come in contact with the Europeans
Osage
Hunting tribe that did not actually live in Arkansas
Home was in southern Missouri
Considered northern Arkansas to be part of their hunting lands
Were more warlike than Quapaw and Caddo and they raided their settlements
ARKANSAS EXPLORERS
The First Explorers
Around 1500 European ideas, and ways of life began to spread around the world
European countries began to explore and colonize the New World (North and South America)
European explorers came to the New World for the “three G’s”; god, gold and glory
Europeans did not understand Native American cultures and looked down on them
The most significant European impact on the Americas was disease
Native Americans did not have any immunity to smallpox, measles or the flu
Within 200 years of European contact the Quapaw's went from over 10,000 in Arkansas to fewer than 500 members
Hernando Desoto The Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto was the first European
explorer to come to Arkansas De Soto and his men reached Arkansas in 1541 By the time he reached Arkansas De Soto and over 600 men had
been searching what is now the southeaster U.S. for gold They crossed the Mississippi near present day Memphis They spent almost one year traveling through Arkansas When De Soto died his men buried him in the Mississippi River
and made their way back to Spanish settlements in Mexico The expedition provided the first written accounts of Native
American life in Arkansas
The French in Arkansas
It was 130 years before another European visit to Arkansas
1673 two French explorers Jacque Marquette (a French priest) and Louis Joliet ( a French fur trapper and trader), traveled down the Mississippi River to find a water route to the Indies through North America
They came in two canoes with five men They were given a calumet by Illinois Indians that
served as a passport to provide safe travel They went as far as the mouth of the Arkansas River
and met the Quapaw Indians They were told by the Indians that the river did not
empty into the Pacific and that they were close to Spanish lands
Marquette and Joliet returned north Their report of the journey gave the people they met
and the land where they were the name Arkansas
Robert La Salle
1682 LaSalle wanted to claim the Mississippi River Valley for France
He traveled with Henry De Tonti 50 other men and visited many of the same places that De Soto, Marquette and Joliet
LaSalle told the Indians he claimed the land for the King of France
LaSalle eventually traveled to the mouth of the Mississippi and returned to France to plan a larger expedition
In 1684 LaSalle led another expedition that failed and he was murdered on the coast of Texas
The legacy of LaSalle's visit to ArkansasA. he built positive relations with the nativesB. claimed the area for France.
Arkansas Post
LaSalle's lieutenant went to find him and decided to wait for him at the mouth of the Arkansas River
1686 De Tonti built a fort and trading post and named it Arkansas Post
De Tonti left behind 6 men at the post It became the first permanent European settlement
on the west bank of the Mississippi River It always remained an isolated and remote outpost
John Law
1717 the king of France gave John Law the right to sell land and bring settlers to Arkansas he recruited settlers saying that there was gold and silver close by
1721 the first colonists arrived but there were only Quapaw Indians at the site, the colonists stayed and rebuilt the post.
Throughout the 1700s there were never more than 100 people living there
The location of Arkansas Post was moved several times because of flooding
Arkansas Post was the only French settlement in Arkansas 1719 Bernard de La Harpe traveled up the Arkansas River and discovered
“big rock” the location across the river eventually became Little Rock
Daily life at Arkansas Post
Rugged rural frontier town Always more men than women Most lived in dogtrot houses Spoke their native language (French) European traders traded goods with
Indians Fed themselves with hunting and
fishing Traders traveled by canoe up the
White, Arkansas and other rivers of the region
Settlers at the Post always had slaves
Interracial marriages were common
The American Revolution
In 1763 after the French and Indian War Arkansas became part of the Spanish Empire
It took 5 years for the first Spanish army officer to take control of Arkansas Post
1783 the British and Chickasaw Indians attacked Arkansas Post
The Spanish fought off the attack
It was the only battle of the American Revolution fought west of the Mississippi