Nature and the Environment in Pre-Columbian American Life (Daily Life Through History Series)

by Stacy S. Kowtko

Overview

Prehistoric North Americans lived on, in, and surrounded by nature. As a result, everything they were resulted from this co-existence. From interpersonal relations to supernatural beliefs, from housing size and function to the food they ate and clothing they wore, the life of Native Americans before the arrival of Europeans was intimately intertwined with the environment. What is known about these societies is often sketchy at best, having survived largely through archaeological remains and oral tradition. Scholars have tried to understand Native American history on its own terms, trying to understand who and what they were in reality - a complex, diverse multitude of populations that defined themselves entirely through what they saw, heard, and experienced everyday - their natural environment.

This accessible resource provides an excellent introduction for those needing a first step to researching the daily lives of Native Americans in the centuries before the arrival of Europeans.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313334726
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	08/30/2006
Series:	The Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History Series: Nature and the Environment in Everyday Life
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.56(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Stacy Kowtko is assistant professor of history at Spokane Community College. She teaches Interdisciplinary Studies classes and American History classes. Her current research involves the history and culture of tourism by Americans.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Timeline of Native History in Precontact North America
1. The People and the Environment: Who Was Here before Columbus
2. Animal and Human Interaction: Natural Cooperation in the Environment
3. Agriculture: Cultivating a Living out of the Environment
4. Human Habitation in the Environment: Live and Let Live
5. Survival of the Most Resourceful: Hunting and Gathering
6. Spiritual Environment: Religious Beliefs and Practices
7. Movement in the Environment: Migration and Transportation
8. The Art of Fun and Games: Native American Leisure and the Environment
9. Two Halves of the Same Environment: Gender Roles in Native American Society
Epilogue
Annotated Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Kowtko describes North America before Columbus' expedition in terms of natural history and environs, using select tribes to illustrate the people from a societal and environmental perspective that links the land and the people together. She discusses which tribes were in North America, interactions with the land, agriculture and habitation, hunting and gathering methods, spirituality, migration, leisure, and gender roles.” —Reference & Research Book News

“[F]or students in middle and high school and general readers, shows what life was really like for ordinary people….[t]hroughout history….This volume is an excellent resource for students to research Native Americans before the Europeans arrived in America.” —Multicultural Review

From the Publisher