Southeast: Precontact life ways, changes during contact and colonialism - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages The major tribes under this group included the Seminole, the Chickasaw, the Choctaw, the Creek, and the Cherokee. The groups occupied southeastern United States whereby the environment was largely composed of diverse physiographic areas and ecological zones. The region covered areas from the coastal lowland subtropical precinct of southern Florida, towards the scrub forest to the north, and then to the savanna grassland comprising the coastal plains and the alluvial-floodplains of Mississippi River. The boundaries of southeastern cultures are rather multifaceted to delineate since the groups shared various characteristics in addition to being intertwined with neighboring cultures (Oswalt, 2008). Thus, the aim of this paper is to discuss the Southeastern people pre contact life ways, changes during contact and way of life during colonialism. Body Language In terms of language, the pre contact southeastern indigenous people had grouped themselves into four main language groups. These were the Muskogee, the Siouan, the Iroquoian and the Caddoan language family (Barnett, 2012). However, the Muskogean-speaking family comprised the biggest linguistic grouping among the Southeast indigenous people, followed by Choctaw, the Apalachee, the Creek, and the Seminole (Fogelson, 2004). ...
Moreover, the Caddoan speakers who lived on the western frontier of southeastern regions belonged to a unique language family which had a remote linkage to Siouan family group and the Iroquoian family group. Interestingly, Mobilian was the predominant language of trade especially among the numerous Choctaw groups and the southeastern groups of Mississippi valley (Sturtevant, 2004). Economic Activities The landscape comprised various rolling hills with key river systems which are predominantly under forests, notably the oak trees variety and the hickory. The other portion comprised the Appalachian Mountains which includes contemporary days eastern Tennessee, northwards towards Georgia, as well as the western Carolinas (Hudson, 2002). These regions have elevated peaks with intensely etched valleys and hardwood forests vegetations which are characteristic of more-northerly areas. The region was densely populated during pre contact period and majority of the groups dwelled within the piedmont. Given that the zone was full of forests, numerous mountains and an extensive river valley system, the land was fertile enough for farmland. Hence, the native groups were accomplished farmers who planted all year round inside the valleys (Oswalt, 2008). However, the Cherokee group concentrated more on hunting since the forests had a wide variety of animals, in particular the deer, raccoons, black bears, otters, squirrels, and rabbits. Those in Florida hunted quails, turtles, wild turkeys, partridges, together with alligators, and seasonal pigeons and geese. They hunted using a variety of locally made implements like bows, arrows, and spears. They used both salt waters and fresh waters ...Download file to see next pagesRead More