North and South Native Americans

CONTENT STATEMENT

8. American Indians developed unique cultures with many different ways of life. American Indian tribes and nations can be classified into cultural groups based on geographic and cultural similarities.

CONTENT ELABORATION

The Indians of North and South America formed hundreds of tribes and nations with many different ways of life. Anthropologists classify tribes and nations into groups with strong geographic and cultural similarities. These classifications are referred to as cultural areas or cultural groups.

Students at this level are introduced to cultural groups and should be able to make generalizations about the way of life within and among cultural areas. Teachers may select tribes and nations for use as examples for students as they study the geographic and cultural similarities of each cultural group.

The cultural groups of Canada and the United States are:

• the Arctic;
• the Subarctic;
• the Northeast, often called the Eastern Woodlands;
• the Southeast;
• the Plains;
• the Northwest Coast;
• California;
• the Great Basin;
• the Plateau; and
• the Southwest.

The cultural groups of Latin America are:

• Middle America;
• the Caribbean;
• the Andes;
• the Tropical Forest; and
• the South American Marginal Regions.

EXPECTATIONS FOR LEARNING

Compare cultural groups among American Indians in North and South America.