United States History Student Edition

South of the plateau region, between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains, lies the Great Basin region. There, the soil is too hard and rocky for farming. This meant that peoples such as the Ute (YOOT) and Shoshone (shuh•SHOHN) had to travel in search of food. They hunted and gathered small game, pine nuts, juniper berries, roots, and some insects. They crafted temporary shelters from branches and reeds. Winter villages near lakes or rivers were more permanent. Present-day California was home to a variety of cultures. Along the northern California coast, Native Americans fished for their food. In the central valley, the Pomo (POH•moh) gathered acorns and pounded them into flour. In the more barren southern deserts, nomadic groups collected roots and seeds. 7 CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING Understanding Supporting Details Why was farming relatively unimportant in the Far North and West? Peoples of the Southwest and the Plains GUIDING QUESTION How did people live in the dry Southwest and on the open plains? In the Southwest region, descendants of the Ancient Puebloans formed the Hopi (HOH•pee), the Acoma (uh•KOH•muh), the Zuni (ZOO•nee), and other peoples. Farming was central to their cultures, with maize serving as their basic food source. They built their homes of bricks made from adobe (uh•DOH•bee), or dried mud. They also used irrigation , an artificial watering system, to grow beans, squash, melons, pumpkins, and fruit. Their trade network spread throughout the Southwest and into Mexico. The Apache (uh•PAH•chee) and the Navajo (NAH•vuh•hoh) lived in the Southwest region about 1,000 years ago. These groups were primarily hunters and gatherers. In time, the Navajo settled in villages and built domed houses called hogans. They also began to grow maize, squash, and beans. Further to the north and east, the peoples of the Great Plains were nomadic. Their villages were

The Yakama often lived in tepee-like structures in summer. The structures were formed by leaning long sticks together and covering the sticks with reed mats.

Further south, the Tlingit (KLEEN•kuht), Haida (HY•duh), and Chinook (shuh•NUK) lived on the northwestern coast of North America, from southern Alaska south to what is now Oregon. This region has a mostly mild climate and dependable food sources, favorable conditions that helped these peoples to thrive. The cultures of this region depended on the forest and the sea for food and other resources. Forests provided wood for houses and canoes as well as tree bark for making baskets and clothing. The rivers and coastal waters were filled with salmon, a main food source. Native Americans preserved salmon by smoking it over fires. The area between the Cascade Mountains and the Rocky Mountains is known as the plateau region. There, the Nez Perce (NEHZ PUHRS) and Yakama (YAH•keh•muh) peoples also depended on local resources—fishing the rivers, hunting deer in forests, and gathering roots and berries. The Native Americans of the plateau region lived in houses that were often covered with reed mats. Some houses were dug into the ground, and some were built on the surface.

irrigation a system that supplies water to crops by artificial means

The Protected Art Archive/Alamy Stock Photo

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