In this discussion, you will discuss the ways in which early American cultures adapted to and modified their environments.
Begin your discussion by addressing the following prompt:
Give an example of how a group of early Americans adapted to their environment, and one example of how a group changed their environment to fit their needs.
Well, the folks who landed on this rocky island thought they were going to be farmers. They found fish in the water but not many vegetables in the granite.
Of course elsewhere they found thick forests and had to cut all the trees down to grow lettuce and cows.
I agree with Damon
Thank you Damon I really needed some ideas to help me out.
To find examples of how early American cultures adapted to and modified their environments, we can start by researching different Native American tribes that inhabited the Americas before European colonization. A good resource to begin with could be academic articles, history books, or online databases focused on Native American history and culture.
When it comes to adaptation, one example that comes to mind is the Inuit culture in the Arctic region. The Inuit people were highly adaptable to the extreme cold and harsh conditions of the Arctic environment. They developed unique tools and technologies to sustain their way of life. For instance, they crafted kayaks, which were lightweight and maneuverable boats, made from seal or walrus skin stretched over a wooden frame. These kayaks allowed the Inuit to navigate through icy waters and hunt for marine mammals, essential for their survival. The development of these specialized boats showcases their ability to adapt to their icy surroundings and utilize the available resources to meet their needs.
On the other hand, a notable example of changing the environment to fit their needs can be observed in the agricultural practices of indigenous tribes in the Southwest, such as the Hohokam and Anasazi cultures. These tribes lived in arid regions where agriculture was challenging due to the scarcity of water. To overcome this limitation, they constructed an extensive system of irrigation canals and channels to divert water from nearby rivers or underground aquifers. By skillfully redirecting water to their fields, they transformed the dry landscape into productive farmland, allowing them to cultivate a variety of crops such as maize, beans, and squash. This manipulation of the environment through irrigation systems demonstrates how these cultures modified their surroundings to create sustainable agricultural systems.
Remember, these examples are just a starting point, and there are numerous other instances of early American cultures adapting to and modifying their environments. Further research will provide a deeper understanding of the rich diversity of native cultures and their relationships with the environments they inhabited.