Indigenous People Essay

The Indigenous peoples of America are commonly called “Indians” or “Native Americans” which is a misnomer. In reality, they were hundreds of specific and different tribal peoples that had different societies and cultures from one another. The pre-contact population of the Americas was around one hundred million people, and they are often misconceived as being primitive. In reality, the Indigenous peoples were highly advanced, even if some common stereotypes are true for some of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. The indigenous peoples migrated to the Americas over the ice bridge connecting North America and Asia around 10,000 BCE; however, the peoples were cut off and were forced to settle in the Americas due to the ice bridge melting …show more content…
Not much is known about the Olmec (2500 BCE – 400 BCE). The Olmec people’s culture derived from their local village roots. The region was made up of loose groupings villages that scattered across the region, most congregating toward river valleys and along the shores of lakes. These decentralized villages, each holding hundreds of households, were the core of Olmec culture. At around 1500 BCE, the Olmec peoples around the region began to develop a single culture and began spreading their beliefs, artistic achievements, and social structure beyond their heartland. Their art was highly advanced and detailed, including the four Olmec heads located at La Venta, in Tabasco State, Mexico. The heads are nine feet tall and weigh up to twenty tons each, carved from single boulders, which exemplified a significant amount of control and skill. The Olmec shared belief systems, a single language, and a priestly class who ensured that villagers followed highly ritualized practices, including human sacrifice. Their ceremonial practices revolved around agricultural and rainfall cycles, often giving sacrifices for good harvests and a good rain season. The Olmec were also the first to have a competitive sport: the ball sport. The reason for the Olmec cultures breakdown is unknown, as it was abrupt in some areas and drawn out in …show more content…
– 1500 CE) were another example of a highly advanced group of indigenous people from the Americas. There origin is unknown, however historians were able to uncover significant amounts of information upon the discovery of their city, Manchu Picchu, through the guidance of a local shepherd boy. Manchu Picchu is built at a high altitude and had carved out terraces for crops. The architecture of the Incas is phenomenal; the terraced stonework on the mountain, the use of stacked stone and the lack of mortar concludes that the architectural structures are carved from single stones. The Inca had a written language, and a science and mathematics education. The Inca were also incredibly wealthy, adorning even their buildings with gold and