Pre-Columbian Societies: Different Kinds of Culture

Projectile Points

Pueblos

There were many different kinds of culture in Pre-Columbian Societies. For example, there was something called desert culture which was mostly located in the basin of Utah and Nevada, it was a way of life based on the hunting of small game and foraging of plant foods. These native peoples collected several different kinds of plants such as seeds, fiber, and pears from the yucca based on the season. Their strategy required an extensive amount of skill in handcrafts such as the production of fiber baskets, pitch-lined baskets for cooking, traps, and nets, stones for seed and nut grinding, and stone knifes, hammers, and clubs. Eventually this desert culture spread to the Great Plains and the Southwest, here the foraging of plants supplemented hunting practices. Besides desert culture, there was also a culture that was very influential on the way we develop food today, known as the farming culture. The best known farming culture were the Anasazis. These native peoples come from the Southwest, specifically in the area called the Four Corners; where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado meet. The Anasazis were known for their populated, multistory apartment complexes called "pueblos." (Out of Many, 15) These natives grew different varieties of high-yielded maize in terraced fields irrigated by canals moving from mountain basins. In order to have a supplement to their vegetable diet, they started to hunt animals using the bow and arrow. Not only do Pre-Columbian Societies have different cultures, these cultures have helped us develop the way we live today. These peoples have sculptured and shaped the landscape to best compliment their societies which now has given us a upper-hand on how we grow our food today.