Week 3 is focused on the rich cultures and people in America (both continents) prior to the arrival of the Europeans, so based on what you read in our text, module videos, and the primary sources provided please briefly describe what America was like back then. Just give me a synopsis (short summary) and highlight anything that stood out to you.  

Reply #1                                                                                    Prior to the arrival of Europeans the first people to colonize came from Asia around 14,000-36,000 years ago they migrated here over time and they did this by crossing a land bridge built during the Ice Age. Pre-Columbian is a term that is used to describe the native groups before Columbus discovers their land. But this does not mean that they disappear after Columbus natives and their culture is still around today. Once these pre-Columbian groups settled into America they developed distinct societies by creating their own languages, developing many different cultures, and different societies we know today. For tribes in the Southwest regions maize is the main food source in current New Mexico and Arizona. The Pueblo people crafted adobe structures and developed complex irrigation system to grow maize, beans, and squash. In the Great plains they were referred to as the hunter and gathers due to the bison they were hunting. Furthermore, the East Coast tribes mixed agriculture and hunter-gather economies that favored the development of permeant villages.  To conclude, history began way before 1492 and historian estimate that 50 million people were already in the Western Hemisphere before Columbus. 

Reply #2 Before the arrival of the Europeans life seemed blissful and everyone did their everyday thing. The natives that walked the land already, they worshipped the ground they walked on. Grateful for everything the had, never put anything to waste. The America’s was non violent from what we know. The native Americans respected but also feared the earth to some point, they knew how powerful it was. Once the Europeans came their ideologies and traditions  changed, not by choice but by force. Their lives practically turned upside down.Thankfully many natives fought for what they knew and wanted and many traditions and other parts of the culture are still alive. The most fascinating thing to me is the fact of how through all of the years and hardships, natives all over the continent have mostly kept their traditions alive. For example through their tales, like the Cherokee story and the Salinan creation story.