These reconstructed Native American wigwams are made of bark over wooden frames. When Europeans arrived in North America, they found the native peoples living in the same type of dwellings they had used for thousands of years.
Where did the first Americans build their homes? Did they live in open camps, caves, or timber-and-earthen houses? Archeologists and anthropologists are still trying to answer these important questions.
For many years, experts believed that Paleo-Indians migrated to America from northeast Asia approximately 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. Scientists believed that they walked into present-day Alaska at a time when sea levels were lower, and the Bering Strait was not covered by water. They speculated that the Paleo-Indians made this journey in pursuit of the animals that they depended upon for food. These people, known as the Clovis Culture, were believed to be the ancestors of all Native American tribal groups.
This theory began to be challenged during the 1980s with the excavation of an ancient human settlement in Monte Verde, Chile. Radiocarbon dating tests performed on pieces of the relics and ruins found at the site indicated that Paleo-Indians had lived there more than 13,000 years ago.
The Paleo-Indian Clovis Culture has been traced back to between 10,000 and 8,000 B.C. Archaeologists believe that these people lived beneath rock shelters, inside caves, and in outdoor camps.
These reconstructed Native American wigwams are made of bark over wooden frames. When Europeans arrived in North America, they found the native peoples living in the same type of dwellings they had used for thousands of years.
Since the discovery at Monte Verde, other early human settlements have been found that indicate Paleo-Indians may have lived in the Americas much earlier than originally thought. Artifacts from the Cactus Hill site in Virginia, for example, have been dated to 17,000 years ago. Another site at Buttermilk Creek in Texas, which was excavated in 2006, has been dated to roughly 16,000 years ago. These discoveries have changed the way anthropologists and archeologists view the early inhabitation of the Americas.
Native Americans living in different areas of the country used different materials to construct their homes, from branches and bark to animal hides and sinew. This bark teepee was made by the native people of California.
Scientists are still unearthing the prehistoric past of the first Americans. No one is 100 percent certain where the first Native American homes were located, as relatively little is known about these pre-Columbian people. Much more is known, however, about Native Americans and their homes during the years between 5000 B.C. and A.D. 1900. The chapters that follow will examine some of the more common types of native homes of the Americas. ยง
This traditional Iroquois longhouse stands Iroquois County, New York. Unlike most dwellings which house one family, a longhouse could be home to up to a dozen families.