Transition from large-game hunting: Paleo-Indian hunters
likely followed large game across Beringia and into the Americas. Hunting and
the warming of the environment most likely contributed to the extinction of
large mammals. Humans then had to adopt more varied ways of providing for
themselves, leading to greater cultural diversity.
Archaic Indians hunted animals and gathered wild plants: Rather
than engaging in agriculture, Archaic Indians’ survival depended on their
ability to harvest enough resources from their environments. The kinds and
volumes of resources available to them in different regions shaped their ways
of life.
Examples of variation: The peoples of the Great Basin
adapted to their varied and volatile landscape by relying on plants as their most
important food source. By storing such resources and migrating following better
conditions, they were able to survive dry periods and maintain this way of life
well after 1492. In contrast, the Chumash of California exploited the coast’s
rich supply of fish, forming stable settlements, trading, and warring, with
other tribes. These examples suggest that different modes of hunting and
gathering could produce different patterns of human society.
