The first inhabitants of our region were Native Americans. It is thought that the first people in New York originally came from Asia (Siberia) by way of the Bering Strait about 11,500 years ago. They have been in North America for 40,000 years, but it took them a while to get as far as New York! The hunters and gatherers constantly walked south (away from the glaciers) in search of food.
One of the animals hunted were mammoths, a giant elephant-like animal
They probably followed them over the land bridge shown on the map above and eventually got to what is now New York State. They stopped in New York, perhaps because of the good geographic location. Lake Ontario and New York's rivers provided food, water, and a means of transportation for these early New Yorkers. The Spring and Summer season proved long enough to grow crops, allowing these early hunters and gatherers to become farmers. This permitted them to stay in one place, to form villages.
How do we know how long the Native Americans have been here? Archaeologists have done some digging and have come up with some very old artifacts that date the presence of Native Americans in present day New York State back 11,500 years! The people did not write anything down then, so the only clues we have are what the scientists find buried in the ground. They have found such things as stone axes, projectile points (arrowheads), pottery or stone bowls, and fire rings. With knowledge, an archaeologist can date these materials and tell when people lived where.
From the artifacts we now know for certain that the first inhabitants in New York State were Native Americans, and they have lived here for over 10,000 years.
DEFINITIONS:
Inhabitants- person who lives in an area
Bering Strait - a narrow body of water separating Asia and North America at Alaska
Native American - an American Indian
Archaeologists- a scientist who studies artifacts to learn about the past.
artifact - an object made by people who lived in the past.
Please answer the following questions:
1. Who were the first inhabitants of our region?
2. Where did the first people in New York originally come from?
3. How did they get here?
4. What is the Bering Strait?
5. Why did they walk south?
6. How long have these people been in North America?
7. What is a mammoth?
8. Why did they stop in New York?
9. What permitted them to stay in one place, to form villages?
10. How do we know how long the Native Americans have been here?
11. You have already defined the Bering Strait. How were the first inhabitants able to get across it?
Answer the questions in the comment section of the blog.
When you have finished answering the questions, choose the identity Anonymous and publish your comment.
