ASB 238
archaeology of north america

Theories of language of Iroquois in 1916 archaeologists thought that the Iroquois could be related to the cherokee by language . What kind of truth does that hold today . From the book how do we know that they just did not walk on down to become cherokees

The principal geographic features of the Great Lakes and North-east Woodlands area are the five Great Lakes, the innumerable smaller lakes in Ontario, Minnesota, Wisconsin and upper New York. In contrast to all other watersheds in North America this area drains west to east, through the Saint Lawrence into the Atlantic, rather than in a north-south or ssouth-north direction. The northern boundary of the area is the Precambrian Canadian Sheild (4-5 million years old) and the southern boundary being the disc-shaped area previously covered by glaciers during the four ice age periods from 500,000 to 20,000 years ago.

The climate is typified by long, COLD winters,a reasonably warm summer season and good spring and fall seasons. The previous large lakes and retreating glaciers created or left behind a good depth of fertile top soil throughout much of the region. The area was heavily forested with walnut, pine, spruce, oak chestnut and birch.

Until about 7,00B.C. mastodons roamed the area along with bison, giant beaver, and other more typical forest wildlife such as deer, elk,forest caribou, fox, wolves, beaver etc. The lakes provided a variety of types of fish, including large salmon-trout up to four feet long and weighing up to 60 - 75 pounds.

The north shore of Lake Superior and the Keweenaw Peninsula on the south shore had abundant free copper which was used by the inhabitants from as early as 4000 B.C. for projectile points,axes, chisels knives, needdles, fish hooks, etc. and was widely traded throughout the eastern portion of the continent. The inhabitants used very sophisticated mining techniques including pit mines of up to 60 feet deep, tunnels, timber shoring and various fire techniques to harden shaped impements.

The first habitation of the area was probably about 11,000 years ago by those now identified as the "Old Copper Indians".

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