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Paleo Indians Research Paper

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While survival would have been a key goal for the first Tennesseans as the years went by, the four prehistoric tribes evolved and developed increasingly more advanced techniques to move from simply surviving to living. These four prehistoric tribes include the Paleo tribe, the Archaic tribe, the Woodland tribe and the Mississippian tribe. These tribes dealt with changing climates and fluctuating food sources, which defined their developing lifestyles and left clues for future generations to study and share. The Paleo Indian tribe were the first humans to set foot in Tennessee. The Paleo tribe led a nomadic life during this ice age, where they followed the mastodon herds on their hunts. The Paleo bands, usually numbering less than two dozen members, left very little trace on the landscape of Tennessee. They did not build permanent structures, but rather built temporary lean-tos to satisfy their basic shelter needs. Very little is known about these first travelers, because they left a scarce number of remnants of campfire sites and simple stone tools. …show more content…

The ice age was gone and the vegetation had adapted to the new climate. Common herd animals used for food by the Paleo tribe, such as the mastodon, had disappeared and were replaced by deer, elk, and moose. These tribes were known as Archaic Indians. While still nomadic, they did not roam as far as the Paleo Indians. The Archaic tribes preferred to stay within a certain region and moved with the change of seasons rather than daily like the Paleo tribes. Since they did not travel as far, they had more time in their homes; their social structure was more advanced. This led to a settled social environment and an increase in number of tribe

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