American Indians, 1600s

American Indians, 1600s. . , First Peoples of Appalachia , The dome-shaped structures on this exhibit are called wigwams. Wigwams were a common house type found among American Indians living in the central Appalachians during the Late Woodland period (AD 900 - 1650). Archaeology, oral history, and European accounts indicate that many different types of semi-permanent dwellings were built throughout the region. Indians in this area were part of the Eastern Woodlands cultural region that extends east of the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean, and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. Eastern Woodland Indians created many distinct societies that shared come commonalities of lifestyle, although housing, foodways, language and social organization differed. These groups traded, intermarried, and sometimes warred with one another. Aspects of these cultures, and many American Indian nations themselves, are present today., Indigenous Cultures of the Valley of Virginia , By the Late Woodland period, Indians in the Valley of Virginia lived in permanent settlements along the region's major rivers. They supplemented crops of maize and beans by hunting and foraging. Several distinct groups migrated in and out of the Valley during the five-hundred-year period before Europeans arrived in Virginia in 1607. These groups were probably ancestors to the Monacan, Manahoac, Shawnee, and northern Iroquoian cultures., Influences on American Culture , American Indians shaped their cultures, communities, and landscapes for thousands of years. When Africans and Europeans arrived an unprecedented exchange of ideas, technologies, and goods took place. The exchange also included contagious diseases, plants, and animals. Indigenous foods like corn, potatoes, and tomatoes now feed a large portion of the world's population. Many Indian terms are found in modern American language including tobacco, tomahawk, and moccasin. American Indians today face extraordinary challenges due to the legacy of 500 years of genocide, dislocation, and violence, but their cultures continue in dynamic communities today., [Captions:] , A hypothetical sketch of a stockaded town (Perkins Point Site) built by American Indians around 1400 and located in present-day Bath County, Virginia. Drawing by Thomas Whyte.