Indigenous Cultures Vocabulary Quiz

Vocabulary

• Toponym: proper name of a place
• Tribe: group of nomadic people sharing a way of life, language, and customs
• Inuit: indigenous people of the Arctic regions of North America, originating from Siberia
• Qamutik: sled made of wood, animal bones, whale baleen, and frozen fish
• Totem poles: wooden columns carved with figures of people and animals representing family history
• Adobe: indigenous homes made of mud and straw
• Arawaks: indigenous group migrating to the Antilles and surrounding regions from Venezuela and the Guayanas
• Cacique: Taíno supreme chief, highest position
• Nitaínos: Taíno nobles and warriors, governed regions
• Bohíque: organized Taíno ceremonies, communicated traditions, and healed the sick
• Areitos: Taíno religious ceremonies
• Naborias: Taíno working class, involved in fishing, hunting, and agriculture
• Casabe: Taíno food, starchy tuber used to make cassava bread
• Petroglyphs: symbolic designs engraved on rocks
• Caribs: indigenous group from South America, migrated to the Minor Antilles, warrior people
• Raids: Carib practice of capturing women from other tribes
• Kaligano: Carib name for themselves; also cannibals, flesh-eating during rituals
• Colonization: the process of one country dominating another
• Globalization: economic activity across countries
• Reservations: small areas set aside by governments, often with poor living conditions

Indigenous Peoples of the North

• Inuit: meaning "the people," early settlers of the Arctic region
• Inuit used animals for food and tools
• Inuit lived in igloos in the winter and used sled dogs to pull qamutiks
• Chinook: important traders in the Pacific Northwest, used a trade dialect, celebrated potlatches
• Chinook: engaged in fishing, hunting, and food gathering
• Chinook: showed wealth through gifts in potlatches
• Kwakiutl: known for totem poles (wood carvings of people and animals) and rituals
• Kwakiutl: used masks in winter ceremonies
• Kwakiutl: used to represent their families' origin and important events

Pueblo, Navajo, and Nomadic

• Pueblo: tribes living in desert regions (e.g., Hopi, Zuni), dwellings in tiers (multi-storied)
• Pueblo built homes for sleeping, used wood for construction
• Navajo: tribes from the southern desert, learned farming and clothes making techniques from the Hopi.
• Navajo: emphasized harmony with nature (people, animals, plants) through spiritual songs and a strict code of conduct.
• Navajo: lived in adobe houses.
• Nomadic Groups: (e.g., Cheyenne, Apsaalooke, Kiowa, Comanche)
• Nomadic groups: followed bison for sustenance
• Nomadic groups: made dwellings (e.g., teepees) that were easy to transport
• Algonquians: lived in eastern woodlands, had villages with 10-20 houses called wigwams.
• Algonquians used wampum (threaded shells) for communication and record-keeping

Indigenous Cultures of the Caribbean

• Saladoid Culture: arrived from South America, cultivated cassava, introduced pottery to the Caribbean .
• Other Caribbean Cultures: different languages and customs (e.g., Siboney, Macorix, Ciguayos)
• Caribs: warrior people from South America, resistance to European colonization, known as Kaligano

The Taíno

• Taínos: indigenous group known from Greater Antilles, descendants of Arawaks
• Taínos: relied on hunting, fishing, and agriculture for sustenance
• Taínos: organized into social classes, with cacique as the supreme chief
• Taínos: involved in areitos (ceremonies), communicated traditions, and healing through bohíques (priests).
• Taíno Society: organized into caciquizas, governed by nitaínos.
• Taínos: women focused on agriculture and child-rearing
• Taínos: used petroglyphs, ceremonial parks, and archaeological discoveries to understand culture.

Colonization

• European Colonization: violent and attempted to erase indigenous cultures
• Colonization led to forced labor, diseases, and cultural suppression of indigenous people
• Impact of Colonization: destruction of indigenous lives
• Conquistadors: used firearms, compared to bladed weapons of indigenous peoples, forced hard labor, and spread diseases.

Test your knowledge of vocabulary related to indigenous cultures of the Americas. This quiz covers key terms such as toponym, tribe, and specific groups like the Inuit and Arawaks, as well as important cultural items like totem poles and casabe. Dive into the rich linguistic heritage of these communities!