Number of tribes? How about across North America?
2006-09-06 07:56:42 · 6 answers · asked by Lawn Jockey 4 in Social Science ➔ Anthropology
AdreanalnLon's answer started out fairly well, but to believe that 100 million indigenous people lived hunter/gatherer lives on this continent is preposterous.
Estimates range from 3,000,000 to 15,000,000, with most experts agreeing that somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000,000 is probably pretty close.
We'll never know the actual number, and I'm not sure that it really matters. "History" started when the Europeans arrived in the New World. And, for a very long time, they were confined to a very small land mass, mostly forest. If there were a lot of indigenous people there, it doesn't mean that the great plains or the deserts of the west could have supported an equal number of human beings.
2006-09-06 21:32:31 · answer #1 · answered by Goethe 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The standard history text books teach that there were only ten million. But currently that is WILDLY disputed by anthropologists/archeologist. In Chapters 2-4 of James Loewen's book " Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your High School History Textbook Got Wrong and Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong." he discusses the anthropological theories (and the evidence that supports them) which postulate that there were actually 100 Million Native Americans at the time of the Plymouth Rock Settlers and that disease pretty much wiped them out. This book is terrific, I really recommend it.
2006-09-06 08:05:39 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
historian's reckon all the tribes combined only amounted to less than 1 and 1/2 milion source; my history loving hubby
2006-09-06 08:02:08 · answer #3 · answered by anne r 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All, or most, of them?
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Ya ever wonder why certain history books start with history say oh about 600 -800 years ago
and even if included, before that almost nothing is said...
hm..
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2006-09-06 08:02:42 · answer #4 · answered by DM 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you mean native Americans or people from India?
There were far more native Americans I believe....
2006-09-06 08:02:40 · answer #5 · answered by july5_uk 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
10000000 ,I think,not sure,including escimoes.
2006-09-06 09:54:34 · answer #6 · answered by Yannis K 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋