Why did the native peoples of North American not build any lasting structures?

Question

hy did the native north americans, unlike seemingly all other ancient cultures across the globe, build any lasting structures?

Answer 1

The natives of North America were a stone age people, they did not have the tools or ability or knowledge to build lasting structures.

There is also a theory that states the reason for there lack of abilities, and why they stayed in the stone age when there South American "cousins" advanced, was lack of pack animals. Not having animals capable of work, they never had the leisure time to develop above sustenance levels. The South American Indians had the llama and Alpaca

Answer 2

The mound building Indian tribes built many mounds. Just in my county in Illinois, there are at least 30 known mounds. Some as big as 200 ft in diameter ad about 50 feet high. Some were burial mounds and others were platform from which they built temples.

Any check on the net for Mississippian Indian Culture, Woodland Indian culture, or mound building Indians, will produce alot of information. Their above ground structures were generally wood so wouldn't last all that long especially if there was a war or raid.

Answer 3

They DID!!! the MAYANS, TOLTECS and AZTECS were all considered NORTH American native Americans ( to be technical), and have left thousands of buildings. However if you are referring to native American in the area of the United States you are still mistaken. There are massive mounds remaining from the Mississippian culture (Cahokia) and from the tribes that lived along the Alabama River. The Anatasi left ruins in Mesa Verde and in Canyons out west, as well as the Pueblo Indians who built massive earth brick structures, many of which are still standing.

Answer 4

Native Americans did build structures that can still be seen today. Several are in the southeast. Those tribes built large mounds where they held meetings inside and burials in. Look at the ocmulgee mounds in Georgia for example. Its a state park and a national historical site. But there are mounds all over the east. And if you include Mayans and aztecs as native americans, there are famous Mayan temples in mexico.

Answer 5

*some* were nomadic and probably more concerned with the needs of survival. While some ancient cultures far south had temples and types of pyramids...in general, lasting structures are a dominating/claiming/self centered mark to put on a land they thought/think better of then that. There are natural land formations that are far more sacred and better to various tribes then any made-up structure could ever be.

Answer 6

fairly it is: Scientists nonetheless debate it even though it fairly is likely that the Human race origanated interior the southern area of Africa. There they traveled north to populate north Africa yet in addition they pass from Egypts border interior the Arab states. At this element the early Human explorers broke off. some went west into Europe and to England (it is exciting because of the fact the English Channel is barely some one hundred years previous). extra inportantly those that headed east into Asia and Russian Siberia. From right here the a techniques eastern human beings traveled by applying small boats (a million manned) accross the small isalnds that have been between united states of america (this area became into time-commemorated for the water point to upward thrust and decrease in specific situations). Then they only headed south into the Northern united states of america and down into Mexico and into the Rainforest. it fairly is amazingly trouble-free once you think of approximately it.

Answer 7

Actually they did. Building lasting structures, however, is not a mark of a high culture. They followed quite a different path, a more intelligent one.
Go to Kahokia, Illinois and see the city they built there or the serpent hills in Iowa and Kansas.
See the Pueblo dwellings in NM.

See cities in Mexico, which is certainly North America, Tenochtitlan and Chichen Itza, et al

Answer 8

Well, I may not be able to answer your question in full but I can give you a start. Many Native American tribes were nomadic in nature as they moved with the movements of game (i.e. buffalo).

Native Americans valued their relationship with nature and did not believe in changing the landscape of the land to suite them like many Europeans did. Native Americans did have places of great interest, and most of the time they were abnormalities in the Earth. Geological structures many times held their interest.

In summary, they lived WITH the Earth instead of attempting to change the landscape. They had geographic points of interest to which they gave importance. Many of these geolical formations have outlasted many structures built by man.

Answer 9

ever heard of the Hopewell?
the Anastasie?
the Pueblos?
their lifestyles were different hence different kinds of building focus

Answer 10

nomadic peoples.

The cave dwellers in arizona did.