Internet Exercises

1. The Mississippian Period: Go to and read Chuck Smith's web page entitled "An Introduction to North America's Native People: The Mississippian Period" at http://www.cabrillo.cc.ca.us/~crsmith/mississ.html.
   1. What are the dates for the Mississippian Period? What are the important archaeological sites mentioned on this web page? Where are these archaeological sites located?
   2. What are the major characteristics of the groups that lived during the Mississippian Period?
   3. What kinds of the monumental structures that were constructed during this period?
   4. What kinds of foods were eaten during the Mississippian Period?
   5. What kind of sociopolitical organization characterized the Mississippian Period? What evidence is used to support these claims?
   6. What happened to the groups that lived during the Mississippian Period?
      
      
2. Affluence and Subsistence: Go to and read Marshall Sahlins' article "The Original Affluent Society" at http://www.eco-action.org/dt/affluent.html.
   1. What are the two courses to affluence? Which one best describes the path that Western, capitalist society is on?
   2. How are hunter-gather groups generally viewed by agricultural and industrial societies? How did this view originate?
   3. How is it that certain hunter-gatherer groups have "a kind of material plenty"? How is this related to the wants and desires of a group?
   4. What subsistence activity is more efficient: farming or hunting and gathering?
   5. According to Sahlins, what is poverty? Has it always been part of every human society?