What is History of North America?
The '''History of North America''' deals with an area where humans came to live relatively recently, compared to [[Africa]], [[History of Europe|Europe]], and [[History of Asia|Asia]]. Scientists have different theories as to the origins of the early human population of the continent. The [[Native American|indigenous peoples of North America]] themselves have many [[Creation myth|creation]] stories, that tell that native Americans have been present on the land since its creation. == Pre-Columbian Era== [[Pre-Columbian|Before contact with Europeans]] the natives of North America were divided into many different [[Community|communities]], from small bands of a few families to large [[empire]]s. They lived in several culture areas, which roughly correspond to geographic and biological zones of [[North America]] and give a good indication of the main [[Profession|occupation]] of the people who lived there (e.g. the [[Bison]] [[Hunter-gatherer|hunters]] of the [[Great Plains]], or the [[farmer]]s of [[Mesoamerica]]). Native groups can also be classified by their [[language family]]. It is important to note that peoples with similar languages did not always share the same [[material culture]], nor were they always allies. Scientists believe that the [[Inuit]] people of the high [[Arctic]] came to North America much later than other native groups, as evidenced by the disappearance of [[Dorset culture]] artifacts from the [[Archaeology|archaeological]] record, and their replacement by the [[Thule people]]. During the thousands of years of native inhabitation on the continent, cultures changed and shifted. Archaeologists often name different cultural groups they discover after the site where they are first found. One of the oldest cultures yet found is the [[Clovis culture]] of modern [[New Mexico]]. A more recent example is the group of related cultures called the [[Mound builder (people)|Mound builders]] (e.g. the [[Fort Walton Culture]]), found in the [[Mississippi river]] valley. They flourished from 3000 BC to