SUBSISTENCESTRATEGIESIN MIDDLE TO LATEPRECONTACT ARIZONA
Lesson Plan for Grades 4-7

Teacher’s Materials
Vocabulary

Created by Carol J. Ellick, M.A., RPA, SRI Foundation
Illustrations by: Cindy Elsner HaywardVOCABULARY
agave—a plant that grows in dry
environments, it has long, spiny,
sword-shaped leaves and grows atall flowering stem. Native peoples
gather agave, cut off the sharp
leaves and cook the center “heart”
of the plant for food. The fiberfrom the leaves is used for weavingand making twine and thread.
agriculture—the cultivation ofdomesticated plants such as corn,beans, and squash, as primarysources of food; agriculture refers
to the practice of cultivating soil,producing crops; farming.
amaranth—a plant that produces
small seeds that look like poppy
seeds, high in protein.
Anasazi—an archaeological term forthe people living in the FourCorners region of theSouthwestern United States; theterm Ancestral Puebloan orAncestral Pueblo People is now
considered more appropriate andused instead of the term Anasazi.
ancestor—a person from whom one
is descended; a past relative who isno longer alive.
Ancestral Puebloan—people livingin the Four Corners region of theSouthwestern United States
during the Formative time period;
also called the Anasazi.
archaeologist—a scientist whostudies past people.
archaeology—the method forstudying past human cultures
based on the materials they leftbehind.

Archaic (time) period—the timeperiod after the Paleoindian timeperiod and before the Formative
time period; from approximately
8,000 years ago until about 2,000years ago.
artifact—an object that has been
made, or used, by humans.
bargaining—making the best priceor trade.
basic needs—food, water, andshelter; the three things thathuman beings need to survive.
bison—buffalo; Bison antiquus was alarge ancient type of bison that is
now extinct.
bosque—a small wooded area along
a river or marsh.
chronology—an arrangement ofevents in time; a record of eventsin the order in which theyoccurred.
Colorado Plateau—the geographic
area covering an area of theSouthwestern United States insouthwestern Colorado, northern
Arizona, northwest New Mexicoand southeastern Utah.
cultivated—grown by people; withregard to farming, cultivatedpreparation of soil in order tosuccessfully grow plants.
culture—the set of learned beliefs,values, styles, and behaviors
generally shared by members of ahuman society or group.
data—information, especiallyinformation organized for analysis.

Vocabulary2devil’s claw—a plant that grows ablack pod, the fiber from the pod
is used for weaving.
domesticated—plants or animals
trained or adapted to live in ahuman environment and to be ofuse to humans.
drought—a lack of rain over a long
period of time.
Euroamerican—people whose family
or ancestors came to America
from Europe.
extinct—no longer existing, nolonger alive.
foraging—the act of gathering foodand other resources.
Formative (time) period—the time
period when a major commitment
to agriculture (farming) ,combined with the use of pottery
containers and sedentary living
co-occurred and persisted; fromapproximately 2,000 years ago tothe present.
game—wild animals hunted bypeople.
geographic—of or relating to thescience of geography; concerning
the earth’s landforms and its
physical characteristics.
grinding stone—usually a flat stone(“metate”) on which grains orgrasses are crushed and groundwith a hand stone (“mano”).
gourd—a fruit that grows on a vine;
it has a tough rind, is not edible,
but when dried the hard outsiderind can be used as a container.
hearth—a fire pit.

Hohokam—an O’odham word
meaning “those who have gone”
used by archaeologists to refer tothe people who lived in theSonoran Desert area of southern
Arizona between approximately
A.D. 1–1400.
hunter-gatherers—people who huntwild game and gather wild plants
for their food. Most huntergatherers are nomadic. Some
hunter-gatherers follow a seasonalpattern to hunt and gather foods
and other resources that they needto survive.
irrigation agriculture—a type offarming that requires a deliberateapplication of water from rivers,
springs, or wells.
knowledge—an understanding of a
topic or thing.
lifeways—ways of living that are
typical to a culture.
mammoth—extinct elephant-likeanimal that once roamed theNorth American continent.
mano—a hand stone that is used ona metate for grinding.
manta—a type of sleeveless dress
worn by Pueblo women, usuallydraped over one shoulder only.
metate—a grinding stone that forms
the base, used with a hand stone
or mano for grinding grains,grasses, or paints.
migration—movement from one
place to another place, changing
locations.
Mogollon—an archaeological term
for the people who lived in themountainous area of eastern
Arizona and west and southern
New Mexico between
approximately A.D. 1–1400.

Vocabulary

3Native American—another term for
American Indian.
nomadic—people who move withthe seasons in search of food andresources.
olla—a big pottery jar used to holdwater or to store food.
Paleoindians—the first peoples wholived on the continents now called
North and South America.
Paleoindian (time) period—the timeperiod when people first lived on
the continents now called Northand South America; from at least
12,000 years ago until about 8,000years ago.
Patayan—an archaeological term fora nomadic hunting and gathering
people who lived in the western
desert areas of Arizona between
approximately A.D. 1–1400.
pit house—a house that is built bydigging an oval or rectangular holein the ground somewhat larger
than the size of a room; haswooden posts, beams, and brushcovered by mud. Some pit houses
have ladders through the roof toenter, others have doors on theside of the house.
porridge—a soft cooked cereal madefrom grain.
precontact— the period of humanexperience prior to written
records; see prehistoric.
prehistoric—the period of humanexperience prior to written
records; in the Americas,
prehistory refers to the period
before Europeans and their writing
systems arrived.

pueblo—apartment-style houses usedby precontact people on theColorado Plateau and by Pueblo
peoples today; small village orplace of residence.
ramada—an outdoor covered
patio; a sun-shade.
relationship—a connection
between peoples.
sacred—special or religious.
sedentary—remaining in one place.
Sinagua—a word meaning,“without water” and thearchaeological term for the early
agricultural people who lived inthe Verde Valley and the area near
Flagstaff between approximately
A.D. 1–1400.
site—a place where human activities
took place and material evidenceof these activities was left behind.
subsistence—way of life based onhow people get food, water, andshelter.
territory—an area of land under thecontrol of, or traditionally used by,a people or person.
timeline—a visual representation of
events in chronological order.
tumpline—a woven cloth or animal
hide strap that is used to help
support heavy loads on a person’sback, the tumpline is worn acrossthe forehead.
yucca—a desert plant that has longsword-like sharp-edged pointy
leaves. The fibers in the leaves areused for weaving. Some varieties
have fruit and flowers that can beeaten. The root of the yuccacontains a soapy material that wasused as a shampoo by many Native
Americans in the past.

Vocabulary4