American Indians

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American Indians, sometimes called Native Americans, are descendants of the first people to live in the Americas. They had been living there for thousands of years before any Europeans arrived.

When Columbus landed in what is now known as the West Indies, he incorrectly thought he had reached the Indies. He called the native people he met Indians. The Indians of the Americas spoke hundreds of different languages, had many varied ways of life, and each group had its own name. Some lived in large cities and others in small villages. Still others kept moving throughout the year, hunting animals and gathering wild plants.

No people had lived in the Americas before the arrival of Indians. Most scientists believe the first Native Americans came from Asia at least 15,000 years ago. Some think they may have arrived as early as 35,000 years ago. At the time of the first natives, huge ice sheets covered much of the northern half of the earth and much of the earth that is now underwater was dry land. One such area that was dry then but is now submerged is the Bering Strait. People following the animals that they hunted, wandered across this land, a distance of about 50 miles (80 kilometers). Before European arrival, the Indians had spread throughout the New World. Varied tribes and cultures ranged from the Arctic regions of North America to the southern tip of South America."

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