Diversity in Indian Country.

Many modern Americans fail to realize the diversity of native economies in pre-Columbian North America. Some may think only of Squanto helping the Pilgrims or Plains Indians hunting bison on horseback. On the contrary, before and after contact with Europeans and Anglo-Americans, Indians throughout the Trans-Appalachian West subsisted on a wide variety of resources. Despite the differences, though, indigenous nations tended to adapt to the local environment to provide subsistence security. They used the land in order to survive, and many refused to rely too heavily on any one resource because such actions often led to starvation.

Agriculture.

Because the geography of the Trans- Appalachian West is so varied, Indian economies differed dramatically according to local soils and climate. Still, about one-half of all groups relied regularly on farming, which provided from one quarter to three...