The First Hunters and Farmers
The First Hunters and Farmers The region we call South Dakota has not always been home to its present population. In very early times, Mammoth Hunters lived and roamed the area. After them came the people of the corn, Paleo-Indian tribes, who moved up into the region from Mexico, following the rivers that supplied water for their crops of corn, squash, and beans. Later, the Mandan, Arikara, and Dakota people moved into the region. This episode looks at our history through the eyes of archaeologists and scientists who explore the past by examining the remains of ancient cultures.
Related Resources
Additional videos, activities, and more are below.
About this Episode of History 605: For around a hundred years, several hundred people lived at the James River and Firesteel Creek confluence. When did they live there, you ask? About a thousand years ago, says Adrien Hannus, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Augustana University. I hope you enjoy our conversation about how he does his fascinating work.
We also discussed the Mammoth "kill site" in the Badlands, and he explained the value of getting to know aspects of the first people to live in what is today South Dakota.
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