PALEO
The Paleo people came over from Asia on the Beringia Land Bridge that connected Asia to North America. They were nomads, which means that they traveled with groups of animals that they used for food (animals such as Wooly Mammoth, Massadon, Caribou, Moose, and the Giant Sloth). They were the first people in North America. Their shelters were made when they got to the site and were big pits with straw or hide covering them. One key thing that the Paleo people did was come up the Atlatl (which is a spear thrower). The Paleo people lived from 10,000 to 8,000 BCE.
ARCHAIC
The Archaic time is divided into three sub-periods called the Early, Middle, and Late periods. In the Early Archaic period (from 8,000-6,000 BCE), people lived in small groups called clans. The Middle Archaic period was from 6,000 to 2,500 BCE. During this period people had a warm climate, were semi-nomadic (which means less migration), and there was no evidence of permanent shelters. Finally the Late Archaic period was from 2,500 to 1,000 BCE. People in this time hunted and gathered, changed the shape of the spear point, began to have more and more permanent shelters near rivers, and trading began.
Woodland
The Woodland period started in 1,000 BCE and lasted until 1,000 AD. The tribes in this time moved from place to place. Along with the invention of the bow and arrow, they started horticulture. These people started to have semi-permanent shelters. An example of their dwellings would be a sturdy house in a village. Something unique about these people is that they made effigy mounds, which are earth, stone, or shells shaped into animal-like mounds. Another unique characteristic of the Woodland people is that women had a lot of power.
MISSISSIPPIAN
This period lasted from 900 AD to 1,600 AD. People lived in chiefdoms, a small society in which the chief makes all of the decisions and controls the distribution of all goods. The Mississippian people were also big horticulturalists. The village were made up of thousands of people living in single settlements located inside of fences. Much like the Woodland people, the Mississippian people also made mounds. These people had permanent settlements and were vegetarians.