Lifestyle Changes

Although evidence about Paleo peoples is limited, archaeologists have some ideas about Paleo people's hunting practices, travel, and family groupings. However, archaeologists know very little about other aspects of Paleo peoples' life such as their religion or their political systems. We do know that Paleo peoples were the first ones to inhabit Wisconsin, and that their lifestyle changed greatly at the end of the Ice Age.

As the glaciers left Wisconsin the climate began to change. The temperature became warmer. The mammoths and mastodons became extinct. Some archaeologists think they became extinct because hunters killed too many. Other archaeologists think the warming climate caused the animals to die off. Right now we don't know which answer is correct; the answer might be a combination of both factors. Whatever the cause, the changing climate and the lack of large animals meant that people needed to adapt their ways of living.

Paleo scene Archaic scene Woodland scene Mississippian and Oneota scene