Native American Civilizations: 2000 Years Before Colonization The ancestors of Native Americans crossed the Bering Strait from Siberia into present-day Alaska between 12,000 and 20,000 years ago. Over millennia, Paleo-Indians prospered in the Americas, developing rich, diverse and complex civilizations, speaking over 2000 distinct languages and dialects, and inhabiting nearly every region of the Americas. Nations and cultures across North America developed highly sophisticated social orders, built monumental urban centers, engaged in long-distance trade and agriculture on a large scale, inventing irrigation systems which still exist in parts of the United StatNorthwestern Coastal Native Americans were skilled fisherman and artists, creating many beautiful totem poles that still exist today. They were among the first natives to create permanent civilizations and often held potlatches, which were lavish feasts as a show of wealth and prestige by the chief.

Nations and cultures across North America developed highly sophisticated social orders, built monumental urban centers, engaged in long-distance trade and agriculture on a large scale, inventing irrigation systems which still exist in parts of the United States in the present day. The Northwestern Coastal Native Americans were skilled fisherman and artists, creating many beautiful totem poles that still exist today. They were among the first natives to create permanent civilizations and often held potlatches, which were lavish feasts as a show of wealth and prestige by the chief. The Southwest Native Americans were a nomadic people who created intricate irrigation systems in order to farm.

Numerous pre-Columbian societies were sedentary, such as the Tlingit, Haida, Chumash, Mandan, Hidatsa, and others, and some established large settlements, even cities, such as Cahokia, in what is now Illinois. Scholars estimate that upon Columbus' arrival in the Americas, there were between 2.1 to 18 million indigenous peoples living in North and South America.

These were not "empty lands" waiting to be discovered. They were home to thriving nations with their own laws, trade networks, art, spirituality, and agricultural knowledge – civilizations that had flourished for thousands of years.

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