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Social Structure

A large, earthen mound covered in grass set against a blue sky. The mound has stairs with people using them.
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The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is an archaeological site of a pre-Columbian Native American city located in southwestern Illinois, near St. Louis, Missouri.

A tan colored tunic stretched to show the height and width. The tunic has a simple slit for the neck, a red and brown geometric design along the chest, and red embroidery along the hem.
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Inca Miniature Tunic

This cotton and camelid hair tunic dates from the 14th-16th century CE in Peru, and was simply constructed from a rectangle of fabric, with a slit for the neck and open sides for the arms.

Islands under the sphere of Tongan influence in Oceania. The islands are green and the background is blue to represent the water. The screenshot is cropped to focus on the islands in the northwest of the empire.
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Tu'i Tonga Empire Map

The Tu’i Tonga Empire was an Oceanic maritime chiefdom centered on the island of Tongatapu, the main island of Tonga, and flourished between 1200-1500 CE.

A map centered on Oceania with the three dominant cultures highlighted. The Micronesia in the top left is pink, Melanesia is under Micronesia and labeled blue.
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Pacific Culture Areas Map

This map illustrates the three dominant cultures in Oceania, Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia, and which islands occupy each region. This map successfully highlights the number of island nations/cultures and the overall size of Oceania.

A blue, circular icon with an image of a document in the center. Underneath are the words "view document"
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Polynesian Oral Traditions

This collection compiled by Rawiri Taonui, a professor of Indigenous Studies, includes creation myths and stories about gods, the origin of humanity, and cultural heroes for several Polynesian cultures, such as Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, and numerous others.

A moai head with distinctively large nose and lips, rectangular ears, and a large forehead.
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Moai on Easter Island

The Moai are large statues on Easter Island in Oceania, known for their distinctive head and facial features. The moai were created by the Rapa Nui people likely between 1250 and 1600 CE.

The edge of a counter with a man's shoulder and lettering in detail.
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Early Modern Counter

An early modern counter of the "Reichenmaster" style, with one side showing a picture of a man using a counting board and the other side showing the alphabet. These counters were used in classrooms to teach students both to read and perform basic arithmetic.

A woven textile with A closeup of a woven textile featuring a figure that may be a human-animal hybrid. He wears red and blue clothing, dark colored sandals, and has a golden-colored headpiece.
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Coca Bag

This coca bag is from the Moche culture that existed in Peru between the period of 100 to 700 AD. The Moche are known for their ceramics, textiles, and metalworking practices, and this bag demonstrates the skill of Moche weavers.

A sandstone featuring Meroitic hieroglyphs in three columns.
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Meroitic Script

The Meroitic Script was used in the Kingdom of Kush beginning in the 3rd Century BCE, or the Meroitic Period, and had two forms, Meroitic Cursive and Meroitic hieroglyphs.

A green background with counters on a counting board and pen and paper math.
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Division with an Early Modern Counting Board

Before the rise of literacy rates, counting boards such as the one featured in the video were the most common way to perform arithmetic. After pen-and-paper arithmetic replaced counting boards, Arabic numerals also became dominant throughout Europe.