Great Basin and Great Plains.

Archeological evidence suggests that the methods of acquiring food and shelter for the native people of the Great Basin and Great Plains became more diversified during the Archaic period. However, the political structures of these societies apparently changed little. These societies continued to exist in bands or small groups of extended families. Only occasionally during the winter or for the purpose of gathering a specific food did several families come together to form a temporary village. Most of the time, though, these small groups pursued their own patterns of movement. This seasonal roaming had the effect of limiting the development of settled societies in large numbers and kept social organization centered around the kinship group. There were no hierarchies of leadership. Instead the family and social pressure provided order within these small communities. Government continued to...