From at least 10,000 years ago to approximately 1100 ce the Plains were very sparsely populated by humans. Typical of hunting and gathering cultures worldwide, Plains residents lived in small family-based groups, usually of no more than a few dozen individuals, and foraged widely over the landscape. The peoples of deep prehistory in this region are referred to as Paleo-Indians, Archaic cultures, and Plains Woodland cultures (see Native American: Prehistory). By approximately 850 ce some residents of the central Plains had shifted from foraging to farming for a significant portion of their subsistence and were living in settlements comprising a ...(100 of 7869 words)