IT WAS COLD WHEN THE FIRST PEOPLE CAME TO IDAHO.

HOW WERE THEIR LIVES DIFFERENT?

COME... LET'S LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR EARLY LIFESTYLES.

8,000 YEARS AGO ANCIENT IDAHOANS HUNTED HERE.

HI, I'M PHYLLIS EDMUNDSON.

I'M AT OWL CAVE.

HUNTERS WOULD START THE BISON RUNNING.

THE BISON WOULD RUN OVER THE EDGE AND FALL IN.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN IN IDAHO FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS KNOW A LITTLE ABOUT THE ANCIENT IDAHOANS.

ARCHAEOLOGY IS THE STUDY OF WHAT PEOPLE LEAVE BEHIND.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS LEARN HOW THESE FIRST PEOPLE LIVED.

PEOPLE CAME TO IDAHO AT THE END OF THE ICE AGE.

WINTERS WERE LONG.

THEY KEPT MOVING TO FIND FOOD.

LIKE THE WOOLY MAMMOTH.

WHAT KIND OF ANIMAL DO THEY LOOK LIKE?

TO STAY ALIVE THESE PEOPLE HAD TO KEEP TOGETHER.

HUNTERS WOULD BE SKILLED AT 15.

A WOMAN MIGHT HAVE A CHILD WHEN SHE WAS 13.

SOMEONE WHO WAS 30 WOULD HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE VERY OLD.

WHAT WOULD IT HAVE BEEN LIKE BACK THEN?

ARCHAEOLOGIST THINK THESE ANCIENT IDAHOANS ARE RELATED TO TODAY'S NATIVE AMERICANS.

THEY LEARNED TO MAKE TOOLS.

THEY MADE SPEARS, AND USED BOWS AND ARROWS.

HOW WOULD HUNTING WITH A SPEAR BE DIFFERENT THAN HUNTING WITH A BOW AND ARROW?

THEY ATE PLANTS.

WHAT KIND DO YOU THINK THEY ATE?

THE ANCIENT IDAHOANS ATE CAMAS BULBS.

THEY ALSO FOLLOWED A SEASONAL ROUND.

THE PEOPLE MOVED TO FIND FOOD AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE YEAR.

THEY KNEW WHERE TO FIND FISH AND FRUIT.

THEY DIDN'T USE A CALENDAR.

EMMA DANN KNOWS ABOUT THE SEASONAL ROUND.

Emma Dann: "IN WINTER WE HAVE WHITE FISH.

IT IS FAT THEN.

THEN, AFTER THE WILLOWS BUD, WE CATCH FISH IN THE SALMON RIVER."

Phyllis: THEY ALSO NEEDED TO GATHER ROOTS AND PLANTS.

Emma Dann: "LATER WE WENT TO THE ROOT AREA.

ROOTS WOULD LAST A LONG TIME.

THEY WERE GOOD TO EAT.

NATIVE AMERICANS STARTED MAKING A BASE CAMP.

A PLACE THEY COULD ALWAYS COME BACK TO.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS STUDY THESE BASE CAMPS.

NATIVE AMERICANS ONCE LIVED IN HELLS CANYON.

FRANK LEAONHARDY IS AN ARCHAEOLOGIST.

Frank Leonhardy: "NOW, WE HAVE MANY ROOMS IN OUR HOUSES.

THE EARLY PEOPLE HAD ONE ROOM IN THEIR HOUSE.

A LOT WENT ON OUTSIDE THE HOUSE."

Phyllis: THE EARLY IDAHOAN'S HOUSE WAS CALLED A PIT HOUSE.

Frank Leonhardy: "PIT HOUSES WERE ROUND.

THEY BUILT FIRES IN THEM.

BLANKETS MIGHT HAVE BEEN AROUND THE EDGES.

THEY WORKED ON THINGS AROUND THE FIRE.

FOOD HUNG FROM THE RAFTERS."

Phyllis: THESE PEOPLE ALSO HAD TIME FOR FUN.

THEY MADE POTS AND TOYS.

THEY COMBED THEIR HAIR WITH A BUFFALO TONGUE.

THEY MADE FLUTES.

RELIGION WAS IMPORTANT TO THEM.

EACH PERSON HAD A GUARDIAN SPIRIT.

THAT SPIRIT GAVE AWAY A POWER.

CHILDREN WOULD BE SENT OUT ON THEIR OWN TO FIND THEIR SPIRIT.

WHEN THEY CAME BACK THEY WERE AN ADULT.

MANY NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES LIVED IN IDAHO.

SOME SPOKE DIFFERENT WORDS.

EVERYONE LIVED AS ONE BIG FAMILY.

Frank Leonhardy: "BROTHERS HUNTED AND LIVED TOGETHER.

SISTERS ALSO DID THINGS TOGETHER.

THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE THE SAME PARENTS BUT THEY CALLED EACH OTHER SISTER OR BROTHER."

Phyllis: IMAGINE, LIVING WITH YOUR CLASSMATES!

THEIR LIVES WERE DIFFERENT THAN OURS.

BUT ONE THING CHANGED IT.

CAN YOU GUESS?

THE HORSE MADE A BIG CHANGE.

ABOUT 1700 THE SHOSHONE INDIANS BEGAN TO USE HORSES.

THEY GOT THEM BY TRADING WITH OTHER TRIBES.

WHY WOULD THE HORSE CHANGE THEIR LIVES?

HORSES MADE IT EASIER TO TRAVEL, HUNT AND TO TRADE.

AND ALL OF THIS HAPPENED BEFORE LEWIS AND CLARK CAME TO IDAHO.

NATIVE AMERICANS HAD COME A LONG WAY.

THE NATIVE AMERICANS CARED FOR NATURE.

IT KEPT THEM ALIVE.

THEY TOOK CARE.

Emma Dann: "MOTHER EARTH GIVES US FOOD.

WE TAKE IT, AND SHE GROWS IT AGAIN.

OUR CIRCLES ARE THE SAME YEAR AFTER YEAR.

YESTERDAY AND TODAY.

Phyllis: "THE ANCIENT IDAHOANS CAME HERE LOOKING FOR FOOD.

THEY LEARNED THE SEASONAL ROUND.

THEY MADE TOOLS.

AND HORSES CHANGED THEIR LIVES.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS STUDIED HERE AT OWL CAVE.

BUT SOME CLUES HAVE BEEN LOST.

IF YOU FIND SOMETHING VERY OLD LEAVE IT ALONE.

TELL AN ARCHAEOLOGIST ABOUT IT.

BECAUSE YOU MAY HAVE FOUND A LOST CLUE TO THE ANCIENT IDAHOANS.

I'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME.

CLOSED CAPTION TRANSCRIPTION BY SARA J. HANSEN