Amerind settlement
Amerind inhabitants were Humans transplanted to the planet Amerind from Earth by the Preservers, which they knew as the Wise Ones. They were American Indians with a culture mixing Navajo, Mohican, and Delaware elements. USS Enterprise sensors suggested there were no other civilizations on the planet.
A camp of existed within thirty minutes walking distance of an obelisk installed by the Preservers to protect the planet from asteroids that dominated the region. These people were characterized as happy. They appeared to be a mixture of Navajo, Mohican, and Delaware. Positions within this group included chief, tribal elder, priestess (and her handmaiden), and medicine chief.
They fished using fishnets. They worked fields and had periodic harvests. Tribe members bathed.
They practiced marriage, which involved the creation of a ritual cloak, after which there could be a joining day. A holy path was to be followed to the earth lodge. maidens were available for marriage. Tribal law dictated that Tribal priestess and medicine chief always married.
The group considered the obelisk to be a temple in which there lived a spirit. Their priestess offered foods to the obelisk, and their medicine chief wore a medicine badge which seemed to depict the obelisk. It was said that after the Wise Ones transported the group, they chose a medicine chief to keep the secret of the temple. He was trained to use the temple for its stated purpose, asteroid deflection. His secret was passed on from father to son.
The tribe was warned about this danger, and associated it with dark skies. These also came with wind, thunder, and trembling earth. Their legends also told that in these times of trouble, the Wise Ones would send a god to make the sky grow quiet.
While Kirk was stranded with this group in 2268, he introduced them to a type of lamp, a previously unfamiliar technology. He also intruduced them to the concept of preserving food for times of famine. He further proposed the creation of a canal, to bring water from the lake to the lodge. In time the system could be expanded to irrigate the fields and double the food supply. (TOS: "The Paradise Syndrome")