Native Americans Cultural Groups Eastern Woodlands

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Native Americans Cultural GroupsEastern
Woodlands, Southeastern, Plains, Southwestern,
and Pacific Northwestern
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Major Native American Cultural Groupings

• Eastern Woodlands
• Southeastern
• Plains
• Southwestern
• Pacific Northwestern

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Words Youll Need to Know

• tribe-a group of families bound together under a
  single leadership, share a common culture
• league-an organization that people form which
  unites them for a particular purpose
• culture-way of living
• cultural region-an area in which people with
  similar cultures live

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Eastern Woodlands
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Example of Eastern WoodlandsThe Iroquois lived
in the Eastern Woodlands cultural region.Five
Iroquois tribes came together to form the
Iroquois League. (later six)Iroquois people used
their surrounding resources of the Eastern
Woodlands to meet their needs.
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Eastern WoodlandsEveryday Life

• Way of life hunting and farming
• Hunted animals that were plentiful in the area
• deer, bear, elk, and beaver
• used traps
• Fished in lakes, rivers, and streams
• Grew crops
• corn, beans, squash, tobacco
• Used the woodlands for food and clothing

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Eastern WoodlandsEveryday Life

• Traveling
• by canoes for water
• used snowshoes over snow
• by foot mostly
• moccasins-like slipper made of animal skin
• Animal Skins
• used to make clothing

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Eastern WoodlandsPhysical Environment

• Thick forests
• Used the woodlands for food and clothing
• Many carved tree wood into bowls, tools, and
  utensils
• Some made bark or grass baskets for gathering and
  storage
• Cleared part of the woodlands to make room for
  fields of crops
• Made birch wood canoes

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Eastern WoodlandsPhysical Environment

• Lived in longhouses
• Some tribes lived in birch-bark wigwams and some
  built dome-roof houses
• Gathered the sap for maple syrup (attached
  birch-bark containers to maple trees)
• Paddled through waterways to fish
• Gathered berries and nuts
• knew which ones were safe and delicious

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Eastern WoodlandsCulture

• Based on hunting and farming
• Felt deep connection to animals, trees, and other
  resources around them (Ex. Hunter/deer
  connection)
• Gave thanks for their crops
• Iroquois wampum belt
• Sang and danced to the rhythms of rattles and
  drums
• ex. rattles made of turtle shells

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Eastern WoodlandsCulture

• Believed that the trees, clouds, rivers, and
  other natural surroundings had spirits living
  within them
• Respected nature
• Took just what they needed and no morehealthy
  balance

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Eastern WoodlandsGoverning

• Native American tribes joined together and formed
  the Iroquois League about 1580
• Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk
  (later Tuscarora)
• Sent 50 representatives, all men, to a Great
  Council
• made decisions for the whole league
• Cool Fact The older women of the tribes chose
  these men. (could also remove them)

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The Iroquois Today

• About 50,000 Iroquois today
• many live on reservations in New York state
  (land set aside by the U.S. government for
  Native Americans)
• 50 members still form its Great Council
• League members have become skilled builders of
  city skyscrapers
• mainly from the Mohawk tribe

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