Sydney Cox Mrs. Thomas 3 rd Grade

Native Americans

A Native American is any member of the peoples living in North or South America before the Europeans arrived.

Native Americans are grouped into tribes. Members of a tribe share the same land, culture, language, religion, and customs. Tribes are also grouped into regions or culture groups.

Northwest Coast / Far west Northwest Coast / Far west Plains Eastern Woodlands Southwest

 This region is along the Pacific Coast.  Moderate temperatures (no extreme temperatures)  Thick forests

 Tribes  Nez Perce  Shoshone Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce

 Native Americans in the Northwest Coast lived in longhouses.  Those who traveled, also lived in teepees.

 The Pacific Ocean offers the Native Americans plenty of fish.  They trapped salmon in the rivers and hunted large sea animals, like whales, in the ocean.

 The Native Americans were great wood carvers. They carved totem poles to place outside of their houses.  Totem poles were used to tell the family’s history.

After the Native Americans adopted some European techniques, they began to make clothing out of wood pulp and cotton.

 A common custom for Native Americans in this region is to hold a potlatch. The host would give gifts to their guests.  Those who had the most possessions to give was seen as the wealthiest and the most powerful

 This region is between the Rocky Mountains & the Mississippi River.  The land is flat and grassy with few trees.  Hot Summers  Cold Winters

 Tribes  Lakota  Cheyenne Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill Morning Star

 Native Americans in the Plains region live in tipis.  Tipis allow the Native Americans to travel and follow the buffalo.

 Native Americans in the Plains region hunt buffalo.  They follow the buffalo herds as they travel across the plains.

 Headdresses were worn by honored men.  Headdresses vary from tribe to tribe.  They are earned by brave deeds.

 Native Americans in the Plains region wore animal skins and moccasins.

 Not all the tribes in the Plains region spoke the same language.  They developed a sign language to communicate with each other.

 The Southwest region includes Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado and Mexico.  Desert  Extremely Dry

 Tribes  Apache  Navajo Geronimo Manuelito

 Native Americans in the Southwest region lived in pueblos of adobe buildings.  Adobe is the mixture of sand, clay, and water. This is mixed with sticks and straw to make the walls.  Some tribes such as the Navajo, lived in hogans. Pueblos Hogans

 Native Americans in the Southwest region hunted buffalo and grew maize, beans, squash, and pumpkins.

Native Americans in the Southwest are known for their woven blankets, pottery, and turquoise jewelry.

 Native Americans in the Southwest, like the Navajo, became cotton farmers and sheep herders. They got wool from the sheep for their clothes. They also used deerskin.

 Some Native American tribes in the Southwest believed in Kachinas, spirits of their ancestors who have come back with the clouds and the rain.  The Southwest region is also believed to be the most highly developed.

 The Eastern Woodlands region is located between the Mississippi River and the Atlantic Coast. It also includes the Great Lakes.  This region had a moderate climate.  Lots of trees.

 Tribes  Iroquois  Cherokee Sequoyah

 Native Americans in the Eastern Woodlands region live in wigwams and longhouses.

 Native Americans in the Eastern Woodlands region hunt deer and grow crops such as maize, squash, and beans.

 Native Americans in the Eastern Woodlands created many types of baskets to store their many goods.

 Native Americans in the Eastern Woodlands region wore deer pelts and buckskins.  Pelts are animal skins that still haves the fur on it.  Buckskins are animal skins without fur.  Women also wore grass dresses.

 The Cherokee had a written language, that was developed by Sequoyah.