The First Americans 2 major Theories on how early people came to the Americas Theory = an idea that is suggested or presented as possibly true

Mon Culture HW

Theory One: Land Bridge

Theory Two: Coastal- Row, Row, Row ur Boat

Yucatan, Mexico (12,000-13,000 YA)

Photo Analysis

FYI Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, the oldest site of human habitation in North America, is located Washington County, Pa. A National Historic Landmark, features 16,000-year-old evidence of the region’s earliest inhabitants under a massive rock overhang.

https://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/culture/iroquoisconfederacy Iroquois

Tadodaho- Leader of the Onondaga Black Magic, Cannibal, Killed Hiawatha 3 daughters with spells

The Great Peace Maker No Father, White Serpent, Mohawk Ally story- chop tree

Hiawatha Real name was Ayonwentah Co founder of IQC Poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1855 is fiction

Notes on map side Haudenosuanee- real name for the Iroquois Confederation Confederation- a group of people that join for a common goal White snake- Explorers/Europeans

Artifact Analysis

The People of the Longhouse The Iroquois The People of the Longhouse

Where Would You Live? Village surrounded by oval shaped stockade (20 ft. tall fence) Farm fields surrounds village Inside stockade, rows of buildings-LONGHOUSES

THE LONGHOUSE Made of logs- covered with elm bark Curved roof made of saplings No windows Fire holes in roof to let out smoke from cooking fires 15 - 20 feet tall, 20 feet wide and 50 – 150 feet long

Inside the Longhouse Center aisle from one end to the other Near doors- food storage barrels and stacks of firewood On the sides of the aisle, compartments 13 feet by 16 feet (half of your classroom) Wooden platforms for sleeping and storage Fire shared with family across the aisle Each family has their own clothing, blankets, tools and cooking utensils

Who is in your family? Fireside Family: your parents, brothers and sisters Longhouse Family: oldest woman in the longhouse is the head of family and everyone in the longhouse is related to her You always belong to your mother’s longhouse family Clan Family: two or more longhouse families make up a clan You belong to your mother’s clan Clans named after animals (wolf, bear, turtle) Head of clan was the oldest most respected woman

Bear: taught us gentleness and strength Bear: taught us gentleness and strength. It takes more strength not to raise your hand to strike someone than it does to strike them. Turtle: taught us patience, never to give up. Seen as strength and solidarity, old and wise, and well respected. Wolf: taught us to use our ears and be watchful. Strong sense of family.

What would you eat? Lots of vegetables, fruit, nuts and different kinds of meat and fish Women grew corn, beans and squash (The Three Sisters) in fields surrounding village Hunters brought home deer, bear, beaver, rabbit, and wild turkey Iroquois men and boys are skilled fishermen You’d eat breakfast together with your family, but other meals on your own-mother would have a pot cooking all day

The Three Sisters

What would you wear? Deerskins that the women tanned, cut and sewed by hand Women: long skirts decorated with beads, porcupine quills dyed red, blue or yellow (sometimes leggings under their skirts), vest or blouse on top Men: kilt-like skirts over leggings and vests or blouses made of decorated deerskins Everyone wore moccasins-made of one piece of deerskin sewn together with a deer-bone needle and using sinew from the deer for thread

Who’s Who

Corn Husk Dolls

Clothing

Would you go to school? You would not go any formal school You learned by watching adults do their jobs You learned history when the elders told stories at the festivals and during the long winter months You also learned from your own experiences

What about work? Work was a part of everyday life Every job was respected Work depended on the season: Spring: peel bark for longhouses and canoes, tap trees for syrup,pick strawberries, and fish When the ground was ready, you would plant seeds for all the vegetables Late summer and fall: harvest crops and prepare them for storage Fall: begin hunting Winter: make and repair clothing, tools,bowls,baskets and instruments

Who did which jobs? Men: Women made tools for hunting, sports equipment and musical instruments Made wampum and carved bowls,cups, pipes Cleared farmland Hunted for animals Women Made clay pots, baskets, cradleboards, clothing and moccasins Farmed the fields Cooked the food

Woven baskets

Would you play sports and games? Everyone loved sports and games Games were played at festivals and celebrations Sometimes one village or clan challenged another Lacrosse (called “the ball game”) was the most popular Running was also an important sport Snow-snake was popular in the winter

Lacrosse

Games of Chance

False Face Masks

What happened if you got sick? Iroquois believed that you could get sick from bad food or water or air or by catching someone else’s disease They also believed that you could become sick because of witchcraft of bad people or by the work of evil spirits There were different kinds of healers to treat you depending on your illness

What happened if you got sick? A medicine society like the False Face Society would try to heal you by performing special rituals. You never paid the healers. You just gave them sacred tobacco or kinds of food they liked If you were cured, you became a member of the society and helped to treat others If you broke an arm or leg, then you were treated by a surgeon. The Iroquois were excellent surgeons who not only set broken bones, but also understood the importance of cleanliness If you had a cold or snakebite, you were probably treated by an herbalist who would use plants to heal you

What were the traditional religious beliefs? The Iroquois believed the Creator, or Great Spirit made the world Almost all natural things were under the care of spirits (there were spirits of the wind, rain, trees) Keepers of the Faith were in charge of religious festivals (these were ordinary people with special responsibilities- they would organize the festivals and perform some of the rituals) Religious ceremonies could last for hours and some festivals lasted for days.

Were there special festivals? At all ceremonies, sacred tobacco was burned. There were day-long ceremonies of speeches, prayer, music, dances, games and always a feast. Six main festivals held throughout the year Maple Festival-(early spring) gave thanks for the return of spring and to the maple tree for its “sweet waters” There would be maple syrup and candies Planting Festival- (later in spring) gave thanks for the return of the planting season and ask for blessings on the seeds Strawberry Festival- (late may or early June) celebrated the return of the first fruits of the earth. After the long winter, it was a sweet beginning to a new year.

Were there special festivals? Festivals continued Green Corn Festival- usually held in August(lasted four days) gave thanks to the spirits of the Three Sisters when the corn, beans and squash were ready to eat. Children born since the Midwinter festival would be given names Harvest Festival-(early October) crops are all picked, cooked and stored for winter eating (lasted four days) Midwinter or New Year’s Festival (early February) The longest festival (seven days) Two elders visited every house to announce the new year. Children born since the Green Corn festival would be given names. The Thanksgiving address lasted for hours.

Would you play games of chance? The Iroquois loved games of chance They would often bet on the outcome of a contest In one game, they would toss beans and try to get them the same color Another game was played with peach pits that were black on one side shaken in a bowl

League of Five Nations Before the League existed the Five nations were always at war with one another. Village fought village Nation fought nation It was called the time of “great sorrow and terror” Deganawidah (the Peacemaker) brought the message that by ending war among themselves, the nations would be strong and the people would be safe. The story tells that the people uprooted the tallest pine tree and threw all their weapons of war into the hole and then replanted this Great Tree of Peace Now the Five Nations live in a Great Longhouse, keeping its own fire, but living in peace under one roof

League of Five Nations The longhouse and the Great Pine Tree are the symbols of the Iroquois League The Peacemaker took one arrow from each tribe and tied them together. You can break one arrow, but the bundle of five is too strong to destroy, he said. The Iroquois League is one of the world’s longest lasting unions

League of Five Nations Seneca Cayuga Onondaga Oneida Mohawk

The Great Law of Peace The unwritten Iroquois Constitution Some ideas of the Great Law: All Iroquois land was open to members of Five nations. It was safe to travel and hunt that land Women as well as men participated in government. Women appointed the chiefs and removed them if necessary Freedom of religion was guaranteed to all No such thing as slavery- if you were taken prisoner by the Iroquois your were either killed or adopted an if adopted, you had all the freedoms as everyone else.

HAUDENOSAUNEE FLAG

The Iroquois Government Each nation had its own government Each nation sent chiefs to League council meetings (chiefs could not be warriors) Council met once a year to discuss anything that concerned all the nations Everyone had to agree to all decisions (votes must be unanimous) If they did all agree then the chief conducting the meeting cloud say the League could now “speak with one voice” If someone disagreed, they would discuss it again until they came to an agreement

Naho