The Eastern Woodland Indians & Southeast Indians Lesson 6

Life in the Eastern Woodlands The Eastern Woodlands covers the U.S. east of the Mississippi River. Eastern Woodland people had many uses for trees: Canoes Shelter Food (Maple Syrup) They lived in permanent villages. Some even built walls around their villages for protection.

Many Woodland Indians planted crops. If soil was bad, Woodland Indians had to burn dead trees or used dead fish to fertilize the soil. When they weren’t farming, Woodland Indians hunted beavers, deer, and birds and gathered berries, nuts, and greens.

The Algonquians These Native Americans lived in wigwams. They communicated with other tribes by using money (shells called “wampum.”)

WAMPUM

The Iroquois Many Tribes made up the Iroquois Nation: Mohawks Senecas Onondagas Oneidas Cayugas These tribes shared a government. They lived in longhouses (made of wood/bark).

The Southeastern Indians The Seminole lived in present-day Florida. Homes were very simple – wooden poles and thatched roofs – called a Chickee This group hunted and fished since they were near the ocean.

Chickee

The Seminole women made baskets, and they added beautiful designs to clothing by using beads. The Seminole are known for their storytelling around a campfire. They wore cotton clothing or animal skins.