Native American Human-Environment Interaction

Natural Resources What does natural resources mean? Materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature. Two types of natural resources: Renewable and nonrenewable What does renewable mean and examples? Renewable resources refer to resources that can naturally regenerate after use. They include resources such as wind, water, natural vegetation, solar energy, and animals. What does nonrenewable mean and examples? Non-renewable resources are components that take too long to replenish after use or exist in limited quantities. Non-renewable resources include products such as crude oil, precious metals, minerals, and rocks. 

Class Activity In class, pair up and read the paragraphs about the Powhatan tribe. With your partner, take notes on the three subjects: hunting/fishing/farming, homes, and clothing

Powhatan: Hunting/Fishing/Farming Indian men had the primary tasks of fishing and hunting. Each winter men from different tribes would join together for hunting expeditions. Deer meat, or venison, served as a supplement to the mostly agricultural diet. The Indians used other parts of the deer such as skin for clothing and bones for tools. The men also protected their village. The Powhatan Indians were primarily farmers planting fields that averaged one hundred acres in size. The women were responsible for working the fields and did so using various tools made from such materials as deer antlers. They grew corn, squash, pumpkins, beans and sunflowers. They also gathered wild foods from the land around them such as nuts, berries and roots. The women were responsible for making meals of these foods. Corn (maize) was the staple crop, and from it women produced such foods as corn cakes and hominy.

Powhatan: Homes Due to their agricultural tie to the land, the Powhatan Indians built semi- permanent “towns”, as the English called them. Ten to twenty houses, called yehakins, were randomly scattered among shade trees and fields. Some yehakins were small and round, while others were oblong, with rounded ends to make them more wind resistant. Young saplings were used to create a frame for the house. The people covered their houses with bark shingles stripped from trees, or with mats woven from cut marsh reeds. In warm weather these mats could be rolled up. Natural resources provided the Indians with what was needed for their survival. Most houses were only a single room. Furniture was limited to fur or mat-covered sleeping benches built along the walls with drying lofts above. At night, additional beds made of deerskins or reed mats were laid directly on the ground. A fire placed in the center of the room served as the main source of light and heat. A smoke hole cut in the roof directly over the fire, as well as doors, provided ventilation and additional light. Because of poor lighting, houses were mainly used for sleeping and storage.

Powhatan: Clothing The men of the Powhatan tribe wore simple clothes made from deerskin (buckskin) which consisted of a breechcloth that was passed between the legs and attached to a cordage belt. Leggings and moccasins were worn on hunting trips in the forests. The women wore a deerskin apron and like the men they also wore moccasins and leggings when working on the land or gathering food in the forest. Fur cloaks were worn in the winter. Their clothes were often decorated with painted designs, fringes and beads. The important men and chiefs of the Powhatan tribe frequently made cloaks from the feathers of birds. Cloaks were tied above the left shoulder and were long enough to reach below the knees. Both men and women of the tribe tattooed their bodies and painted their faces with a mixture of red paint and nut oil.