The Inuit life was a hard one. During the day, they hunted for food. At night, the Inuit sheltered tent homes made of animals skins, or in ice igloos, a skill they learned from the Central Eskimos. They made spears, harpoons, and pipes. They passed the time storytelling. Songs that told tales of hunting and hardship accompanied their stories. 

There are almost no trees in the Arctic. There are few plants There are almost no trees in the Arctic. There are few plants. It is cold most of the year. The Inuit could not become farmers. Like the other early people who lived in the Arctic, they were hunters and gatherers. In the short summer, they gathered berries, seaweed, and eggs. Their main food year around was meat (seal, caribou, whale, walrus, fish, and birds).

THE KWAKIUTL…lived in the Pacific Northwest and depended upon their cedar canoes to help them catch whales. It took days to kill a whale. At any moment, the whale could overturn the canoes. They used harpoon type spears. Some Indians actually jumped on the whales back to help kill it. A successful hunt meant food, rope, blubber to be eaten and made into oil, and containers. The Makah and other Indians hunted and fished throughout the warm months. In the summer they fished for salmon. In the fall, they fished for whales. 

In the Pacific Northwest, Native American cultures lived in a shelter known as the plank house. The plank house was made primarily from wood pieces found along the wooded areas near the sea or water body. Each house was built by placing the wood on totem poles imbedded in the ground. Eventually the roof was placed on top in a upside-down V shape. These houses were considered very durable to the environment, especially dampness and rain.

KWAKIUTL CULTURE… What is a Potlatch? A Potlatch is not just a party. A Potlatch is a magnificent and planned party. It's a really big deal. Planning for a potlatch might take an entire year, or even longer! A Potlatch was a wonderful festival with weddings and stories (the tall tale type) and feasting and dancing and trading. 

NEZ PERCE means “pierced nose” in French NEZ PERCE means “pierced nose” in French. Nez Perce men wore bison skin robes.  Women wore long, belted buckskin dresses, corn husk basketry hats, and knee length moccasins.  the dresses were decorated with elk teeth, beads made of shell, bone, and later glass, porcupine quills, and vegetable and mineral dyes. Men and boys hunted : deer, elk, mountain sheep, rabbits, bears, wolves, and salmon from the river in the spring.

The HOPI TRIBE… One food that was common in the Hopi was corn. There was 24 different kinds of corn including blue and white. They used the corn for their main food source. The Hopi also grew different kinds of beans including black beans, yellow beans, and purple string beans. They Hopi also grew and ate were squash, melons, and peaches.

The Hopi built homes out of adobe. HOPI HOMES… The Hopi built homes out of adobe. Adobe is a type of clay to protect blistering heat. They also built pueblos. Pueblos were made of stones and mud.

HOPI CULTURE… At the heart of the Hopi religious life are the Kachina dolls. The Kachina dolls were made out of wood and were spirits, sometimes used at ceremonies. The Hopi held Kachina ceremonies, in July. The Hopi did rain dances to bring liquid to the region.

Pawnee Tribe The Pawnee lived in the Great Plains Region … Valley of Platte River, Nebraska and surrounding areas They were nomads- traveled and followed food source (buffalo) Their temporary (easily movable) homes were tipis Women grew crops and made pottery, women were perceived as the power of life, men would hunt What They Wore- Women wore skirts and moccasins, and in the winter they wore buckskin dresses, men would wear loin cloths in warmer weather

PAWNEE CULTURE… The Pawnee loved the stars PAWNEE CULTURE… The Pawnee loved the stars. There was no ceremony that did not have some connection with the stars.  They are also credited with being the best scouts on the Plains. Their young warriors could make a call that sounded exactly like a wolf. Their scouts seemed to almost have the power to be invisible. Be it day or night, it was rare a Pawnee scout was spotted.

THE PAWNEE HUNTING… BUFFALO were extremely important to the Plains tribes. They believed in using EVERY part of the buffalo and not wasting any of it. One method of hunting buffalo in the northwestern plains was to drive a herd of buffalo over a cliff. Another popular method was to follow the buffalo herd and use bows and arrows and the men rode on horses to hunt the animal. Both methods required group cooperation and resulted in the shared distribution of meat.

each had their own home called a chickee. SEMINOLE FAMILIES… each had their own home called a chickee.  Chickees were platform houses, made of logs. The bottom floor was about 3 feet off the ground for protection from flooding and animals. The roof was slanted. Certain times of the year, people hung canvas curtains (walls) to keep out the rain and cold weather. When walls were not needed, the Seminole rolled up their canvas curtains and hung them from the rafters to keep them safe and dry. Seminole families slept in their chickee at night. Their beds of hides or blankets were called "comfortables". Comfortables were rolled up and hung from the rafters during the day. They had very little other furniture, perhaps a chair, a table, and a few colorful baskets.

Seminole men were good hunters. Fish were speared from canoes Seminole men were good hunters. Fish were speared from canoes. They caught otter, raccoon, bobcats, alligator, turtle, and birds. To catch deer, they would burn a patch of grass. When the new grass grew in, the deer came to feast, and the Seminole caught the deer. Corn was the main crop. They used corn to make corn flour, corn bread, corn pancakes, and even a corn soft drink called sofkee.