The Native Americans lived in 11 different culture regions (areas) throughout North and South America Culture Region: an area in which people share a similar way of life (culture) Each culture region developed their own unique way of life and customs. Why? The 11 regions all had different environments and geography. The Native Americans living in each region had to learn how to adapt and survive according to the land and climate around them

The Arctic or Far North

Tribes Inuit Kutchin Beaver Cree These tribes were located in Alaska and throughout Canada

The Arctic Region is covered in frozen seas and icy treeless Plains (tundra). Glaciers are found covering much of the land in the winter

In this harsh climate, temperatures can get as low as –30 o. Snow stays on the ground much of the year.

Discuss with your partner: How do you think the Native Americans in this region built homes and obtained food?

This is the winter house, called an igloo. Lamps filled with seal oil give both light and warmth.

Igloos were made of blocks of ice and snow and lined with furs on the inside.

Seals were an important animal to the lives of these Native Americans. The seals were used for food, oil, and clothing.

In the southern areas moose would be hunted.

Whales were a primary source of food. These Native Americans saw the animals as having spirits, thus they would pray to the Spirit before and after the hunt.

Women of this region used the furs from the animals to make warm clothing, like these boots and the clothing below.

The Southwest

Tribes Navajo Hopi Pueblo Apache Zunis These tribes lived throughout the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Nevada

The Southwest Native Americans adapted to a desert environment. The days were hot (105 O ) and the nights were cool (30 O ). The land was dry and difficult to farm. Rain was limited, so they collected all they could in jars.

Discuss with your partner: How do you think the Native Americans in this region built homes and obtained food?

Like the Anasazi before them, the Hopi lived in adobe pueblos.

These pueblos housed the whole tribe. Together they would work the fields and prepare the food. They were a true community. Some of the surrounding tribes, like Apaches and Navajos raided the Hopi pueblos to get their food. Eventually, the Hopis taught them how to farm.

These are hogans. They were made of mud and wood. Both the Apaches and Navajos lived in this type of home.

This is another type of hogan found in the Southwest.

Through use of an irrigation system, the Hopis were able to grow corn, beans and squash. The Hopis would dig in the Earth until they found underground springs. This is where they would then plant their fields. Tribes who were unable to farm hunted small desert animals like jack rabbits and snake and gathered roots and nuts from the desert soil.

The Navajos were skilled weavers. They weaved complicated designs into their blankets and baskets.

The Navajo were also skilled pottery makers. The pots and jars had many purposes, mostly to store water and food.

The Great Plains

Tribes Mandan Cheyenne Blackfoot Dakota Arapaho Osage Crow Comanche These tribes spread through out the central United States from North Dakota down into central Texas

On the Great Plains, the land is very flat. Grass covers most of the land. This area has hot summers and cold winters.

Thousands of buffalo used to roam the Great Plains.

Discuss with your partner: How do you think the Native Americans in this region built homes and obtained food?

The plains Indians were constantly moving around in search of buffalo herds. Since they needed to move, they lived in teepees, which were easy to put up and take down.

Teepees had wooden poles tied together, that were then wrapped with buffalo skins. Each one held a family who decorated their teepee with symbolic pictures and designs.

The interior of a teepee

The early plains tribes used to farm and hunt animals like the buffalo. They would hunt the animals on foot, which took weeks. After they were introduced to horses by the Spanish, their hunting techniques changed and the buffalo became their main source of food.

Horses made finding and hunting the buffalo easier. The Mandan's would chase a herd for miles until they tired and would kill hundreds at a time. This would be their food for months.

The women would clean and skin the buffalo. They would cut the meat into small sections and hang it up to dry it out. This would allow them to preserve the meat for months.

Once they were finished getting the meat, the women would then work on the skins. They would stretch the skins and rub them with oils so they could be used to make clothing and teepees.

These were the clothes the Plains Tribes wore. Everything was made out of the buffalo. None of the buffalo was wasted.

The Eastern Woodlands

Tribes Algonquin Iroquois Shawnee Chippewa Huron Miami The Eastern Woodlands stretched from as far north as Maine and a far south as South Carolina

The Eastern Woodlands was filled with dense forests and lots of vegetation and animal life. The climate was humid continental.

Discuss with your partner: How do you think the Native Americans in this region built homes and obtained food?

The Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands used two types of homes, Wigwams and Longhouses

This is a typical Iroquois village

Longhouses were usually about 25 feet wide, and feet long. They used large logs and strips of elm bark to create these structures. The only light came from holes in the ceiling, known as smoke holes. These holes let the smoke from tobacco, and fire out of the house. In the cold winters these holes were shut with sliding panels to keep the house from getting too cold. Each long house held many families, the average one held ten. Each one would share a fire with one other family.

The Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands farmed as well as hunted animals, such as deer, turkey, and rabbit.

These tribes also fished in the many rivers and streams found in this region. This dugout is the boat they would use.

The Iroquois developed the game of lacrosse as a means of practicing their hunting and survival skills.

The End