Native Americans North America
Very Diverse Depending on what tribe you were from and where you were from - Native American lives could be very different However - Native Americans did share many cultural patterns
Eastern Woodlands (ex: Algonquins and Iroquois) Built villages in forest clearings and blended agriculture with hunting and gathering Tribes in this area could be very different.
Algonquins Lived in wigwams - very small and usually one unit (family) lived there Some did live in longhouses with more extended family Hunted deer, moose, small game Bows and arrows Men - hunted and went to war Women - Gathered plants and childcare
Iroquois Mainly matrilineal Iroquois League - Chiefs elected officials chosen by clan mothers Lived in mainly today’s New York State Villages of longhouses Up to 100 feet, could hold 60 people
Iroquois Continued Gender: Women - In charge of family, property, farming. Made all the land and resource decisions for each clan. Men - Chiefs. Made military decisions and trade agreements, hunted Storytelling, art, traditional medicine
Plains Indians (Ex: Apaches) Lived in tepees or wickiups Wickiups - size of modern day tent and could be built in 2 hours by women. Buffalo hide tarp Bows and arrows Beadwork and basketry Hunted buffalo, deer, antelope and small game. Women gathered nuts, seeds, and fruit. Traded for corn
Plains Men and Women Women - In charge of home, built new houses for their families every time they moved, girls learned to ride and shoot, and helped defend villages when attacked Men - Hunters, warriors, political leaders, Chiefs
Pueblo Native Americans Southwest Deserts All Indian Pueblo Council Adobe homes known as pueblos (clay and straw baked into hard bricks) Would contain dozens of units and entire extended clans would live there Bows and arrows. In war - spears and war clubs
Pueblos Continued Expert farming people Corns, beans, squash, sunflowers, cotton, tobacco Pueblo men also hunted and women gathered Women - In charge of family and home Men - Politics, agriculture, war
Kwakiutl Northwest coasts - lots of waterways and forests Sea very important! Decorated masks and boats with magnificent totems Symbols of ancestral spirits that guided each family Large totem poles (wealth and status) Potlatches - ceremonies where they gave away large quantities of their possessions
Kwakiutl Fishing people. The men caught fish and sea mammals in canoes. Had impressive war canoes. used harpoons Men also hunted - used bows and arrows Women gathered clams and shellfish, seaweed, berries, and roots Chief was always a man, clan leaders could be men or women
Trade Based off what we went over, do you think the Native Americans would have incentive to trade with one another in a peaceful manner? Why?
Trading Networks Trade brought Native Americans in contact with one another Elaborate transcontinental trading network Tribes in permanent settlements began to be known for specific goods What do you think is the one good Native Americans would never trade?
LAND! “We cannot sell the lives of men and animals, therefore we cannot sell this land” Based off your prior knowledge, did Europeans feel this way? What do you think would happen once Europeans began to settle the Americas?
Religion Natural world = full of spirits Every object - both living and non-living - possessed a voice that might be heard if one listened closely Some cultures believed in one supreme being Great Spirit, Great Mystery, the Creative Power, The Creator
Social Organization Kinship ensured strong continuation of customs The young respected their elders Gender Roles Varied amongst tribes. With Iroquois and Hopi - women owned household items and matrilineal ancestry. (What does that mean?) In other cultures - it was essentially the opposite
Social Organization (Continued) Basic unit of organization = family Could be organized into clans (what do you think a clan is?) Native American groups known for hunting lived into smaller bands Regardless of tribe - at time of European contact, Native American life WELL- ESTABLISHED.