Native American Tribes of North America The Eastern Woodland Indians were Native Americans that lived in the eastern part of the present-day United States. A variety of trees covered most of the area in which they lived, which lead to their name. Native Americans used the natural resources around them to make their homes. This is why different cultures of Indians had different types of homes. The Eastern Woodland Indians lived in or near the forests, so they would use wood for their homes.

Mattaponi Indian Reservation Let’s Play BINGO! Chewing Gum Wigwam Corn Chickee Longhouse Sweet Potato House Squash Mattaponi Indian Reservation Beans Brush Shelter Sunflower Birch Bark Canoe Wampum Belt Apartment Lacrosse

Birch Bark Wigwam (Eastern Woodland) Birch Bark Wigwam (Abenaki tribe) or also called Wetu (Wampanoag tribe) Eastern Woodland Native Americans lived in wigwams and longhouses that were covered with bark from trees. Wigwams were dome-shaped huts made by fastening mats, skins, or bark over a framework of poles. A frame was set up, either spruce or pine branches arranged in a circular floor pattern. The frame was covered with a layer of birch bark (protection against the rain and snow). The overlapping bark provided good protection against the rain. Another layer of poles were often stacked against the outside walls of the wigwam to keep the wind from blowing off the bark. A piece of leather hide was used as a door. Inside there was a rock fire pit in the middle (edged with sand) that provided heat for the family. The ground inside was covered with fir branches, which acted as insulation and kept the family warm. Women took the wigwams apart, carried them from place to place, and set them up again.

Corn Corn, also called maize, was one of three very important crops for Native Americans along with beans and squash. Corn, squash, and beans were called the “three sisters” because they helped each other grow, and were planted and grown together. Many different varieties of corn were planted by different Native American tribes, depending on where they lived.

Sunflower Sunflowers were grown by the Eastern Woodland Native Americans. The seeds were used as food.

Birch Bark Canoe Eastern Woodland Native Americans used birch bark canoes a main source of transportation during the summer. Birch bark was a functional material to use because it was strong, but light, making the canoe easier to paddle and portage. Birch trees were also particularly abundant in the area. Birch bark strips were sewn together and attached to the wooden frame using spruce root as a lace. The seams were sealed with spruce gum. The canoes were easy to repair. If there was a hole, a new piece of bark could be sewn in and sealed with spruce gum.

Wampum Belt 'Wampum Belts' were commonly made with pictures to keep tribal records, and to communicate with other groups when they went to visit. Wampum beads were also used as a form of currency.

Sweet Potato Many tribes learned to grow root plants such as the sweet and white potato, radishes, and turnips.

Chickee (South Eastern Woodlands) Chickees were used by Eastern Woodland Native Americans living in the South East (Florida and South Carolina) Chickees are good homes for people living in a hot, swampy climate. The long posts keep the house from sinking into marshy earth, and raising the floor of the hut off the ground keeps swamp animals like snakes out of the house. Walls or permanent house coverings are not necessary in a tropical climate where it never gets cold.

Longhouse Longhouses were used by the Eastern Woodland Native Americans (Iroquois tribes and Algonquian neighbors, such as Powhatan NA). They are built similarly to wigwams, with pole frames and elm bark covering. But longhouses are much larger than wigwams. Longhouses could be 200 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 20 feet high. Inside the longhouse, raised platforms created a second story, which was used for sleeping space. Mats and wood screens divided the longhouse into separate rooms. Each longhouse housed an entire clan-- as many as 60 people!

Squash The three sisters (corn, beans, and squash) were planted and grown together by many Native American tribes. Many types of squash were grown tby different Native American tribes, depending on where they lived. This is a Lakota Winter Squash, grown by the Lakota tribe of the plains. Dried squash/gourds could be used as musical instruments or for bowls, cups and scoops.

Lacrosse The game of Lacrosse began among Eastern Woodland Native American tribes as early as the 1400s In its beginnings lacrosse, then called baggataway, was a wide-open game that was played for fun and sometimes to resolve conflict among tribes. The lacrosse ball and stick were made of wood or deer skin

Brush Shelter Brush Shelters are temporary Native American dwellings used by many tribes. Most Native Americans only made a brush shelter when they were out camping in the wilderness.

Beans The three sisters (corn, beans, and squash) were planted and grown together by many Native American tribes. Many varieties of beans were grown by different Native American tribes, depending on where they lived.

Chewing Gum Eastern Woodland Native Americans showed the early settlers their chewing gum. Many tribes across the regions chewed gum made from resin and natural resources found around them.

Native Americans Today Most American Indians today live in modern houses and apartments, just like North Americans from other ethnic groups.

Native Americans Today Some Native American live on Reservations which are areas of land given to Native Americans by the US government. This is a picture of the Mattaponi Indian Reservation in West Point, VA.

Works Cited http://www.historyisfun.org/visitus/documents/LivingwiththeIndians.pdf http://nativeamericansofvirginia.weebly.com/the-life-of-an-eastern-woodland-native-american.html Birch Bark Canoe Picture Retrieved From: http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/2010/04/birch-bark-canoe-by-rick-nash.html Birch Bark Wigwam , Plank House picture Retrieved From: http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp_wh2.html Chewing Gum Picture Retrieved From: http://www.candyfavorites.com/shop/catalog-gum-history.php Chickee Picture Retrieved From: http://www.semtribe.com/Culture/Chickee.aspx Corn, Beans, Squash, sunflower pictures retrieved by: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs141p2_015559.pdf House and Apartment Picture Retrieved From: https://www.google.com/search?q=Middle+Class+House&biw=1280&bih=941&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMI2qG7m5jzyAIVF_ZjCh1xBQAA#imgrc=lYnebPOEQk77LM%3A Lacrosse Picture Retrieved By: http://www.slideshare.net/100679/sgp-slides-3653811 Longhouse picture Retrieved From: http://whitewolve.com/native_americans/indexblok.woodland.htm Mattaponi Indian Reservation photo Retrieved From: http://sailingdowntheroad.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-mattaponi-indian-reservation.html Sweet Potato and Sunflower Picture Retrieved From: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs141p2_024206.pdf Wampum Belt Picture Retrieved From: http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp_wh5.html