Native American Cultures

1. Native American Cultures Essential Question How did Native Americans in different regions use natural resources to meet their needs?

2. Native Americans • Native Americans were the first people to live here. • Scientists think that they came to this continent from Asia during the last ice age over the Bering Strait when it was frozen.

3. Civilizations • Native Americans spread out and developed civilizations all over America • A civilization is a group of people living together who have the same system of government, religion, and culture. • We will be learning about the Native Americans that settled in North America.

4. Native American Groups • There were many groups of Native Americans. Each group used whatever natural resources were available in their environment. They lived in different places and had very different lives.

5. People of the Arctic

6. Inuit • What do you think the climate is like in this area of the world?

7. Arctic Climate • The Inuit live in the Arctic, where the climate is cold and snowy.

8. Adapting to the Arctic Climate • Inuit had to adapt • Built homes from ice, stones, and caribou skins • Hunted seal, whale, caribou

9. People of the Northwest

10. Pacific Northwest • Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest, like the Kwakiutl and Nez Perce, lived in the coastal area that stretches from Alaska to Northern California.

11. Natural Resources

12. Shelter • Used trees to build shelter

13. Transportation • Carved canoes (called dugouts) from trees • Used as transportation in rivers and lakes • Took into the ocean to fish and hunt whales

14. Totem Poles • Totem poles were carved from trees and decorated to show important family history

15. Clothing • Did not raise sheep • Used cedar bark to make clothing

16. Food • Salmon • Caught so many salmon, they had extra or surplus • Shellfish • Whales • Seals • Berries • Roots • Geese • Deer • Elk • Bear

17. People of the Southwest

18. Make Some Predictions! • What would it be like to live in the desert?

20. Let’s Check It Out... Click on the “Photos” tab to see more photos of this region.

21. The Southwest • Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico • Low, flat desert • Very dry! • Not many trees

22. Shelter • Built homes from sticks, stones, and adobe clay • Homes built on top of small plateaus called mesas to protect from attacks

23. Shelter

24. Agriculture • Irrigation was important so crops could survive • Irrigation = supplying water to crops with streams, ditches, or pipes • Corn was planted deep in the ground so the roots could get to water • Corn planted in areas that flooded during spring rains

25. The Hopi • One of the oldest Indian groups in the Southwest • “Pueblo” Indians because villages looked like towns to the first Spanish who arrived in North America

26. The Hopi - Food • Beans, squash, and corn • Corn was a staple food – eaten at every meal! • Kept corn in storage rooms in pueblos

27. The Hopi - Art • Made clay pots to hold food and water • Fired their pottery with coal to make it strong • Weavings • Baskets • Silver jewelry

28. The Hopi - Religion • Religious • Believed they were caretakers of the earth • Performed ceremonies to show their beliefs

29. Summary • The Hopi and other American Indians built pueblos in the Southwest. They used irrigation and other methods to grow beans, squash, and corn in a dry climate. Hopi culture included ceremonies throughout the year. Many Hopi people today still take part in their cultural traditions.

30. People of the Plains

31. The Great Plains • In the center of North America • From the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains • From Texas into Canada • Flat land, filled with grass • Some dry areas, some wet areas

32. Pawnee • Eastern Plains  Wet, fertile land • Built permanent villages near rivers • Made earth lodges using bark, earth, and grass • Farmed corn, squash and beans for half the year • Hunted buffalo for half the year

33. Western Plains Indians • Dry land  Farming was difficult • Nomads who followed the buffalo • Got everything they needed from buffalo! (Tools, food, clothing, blankets, shelter) • Carried belongings in travois and lived in teepees

34. Buffalo Hide Paintings Click the photo to learn more about buffalo hide paintings.

35. Comanche and Horses • Spanish brought horses to North America • Comanche rode and raised horses • Used horses to hunt and travel • Fierce warriors on horseback • Became very powerful

36. People of the East

37. The Eastern Woodlands • Varied landforms • Hills, mountains, valleys, plains • Enough rain for forests to grow

38. Food in the Woodlands • Corn, beans and squash were staple foods • Called “the three sisters” • Many sources of food! • Hunted deer, bears, rabbits • Farmed and ate food from plants in the region • Made syrup from sap • Gathered wild rice near the Great Lakes

39. Living in the Woodlands • North • Longhouses made from wood poles and bark • Deerskin clothing • South • Built homes without walls • Wore light clothing made from grass

40. Haudenosaunee Government • Lived in what is now New York – Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas, and Tuscarora • Formed a confederation, or government made of several groups, called Haudenosaunee • Chiefs from each nation governed the confederation

41. Haudenosaunee Trading • Woodland Indians traded with each other • Bartered for different goods – traded without using money • Used wampum (belts made with pieces of seashell) to symbolize agreements

42. Summary • Eastern Woodlands was an area of forests and rich resources that spread across much of eastern North America. Most Eastern Woodland peoples used farming, hunting, and gathering to get food. • Rather than fighting each other, many nations joined together to form a confederation called the Haudenosaunee League. • The Haudenosaunee lived in longhouses and traded goods with other American Indian groups.