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Early American Indian Tribes Patterson

Editorial Project Manager Art Director/Designer Emily R. Smith, M.A. Ed. Lee Aucoin Project Consultant Book Design Corinne Burton, M.A. Ed. Lesley Palmer Project Researcher Publisher Gillian Eve Makepeace Rachelle Cracchiolo, M.S. Ed. Editor-in-Chief Sharon Coan, M.S. Ed.

Image Credits cover The Granger Collection, New York; p.1 The Granger Collection, New York; p.4 (top) The Mariners’ Museum; p.4 (bottom) Hemera; p.5 (top) The Library of Congress; p.5 (bottom) The Library of Congress; p.6 The Mariners’ Museum; pp.6–7 Hemera; p.7 (top) The Granger Collection, New York; p.7 (bottom) The Library of Congress; p.8 The National Archives; p.9 (top) The Granger Collection, New York; p.9 (bottom) Vintage Postcards; p.10 The Library of Congress; p.11 (top) The Mariners’ Museum; p.11 (bottom) The Library of Congress; p.12 Instructional Resources Corporation; p.13 (top) The Library of Congress; p.13 (bottom) Hemera; p.14 (top) The Library of Congress; p.14 (middle) The Library of Congress; p.14 (right top) The National Archives; p.14 (bottom) The Library of Congress; p.15 The Granger Collection, New York; p.16 The National Archives; pp.16–17 Corel; p.17 (top) Clipart.com; p.17 (bottom) Corel; p.18 (left) The Granger Collection, New York; p.18 (right) The Library of Congress; p.19 (left) The National Archives; p.19 (right) Colorado Historical Society, CHX-X2928; p.20 (left) The Granger Collection, New York; p.20 (bottom) The National Archives; p.21 (top) Colorado Historical Society, CHX-X3064; p.21 (bottom) The Library of Congress; p.22 The Library of Congress; p.23 The Library of Congress; back cover Hemera Technologies

American Indians ...... 3

Northeastern Tribes The Woodland People ...... 4–5 Life in the Northeast ...... 6–7

Southeastern Tribes The Southeast Kinship ...... 8–9 Life in a Chickee ...... 10–11

Tribes on the Plains The Plains People ...... 12–13 The Bison Bunch ...... 14–15

Southwestern Tribes The Desert Dwellers ...... 16–17 The Pueblo People ...... 18–19

Northwestern Tribes The Totem Pole Carvers ...... 20–21 Life in the Big House ...... 22–23

Glossary ...... 24

Index ...... 25

2 American Indians

The cultures of the Indian tribes of early America were different from each other . Yet, they all embraced family, food, and shelter as their priorities . In this book, you will discover the secret chamber of the Southwest Indians . You’ll learn about the Feast of the Dead . You may even want to become the “low man on the totem pole”! Try to imagine yourself as a part of each tribe on your journey among the Indians of early America .

Early American Indian regions 3 The Woodland People

The northeastern tribes were sometimes called the Woodland People . These tribes relied on the many trees in their region for their food and shelter . They were experts at using the wood and bark from trees . They made baskets, canoes, tools, pots, and dishes from wood .

4 Indians in the Northeast believed it was important to give back to nature . After eating plants or animals, members of these tribes offered a prayer or a sacrifice (SAK- ruh-fice) to the land . They might say, “The land gives the people what we need to survive . In return, people should respect nature .” One northeastern tribe, the Huron (HYUR-on), had a special ceremony (SER-uh-mo-nee) to Northeastern burial ceremony remember those who had died . It was called the Feast of the Dead . The Wampanoag Dancing and feasting honored the The Wampanoag (wom-puh-NO- ahg) tribe helped the Pilgrims departed spirits . Sometimes, the survive their first winter by giving ceremony lasted through the night them food. These Indians taught and into the next day . the Pilgrims how to grow crops in their new land.

The Art of History The Indians of the Northeast recorded important events with pictographs (PIK-tuh-grafs). They drew pictures on birch bark scrolls using sharpened bones. Birch bark pictograph 5 Life in the Northeast

The Indians in the Northeast lived in villages surrounded by tall palisades (pal-uh-SADES), or walls . Most of their homes were wigwams, which were only large enough for one family . Wigwams were round-shaped houses that had a smoke hole at the top . Some tribes lived in long houses that were made from bark and poles . Long houses were long buildings with rounded roofs . Several families lived together in each long house . Many northeastern Algonquin village with palisades Indians were farmers and long houses who planted crops like tobacco, squash, and yams . Their most important crop was corn . The tribes used every part of the corn . Women roasted, stewed, boiled, and mashed the kernels .

6 Mounds of Dead Sometimes they ground the corn During the early American period, northeastern Indians into cornmeal for bread . They began burying their dead even used the husks for crafts, in large mounds of dirt. Sometimes the tribe would bedding, shoes, and ceremonies . create many mounds in a row. The picture below shows the Great Serpent Mound in Ohio. The mounds are arranged in the shape of a large snake.

Tan That Hide! Women were in charge of tanning the deer hides to soften the skins. Clothing and shoes were made from the soft skins. Mothers taught the young girls how to tan hides as well as prepare the deer meat for meals. Indian village with birch bark wigwams 7 The Southeast Kinship

Family was very important to the southeastern tribes . Their kin, or relatives, were all the people who were related to them on the mother’s side of the family . Each family held a set of beliefs that was passed down through the generations . They were told who they were going to marry, where they would live, and who their enemies were . These tribes were matrilineal (ma-truh-LIN-ee-uhl) . When young couples got married, they lived with the woman’s family . Women held places of honor in the tribes . Even though the women were respected, the men still made the most important decisions for the tribes . The southeastern people believed that all parts of nature had spirits . To show respect for the spirits, they had ceremonies . In each tribe, a medicine man or a priest led the ceremonies .

Seminole women making cane syrup

8 Florida thanksgiving ceremony

Green Corn Ceremony When the first corn ripened each year, some southeastern tribes held a celebration. They Alligator fasted to clean their bodies and spirits. Then, Wrestling there were feasts and games. Alligator wrestling is a Seminole (SEM-uh-nol) tradition. It was a popular sport. They also ate the alligators. This type of wrestling still takes place in Florida today.

9 Life in a Chickee

Some of the Indian tribes in the Southeast lived in homes called chickees . Chickees were wooden frame homes that were raised off the ground . They were open on all four sides so breezes could blow through the houses . This helped keep the Indians cool during the warm, humid summer months . Other tribes lived in log homes . These buildings helped keep them warm in the winter .

When God Roars Some Indians, like the Seminole Indians in front of chickees Cherokee tribe, believed that the sound of thunder was actually a god in the sky. 10 Members of the tribe were responsible for specific jobs . The women tended the tribe’s gardens . Women also made baskets, pottery, and silver jewelry . Men hunted deer, bear, and rabbits . They raised cattle and horses . The men were experts at making weapons, tools, and pipes out of wood . They even built canoes out of tree bark . Young boys learned to catch fish in weirs, or underwater traps . Southeastern Indian village in North Carolina

Early Lacrosse Among the southeastern tribes, lacrosse was a very popular game. In some ways, it was similar to the sport today. However, each team had 100 players and the game could get very violent. Players often got hurt and some even died during the games.

11 The Plains People

The Plains Indians included about 30 large tribes . They lived in small bands so they could move quickly . On the Plains, Indians had to move often to keep safe from their enemies and to find food . These tribes believed that the whole family should raise the children . This meant parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles all helped with the children . The families often adopted children who were orphans .

Dog Dance ceremony of a Plains Indian tribe

12 Music and dancing were an A Robe of Love important part of the Plains It was very common for parents to tribal ceremonies . The Sioux tell their children whom they had to marry. But, a young man could Sun Dance was a way that try to tell his parents whom he the Indians gave thanks to wanted to marry. If a man wrapped the Creator . They believed his robe around a young woman, that meant he loved her. good things would come to them because of this celebration . They hoped that strength and healing would come to them during the ceremony .

Dog Lovers The Plains people used dogs to carry Dog Dance ceremony of a Plains Indian tribe their supplies when moving from one place to another. They strapped frames to the dogs to carry their belongings.

Sioux Sun Dance ceremony

13 The Bison Bunch

The Plains people lived in grass houses, earth lodges, or tepees (TEE-pees) . Tepees were very popular because they were easy to pack quickly and move .

Indian Sauna Sweat lodges were built by covering poles with bison hides. Once inside, the men would pour water onto hot stones to make steam. The Indians believed that a sweat lodge purified their bodies and souls.

Frame of a sweat lodge 14 The men hunted bison and trained the tribe’s horses . Bison Dung They protected the tribe, made The Plains Indians used every weapons, and went to war, if part of the bison, from its horns to its tail. They even used bison necessary . The women on the dung. It burned well and made Plains gathered and cooked the great fuel for their fires. food . They also dried the bison skins . The women watched the children and supervised their daily chores . Women of the tribes enjoyed making crafts like beaded necklaces . The thousands of bison on the Plains helped the Indians survive . Everyone helped make different items from the huge animals . Skins were made into blankets and tepee covers . Tools, pots, and shields came from the bison bones . Even the children helped by using bison hair to stuff their toy dolls .

15 The Desert Dwellers

The Pueblo (PWEB-low) people lived in the Southwest . They believed that people should respect the spiritual world . They also believed that the land was sacred, or holy . They thought there were six cardinal directions—north, south, east, west, above, and below . This included all of nature and the spirit world .

Cliff dwellings built by the ancestors of the Pueblo people The Squash Blossom Bun Young women in the Hopi tribe wore their hair in squash blossom buns. They wound their hair around a bent willow stick. It sat in a figure eight over the woman’s ears. Today, this hairstyle is only done for ceremonies.

16 Every Pueblo man belonged to a religious society or group . They Kachinas A kachina (kuh-CHEE-nuh) held their secret rituals in a kiva, was a messenger between or underground room . Women the Zuni people and their gods. During dances and and children could not go into ceremonies, kachina dolls the kivas . Since the Pueblo were given to infants, people were matrilineal, this young girls, and women. These gifts gave some power to the men . were treated with This helped to balance the respect and hung in women’s power . places of honor.

The remains of this kiva no longer include the hard dirt roof and small ladder hole. 17 The Pueblo People

In the Southwest, the homes of the Pueblo tribes were also called pueblos . Pueblos were made of clay, sandstone, and natural materials . The tribes that lived along rivers used river clay called adobe to build their homes . Pueblos were permanent homes because the Pueblo people did not move around to hunt or gather food like the Plains tribes did . The Pueblo people farmed fields of maize, squash, and beans . They planted gardens of chili peppers, beans, and cotton close to their homes . When Water Runs Water was an important natural resource to the tribes. Those who lived near rivers used the river water for their daily needs. Other tribes, who lived away from rivers, channeled the water to their crops.

Navajo maize and bean field

Adobe pueblos 18 Men and boys worked on the crops in the fields . The women and girls prepared the meals, which included grinding corn and baking bread . Mothers also taught their daughters how to make pottery and to weave .

Navajo weaver When Clay Speaks The southwestern tribes still make beautiful pottery today. If children find a shard of pottery in the sand, they know that they must respect it. They listen for its voice because it may speak to them.

Pottery created by the Zuni tribe

19 The Totem Pole Carvers

The tribes of the Northwest were famous for making totem poles . The poles told family histories and showed social importance in the tribes . Poles had birds, animals, or spirits carved on them . It was actually good to be the “low man on the totem pole .” This meant that your job was to carve the lowest part of the pole . Often, the best artist was chosen to carve the bottom of the pole because it was the most visible part .

Whale grave totem

Different kinds of totem poles in the Northwest

20 Apache woven basket

Basket Case Women of the Northwest tribes were skilled basket makers. They wove baskets tight enough to hold water. They made coil baskets, purse baskets, and clam baskets. They also made woven mats and wooden boxes.

These tribes believed that nature was a spiritual place . The tribes held ceremonies to show respect for food and weather . The First Foods Ceremony thanked the Creator for their crops . After holding this ceremony in the early spring, the tribes could hunt and gather food .

Party Time! A potlatch party in Alaska Northwest Indian families held potlatch parties as a way of showing their importance to the tribe. All the guests received the same gift from the hosts. The gifts could be anything from bracelets to canoes. Sometimes, it took a family many years to plan a potlatch. 21 Indian women cleaning a beluga whale Life in the Big House

Northwestern Indians lived in long houses made of red cedar logs . The homes were as large as 60 feet by 150 feet (18 meters by 45 meters) . Multiple families lived in each long house . A specially decorated mat told others where each family’s assigned living space was located . The outsides of the long houses were painted and decorated . It rains quite a bit in the Northwest, so these buildings were carefully built to keep out the water . The men rose early to hunt and fish . Boys were taught how to use traps, clubs, and arrows . The women were in charge of cleaning, drying, and cooking the meat and fish .

22 Hail, Whale! Northwestern Indians would talk to a whale before harpooning it to show respect to the whale. Then the village honored the whale with singing and dancing. They believed the whale This large whale provided allowed itself to die for the Indians. many resources to the tribe.

When the Indians harpooned a whale, they used every part of it . Everything from the bones to the blubber was important to the tribe . Life has changed over the years within the American Indian communities . But the value of honoring the family remains strong . Many tribes have preserved their ceremonies so that the traditions of their ancestors will be remembered and respected . 23 Glossary

adobe—river clay found in the Southwest; used to make pueblos bands—groups of Indians that lived and traveled together blubber—fatty part of a whale channeled—made a passageway in dry land to force water to flow in a certain direction chickees—homes made of palm trees; they were open on all sides to allow breezes to blow through dung—waste matter from a bison or any animal; manure earth lodges—large, domed buildings made of poles and packed dirt fasted—did not eat generations—members of the same family over time harpooned—killed with a spear humid—damp or moist kin—relatives or family members kiva—an underground room used by southwestern tribes for secret meetings long houses—houses with barrel-shaped roofs; many families lived in the same building maize—corn matrilineal—tracing a family line on the mother’s side medicine man—important person in a village who studied plants to use for medicine and could lead ceremonies palisades—tall fences surrounding villages pictographs—drawings or writings on rocks or bark potlatch—a party where the hosts give gifts to the guests pueblos—homes of clay, sandstone, and other natural materials made by tribes of the Southwest shard—a broken piece of pottery sacrifice––an offering of something precious to a god tanning—the process of soaking, drying, and softening an animal skin to make it into leather tepees—homes made of poles and animal skins weirs—fences set in streams to trap fish wigwams—round-shaped homes made with animal skins, bark, and mats made from plants

24 Index alligator wrestling, 8–9 bison, 14–15 ceremonies Dog Dance, 12–13 First Foods, 20–21 Green Corn, 8–9 Huron Feast of the Dead, 3; 4–5 Sun Dance, 12–13 Cherokee tribe, 10–11 food, 4–5; 6–7; 8–9; 10–11; 12–13; 14–15; 18–19; 20–21; 22–23 homes chickees, 10–11 cliff dwellings, 16–17 earth lodges, 14–15 grass houses, 14–15 log homes, 10–11 long houses, 6-7; 22–23 pueblos, 18–19 tepees, 14–15 wigwams, 6–7 Hopi tribe, 16–17 Huron tribe, 4–5 Indian mounds, 6–7 kachina, 16–17 kiva, 16–17 lacrosse, 10–11 Northeast tribes, 4–5; 6–7 Northwest tribes, 20–21; 22–23 pictographs, 4–5 Pilgrims, 4–5 Plains tribes, 12–13; 14–15 potlatch, 20–21 Seminole tribe, 8–9; 10–11 Southeast tribes, 8–9; 10–11 Southwest tribes, 16–17; 18–19 sweat lodge, 14–15 totem poles, 3, 20–21 Wampanoag tribe, 4–5 whale hunting, 22–23 25