ggggggggggggggggggggg

Chapter 1 The Native Americans Meet the English

Scope and Sequence

Early English-Indian Contacts • Squanto • Trade

The Native People • Wampanoag • Mi’kmaq • and Algonquian Nations

Banding Together • Great League of Peace • Native religion

15 16 Chapter 1 The Native Americans Meet the English

Chapter Goals • The Mi’kmaq were a nomadic people who followed the animals that were their source In this chapter, we discuss the first inhabitants of of food. They hunted with bows and fierce the Northeast region—the Native Americans. This dogs. The moose was an important source of is not an exhaustive study of the native peoples food and held a certain cultural importance: of the region but focuses on a few groups (the one was not considered a grown man or per- Wampanoag, Mi’kmaq, and Iroquois) as illustra- mitted to marry until he killed a moose. The tive of the topic. The teacher should point out to Mi’kmaq were the only Indians in what is now students that despite superficial similarities, Indian the United States to have writing. They wrote cultures displayed significant differences, not only on birch bark, using marks like little pictures. in terms of language, but in the arts to which they Both the Wampanoag and Mi’kmaq spoke attained (such as the Mi’kmaq’s mastery of writ- Algonquian languages. ing) and governmental structures (such as the • In western and lived Iroquois Confederacy). Students should see that other tribes who spoke the Iroquois language such accomplishments reveal a high degree of cul- and were enemies of the Algonquian people. tural sophistication in Native American culture. Before the coming of the Europeans, five of the Iroquois-speaking peoples made an agree- What Students ment to join together in a league, called the Haudenosaunee, “People of the Longhouse.” Should Know The league was so named because families lived in long buildings made of bent sticks • Europeans came to the Northeast region as covered with bark and wooden boards. These well as other parts of North America to trade houses were gathered together into small in beaver skins. Beaver skin was the best and towns surrounded by wooden walls. Another most valuable trade item from North America reason for the name may have been that the north of Mexico, because it was in high Iroquois lived together in a confederacy like demand in Europe for making hats. families gathered in a longhouse. The five • The Wampanoag and the Mi’kmaq represent nations agreed to live together in the “Great two of the Native American peoples found in League of Peace,” which kept peace among the Northeast region. The Wampanoag lived the Iroquois nations for many years and still along the coasts of Massachusetts and Rhode exists today. Europeans called this league the Island. Because they lived on the eastern coast, Iroquois Confederacy. they were called “People of the Dawn.” The • The Haudenosaunee have many legends about Mi’kmaq lived further north, on the coast the founding of the Iroquois League. They of Maine. tell how the league was founded through • Wise men and women, called sachems, were the efforts of Dekanawidah (called the chosen as leaders among the Wampanoag. Peacemaker), the Mohawk warrior named The Wampanoag were hunters and engaged , and Jigonsaseh, a woman called in fishing and gathering shellfish. Women the “Mother of Nations” and the “Peace gathered fruit and nuts. The Wampanoag were Queen.” According to one legend, Hiawatha farmers as well, planting such crops as corn, and Dekanawidah convinced the Mohawk, beans, and squash, which they called the “three Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca tribes to live in sisters” because they grew well together. Chapter 1 The Native Americans Meet the English 17

peace and never to eat human flesh. With the The “three sisters”—corn, beans, and squash help of Jigonsaseh, they convinced the fierce —were an important source of food. They Onondaga chief, Tadodaho, to join the confed- grew well together and benefited each other in eracy by combing snake-like tangles from his the growing process. hair. Hiawatha, too, promised Tadodaho that 3. What was unique about the Mi’kmaq people he would be head sachem if he joined. Because that was not present in other tribes? of this, the head sachem of the Iroquois The Mi’kmaq had a form of writing that other Confederacy always comes from the Onondaga Indian peoples did not possess. tribe and is called the tadodaho. Hiawatha 4. Why were the Iroquois known as the and Dekanawidah convinced the Mohawk, “People of the Longhouse” while others Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca, and Onondaga tribes called them the Iroquois Confederacy? to live in peace with one another and never to The Iroquois lived in longhouses made of eat human flesh. This was the Great League sticks and wood. The league was so named of Peace. because families lived in long buildings that • Native peoples of the Northeast had a kind were gathered together into small towns sur- of money called . The name means rounded by wooden walls. Another reason “white shell beads,” because native women for the name may have been that the Iroquois made small white and purple beads from lived together in a confederacy like fami- shells. These beads were drilled with dry stone lies gathered in a longhouse. The Iroquois drill bits and woven into strips called wampum Confederacy was the European name for the belts. Native peoples gave wampum as a gift five Iroquois-speaking tribes who had joined and used it to remember events, tell stories, in the league. and send messages. 5. Who was Hiawatha, and why was he impor- • Students should be able to identify the fol- tant to the Iroquois League? lowing places on a map (Use the map on page With Dekanawidah and Jigonsaseh, Hiawatha 12 of the text): the Atlantic Ocean, Hudson worked to bring peace to five Indian nations, River, Ohio River, and Delaware River. They forming the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois should be able to indicate where the Iroquois, Confederacy). Hiawatha helped convince Wamponoag, and Mi’kmaq (Micmac) lived. Tadodaho of the Onondaga to join the Haudenosaunee and follow the Great League of Peace. Chapter Checkpoint 6. What is wampum? What other item was 1. Why were beaver skins so valuable in North important to trade that would be considered America and in Europe? a form of wampum for a different tribe? Beaver skins could be used to trade with the Wampum was created from white shell beads natives. Because the skins were used for high and was used as a form of money to trade with quality hats in Europe, those who obtained others. The beaver pelts that were traded to them could use them as objects of a lucra- the Europeans could also be considered a form tive trade. of wampum in a different tribe. 2. Explain the importance of the “three sisters” for Native Americans. 18 Chapter 1 The Native Americans Meet the English

Geography Challenge Vocabulary and Using an outlined map of the Northeast region, Important Names label the areas where the various native tribes 1. This term describes what were the three discussed in the chapter lived. Create a map key important plants to the natives. (three sisters) using identifiers for the tribes based on things you 2. Name five of the native tribes of the Northeast learned about each group (e.g.: a long house for the region. [Possible answers: Penobscot, Iroquois, a sun for the people of the dawn, etc.). Arosaguntacook, Kennebec, Pigwacket, The teacher may use the map on page 22 of this Cowasuck, Sokoki, Penacook, Nipmuck, manual for an answer key. Wampanoag, Pequot, Mohegan, Nauset,

Chapter 1 Geography Challenge Map Chapter 1 The Native Americans Meet the English 19

Narraganset, Mattabesic, Iroquois (Seneca, 2. What were the leaders of the Wampanoag Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk), people called? Pocumtuc, Susquehana, Erie, Lenni Lenape] 3. What three plants were called “the three sis- 3. Name the five tribes that were the key con- ters”? Why were they called that? tributors to the Great League of Peace? 4. What did the Mi’kmaq tribe have that no (Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, other northeastern tribe had? Mohawk) 4. What name did the native tribes use for the Answer Key to Sample Quiz 1 Great League of Peace? (Haudenosaunee) 5. Who did not want his people to join the Students’ answers, of course, should only Haudenosaunee? (Tadodaho) approximate the following. 1. The Wampanoag were called “People of the Chapter Extra: Make D aw n .” 2. The leaders of the Wampanoag people were called a Script sachems. Directions: Create a readers’ theater related to the 3. The three sisters were corn, beans, and conversations to get tribes to join the Great League squash. They were so called because they of Peace. grow well together and support each other in Using information from the chapter, create a the growing season. readers’ theater script with three to four characters 4. The Mi’kmaq people had a written language. who are discussing joining the League of Peace. You may focus on tribes that are interested in join- Chapter 1: Sample Quiz II ing or not interested in joining the group. Be cer- (pages 15–19) tain to use the names of the tribes and people from the chapter when creating your script. Please answer the following in complete sentences. 1. Give one reason why the Iroquois were called Chapter 1: Sample Quiz I “People of the Longhouse.” (pages 13–15) 2. How did Hiawatha convince Tadodaho to join the Iroquois Confederacy? Please answer the following in complete sentences. 3. Name three of the five member tribes of the 1. What were the Wampanoag called because of Iroquois League. where they lived? 4. What name did the northeastern tribes give the polished shells they used for money?

Some Key Terms at a Glance

sachem: (SAY-chem or SAH-chem): a chief of a North American Indian tribe 20 Chapter 1 The Native Americans Meet the English

Answer Key to Sample Quiz II b) Hudson River d) Atlantic Ocean 10. On the same map, write the names of the Students’ answers, of course, should only Iroquois, Wampanoag, and Mi’kmaq tribes approximate the following where they belong. 1. The league was so named because Iroquois families lived in long buildings that were gath- Answer Key to Sample Test ered together into small towns surrounded by Students’ answers should only approximate the wooden walls. Another reason for the name following. may have been that the Iroquois lived together in a confederacy like families gathered in a 1. The most valuable trade item for Europeans in longhouse. America north of Mexico was beaver skins. 2. Hiawatha convinced Tadadaho by combing 2. The Wampanoag and Mi’kmaq tribes the snake-like tangles from his hair. Hiawatha, were both hunter and fishing people. The too, promised that Tadodaho would be head Wampanoag, however, also were farmers, sachem if he joined. unlike the Mi’kmaq. This difference meant 3. Possible answers: Seneca, Onandago, Mohawk, that the Wampanoag did not wander like the Oneida, Cayuga Mi’kmaq, who followed the herds. 4. The natives called the polished shells 3. The People of the Longhouse were the wampum. Iroquois. 4. The Great League of Peace was an agreement Chapter 1: Sample Test between the Iroquois nations to live together in peace. Five Iroquois nations made up Please answer the following in complete sentences. the league. 5. Wampum was made from white sea shells 1. What was the most valuable trade item from that were used like money in trade between America north of Mexico as far as Europeans native peoples. were concerned? 6. Tadodaho was the chief of the Oneida who 2. How were the Wampanoag and Mi’kmaq did not want to join the Haudenosaunee. alike and how did they differ in how they Hiawatha, Dekanawidah, and Jigonsaseh con- obtained their food? How did their differences vinced him to join the confederacy by comb- affect how they lived? ing the snake-like tangles from his hair and 3. What native people were called the “People of promising him that he would be head sachem the Longhouse”? if he joined. 4. What was the Great League of Peace? Who 7. The three sisters were corn, beans, and made up this league? squash. 5. What was wampum? 8. a. 4 c. 3 6. Who was Tadodaho? Who convinced him to join b. 2 d. 1 the Haudenosaunee and how? 10. See map on page 22 of this manual. The perti- 7. What were the three sisters? nent tribal names are enclosed in boxes. 8. Identify which of the following place names belong with the numbered places on the map your For a free electronic file of all tests and quizzes teacher gives you. included in the teacher manual, please contact a) Ohio River c) Delaware River [email protected]. Chapter 1 The Native Americans Meet the English 21

Chapter 1 Test Map 22 Chapter 1 The Native Americans Meet the English

Chapter 1 Test Map Answer Key

Resources for Further Children of the Longhouse, by Joseph Bruchac Student Reading Life in a Longhouse Village, by Bobbie Kalman The Algonquin (First Reports—Native Americans), The Mi’kmaq (Micmac): How Their Ancestors by Natalie Rosinsky Lived Five Hundred Years Ago, by Rugh Holmes Whitehead The Rough-Face Girl, by Rafe Martin and David Shannon Minegoo Mniku: The Mi’kmaq Creation Story, by Sandra Dodge Peace Walker: The Legend of Hiawatha and Tekanawita, by C.J. Taylor People of the Breaking Day, by Marcia Sewall Hiawatha (Picture Puffins), by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Advanced. Best read aloud)