Virginia: The Land and It’s First Inhabitants A Teaching Unit for Grade 4 Students Prepared by: Crystal Fleeger URL: http://crflee.wmwikis.net/ Submitted as Partial Requirement for ED 405 Elementary and Middle Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction Professor Gail McEachron The College of William and Mary Spring 2009 Contents Historical Narrative Map/Globe Skills Lesson: Native American Shelters throughout Virginia Critical Thinking and the Arts: Native American Basket Weaving Civic Engagement: Pocahontas Global Inquiry: Regions of Virginia Assessments: Objective and Essay Bibliography Appendix: National and State Standards Expenses Historical Narrative: Virginia and the First Inhabitants Introduction Before the English settled in the area they called Jamestown in 1607, there were Native Americans inhabiting the land. These people were divided into three distinct language groups: the Algonquian, Iroquoian, and Siouan. In order to survive in the wilderness of what is now called Virginia, the English settlers had to adapt to the environment by learning about the land – its climate, animals and natural resources available. Through the support of the Native Americans, the English colonists at Jamestown survive their first winter. These acts, and many others that followed, were the beginning of cultural exchanges that ensured the success of our state and nation. The exchanges were sometimes friendly and at other times marked by conflict and violence. It is important that elementary students study this period in American history because it was the first permanent settlement in the “New World” that led to further colonization by the English and others. The influence of the Eastern Woodland tribes is also evident in some local area names as well as the types of crops grown throughout Virginia. The SOLs of Virginia cover this material in Virginia Studies 2 a-e and VS.3g. These standards are defined in more detail in Appendix A. The Eastern Woodland tribes lived throughout the five regions of Virginia. In each of these areas we see the cultural influence of the Native Americans. Through reservations, artifacts, place names and museums set up around known Native American villages. Key Ideas and Events To understand how the Eastern Woodland tribe adapted to the land, we must first know to what they needed to adapt, the land itself. Virginia is located in the Southeastern part of the United States, bordered on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay, to the North by the Potomac River, to the South by the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, and to the west by the Appalachian Mountains (De Angelis, 2001). Its bordering states are North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. (De Angelis, 2001). Virginia is divided into five regions: the Tidewater, Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau (De Angelis, 2001). Each region is unique and provides a slightly different environment. The Tidewater region is the large area of flat land on the eastern side of Virginia, also known as the Coastal Plain (Smith, 2003a). This area extends from the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay on the east to the fall line on the west. The fall line marks the last set of waterfalls for rivers that continue to flow east to the ocean (Smith, 2003a). The region also contains a portion of the Delmarva Peninsula, a section of land which lies between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean (Barrett, 2006; De Angelis, 2001). It is shared by Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, where the portion owned by Virginia is called the Eastern Shore. The largest rivers in Virginia run through this region and include the Potomac, Rappahannock, York, and James Rivers. By the time these rivers reach the Tidewater region they are wide and slow-moving (Smith, 2003a). The longest of these is the James River flowing from the Appalachian Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay. Due to its closeness to the ocean, the key industries of this region include fishing, shipping, agriculture, and tourism (Smith, 2003a). The Piedmont region is the largest landform region in Virginia, bordered on the east by the fall line and the west by the Blue Ridge Mountains (De Angelis, 2001). The name Piedmont is Italian meaning “foot of the mountain” (Smith, 2003a). This region has also been called the “Heartland of Virginia” and “Virginia’s Midlands” (Smith, 2003a). It is noted for its rolling foothills and fertile land covered with forests of pine, oak, and maple (Barrett, 2006). The Blue Ridge Mountains, the oldest mountain range in North America, are part of the great Appalachian Mountain Range and make up the third region of Virginia (Smith, 2003a). The misty blue color they take on from a distance gives them their name (De Angelis, 2001). Mount Rogers, Virginia’s highest peak, is in the range standing at 5,719 feet above sea level (Smith, 2003a). The Valley and Ridge region contains many hills and long ridges with valleys dividing them. Scientists now know that this region was once under water due to fossils of sea animals discovered throughout the area (Smith, 2003a). The Appalachian Plateau makes up the westernmost border of Virginia and the final region (De Angelis, 2001). This area is characterized by a series of gapes, ridges, and valleys that extend into neighboring Kentucky and Tennessee (Smith, 2003a). All of the adaptations the Native Americans made to survive and prosper in this land were then taught to the English so they might survive (Boraas, 2003). This did not come before difficult relations between the Native Americans and English settlers, as is evident with the well-known story of John Smith and Chief Powhatan. This tale truly begins with the story of Opechancanough, the younger half brother of Chief Powhatan. In 1561, as a young boy, he was taken with Pedro Menendez de Aviles to Spain where he was educated in Christianity and taught Spanish. In 1563, on a journey to return to his homeland, he traveled again with Menendez de Aviles to Mexico where the archbishop insisted he remain there instead of returning to his village. Soon thereafter King Phillip II of Spain sent orders that Opechancanough be released to return home. During his trip a storm picked up and he was once again taken back to Spain. In September of 1570, nine years after his departure, he finally made it home where he was put in charge of Pamunkey tribe by his half brother, Chief Powhatan (Edwards, 2002). The Eastern Woodland tribes were divided into three groups which were formed based on the language spoken by the tribe (Britton, 2001). The Algonquian language group contained the Pamunkey, Mattaponi, Powhatan, and Nansemond tribes among others (Boraas, 2003). These tribes all lived in the Tidewater region near the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay. Another of these language groups was the Siouan. It included the Saponi, Occaneechi, and Tutelo tribes in the Piedmont region (Smith, 2003b). Finally, the Iroquoian language group was divided with the Cherokee living in the Appalachian Plateau and the Nottoway and Meherrin living in the southern section of the Tidewater and Piedmont regions (Smith, 2003b). The Native Americans who lived in this land long before modern transportation, shipping, agriculture, and other technologies learned to adapt to the environment and use what was available to provide food, clothing, and shelter. Native Americans gathered, farmed, fished, and hunted for their food. Women were responsible for gathering, farming, and cooking meals while men did the hunting and fishing (Smith, 2003b). Among the items women gathered were wild berries, nuts, oysters, and clams. Food such as corn, beans, pumpkins, squash, and melons were grown (Smith, 2003b). In the early summer the women would plant the “three sisters,” corn, beans, and squash, together. When these plants grew, the bean vines would climb up the corn stalks while the squash grew beneath (Smith, 2003b). This provided the necessary nutrients and shelter for each crop. Some food grown was then dried and stored for winter months (Rosinsky, 2005). Women made pottery and baskets to help collect, hold, and prepare food (Smith, 2003b). Tobacco was also grown, but it was separated from the other crop farms and the men prepared and maintained these fields (Smith, 2003b). Tobacco was important to the village and was used for religious ceremonies as well as for trading for other goods (Rosinsky, 2005). If the fields in a village would not produce a sufficient harvest, the whole village would move to more fertile ground. In addition to the food grown and gathered, men hunted deer, bear, elk, turkey, bison, and also fished (Boraas, 2000). For tribes in the Appalachian Plateau fishing was not a part of the culture as it was for tribes closer to the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay. Just as the diet of the Native Americans was influenced by the resources in the environment, their clothing was as well. Most clothing was made from deerskin or other animal hide the men hunted. For shoes, women made moccasins from buckskin (Rosinsky, 2005). Leggings were also made of animal skin and word to protect their legs as they traveled through the forest (Smith, 2003b). In the summer, men would wear only a deerskin loincloth while women wore an apron or long wraparound skirt. Children typically only wore moccasins until around the age of eight to twelve. To protect themselves from the cold of winter they would wear shirts made of animal skin, fur robes, leggings, and feather cloaks decorated with porcupine quills and seashells along with their other clothing. Grease from the hunted animals was rubbed on their skin to ward of insects in the summer and to keep warm in the winter (D’Apice, 2001). Even their hair styles were dependent on the culture and roles in the village.