Transcript Native American Culturesx

Essential Question
How did Native Americans in different regions use
natural resources to meet their needs?
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.
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.
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.
Inuit
 What do you think the climate is like in this area of the
world?
Arctic Climate
 The Inuit live in the Arctic, where the climate is cold
and snowy.
Adapting to the Arctic Climate
 Inuit had to adapt
 Built homes from ice, stones,
and caribou skins
 Hunted seal, whale, caribou
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.
Natural Resources
Shelter
 Used trees to build shelter
Transportation
 Carved canoes (called dugouts) from trees
 Used as transportation in rivers and lakes
 Took into the ocean to fish and hunt whales
Totem Poles
 Totem poles were carved
from trees and decorated
to show important family
history
Clothing
 Did not raise sheep
 Used cedar bark to
make clothing
Food
 Salmon
 Caught so many salmon, they had extra or surplus
 Shellfish
 Whales
 Seals
 Berries
 Roots
 Geese
 Deer
 Elk
 Bear
Make Some Predictions!
 What would it be like to live in the desert?
Let’s Check It Out...
Click on the “Photos” tab to see more photos of this region.
The Southwest
 Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Texas, California, Arizona,
New Mexico
 Low, flat desert
 Very dry!
 Not many trees
Shelter
 Built homes from sticks, stones, and adobe clay
 Homes built on top of small plateaus called mesas to
protect from attacks
Shelter
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
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
The Hopi - Food
 Beans, squash, and corn
 Corn was a staple food – eaten at every meal!
 Kept corn in storage rooms in pueblos
The Hopi - Art
 Made clay pots to hold food and water
 Fired their pottery with coal to make it strong
 Weavings
 Baskets
 Silver jewelry
The Hopi - Religion
 Religious
 Believed they were caretakers of the earth
 Performed ceremonies to show their beliefs
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.
The Great Plains
 In the center of North
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America
From the Mississippi River to
the Rocky Mountains
From Texas into Canada
Flat land, filled with grass
Some dry areas, some wet
areas
Pawnee
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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
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
Buffalo Hide Paintings
Click the photo to learn more about buffalo hide
paintings.
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
The Eastern Woodlands
 Varied landforms
 Hills, mountains, valleys, plains
 Enough rain for forests to grow
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
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
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
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
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.