E A R LY 1 6 0 0 S

NATIVE AMERICAN TRADITIONS AND REGIONS

Copyright © 2012 Jennifer E. JacksonAll rights reserved by author. Permission to copy for single classroom use only. Electronic distribution limited to single classroom use only. Not for public display.

TRADITIONS

• Native American tribes were established in North American hundreds of years before the Europeans arrived.

• Oral tradition – important role in each tribe; stories passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth

Sequoyah, famous Cherokee Indian, with the alphabet he created.Source: http://ushistoryimages.com/cherokee-indians.shtm

MYTH

• Myth – Native Americans used myths to explain human behavior and the universe.• Anonymous• Relied on supernatural to explain things about the

universe:• Natural phenomenon• Human behavior• Mystery of the universe

• Myths helped people understand their world• Sometimes instruments (drums) were used for

remembering long stories.

CREATION MYTH

• Creation Myths tell how the world and human life came to exist• Emphasize bond between the Creator and the natural world• Many families believed they descended from animals or

natural objects

• Origin Myths• Explain how stars, moon came to exist• Explain why a society has specific beliefs

• Tricksters• Animal characters who have two sides• One defies authority, creates mischief• Also curious and creative and reveal wisdom• Example: raven, coyote

VIEW OF NATURE

• Appreciation and respect of nature was very important.• Native American

spiritual stories were filled with symbols of weather, water, fire, air, etc.• Natural world was full

of spirits.Navajo fire dance.Source: http://ushistoryimages.com/navajo.shtm

IROQUOIS THANKSGIVING

• ThanksgivingWe return thanks to our mother, the earth,which sustains us.We return thanks to the rivers and streams,which supply us with water.We return thanks to all herbs,which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases.We return thanks to the moon and stars,which have given to us their light when the sun was gone.We return thanks to the sun,that has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye.Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit,in Whom is embodied all goodness,and Who directs all things for the good of Her children.~ Iroquois ~

Source: http://www.celebrating-thanksgiving.com

Native American Regions

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/

EASTERN WOODLANDS

• Extended from the Atlantic Ocean to the Plains and from the Great Lakes area to the Gulf of Mexico

• Iroquois, Algonquin, Chippewa, Shawnee• Southeastern tribes: Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw,

Seminole• Moderate climate, plenty of rainfall, cold winters, long

summers• Many lakes, rivers and hardwood forests• Tribes blended agriculture with hunting and gathering. • Used forest for food, shelter, tools, clothing, weapons• Northeast – used animals for food and clothing• Southeast – grew corn, squash, beans

IROQUOIS HUNTING CAMP WIGWAM

• Source: http://www.livinghistoryed.org/

IROQUOIS CHIEF

• Source: http://ushistoryimages.com/iroquois-indians.shtm

EASTERN WOODLANDS

• Wildlife – four seasons, moderate climate• White-tailed deer• Raccoon• Black bear• Red-tailed hawk• River otter

• Vegetation – • Eastern Woodlands is known for a colorful display of

vegetation in the fall• Oak, maple, beech, birch, hickory

CHEROKEE NATION

• Largest of the five civilized southeastern tribes• Of Iroquois lineage (migrated)• Agrarian people• Lived in log homes – not teepees or wigwams• Supported the British during the American

Revolution• Forced out of Georgia in the 1830s• Now the second largest tribe in the U.S.

CHEROKEE INDIAN COUNCIL HOUSE

• Source: http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu

CHEROKEE WOMEN MAKING POTTERY

Source: http://ushistoryimages.com/cherokee.shtm

THE GREAT PLAINS

• Lived on the plains and rolling hills of the Great Plains of North America.• Two broad classification of tribes• Nomadic – Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa• Survived on hunting• Bison – main source of food

• Also used for weapons, utensils, clothing and décor• Tribes followed the grazing of the Bison

• Used Spanish horses for transportation – faster travel

• Semi-Sedentary – Iowa, Pawnee, Wichita• Hunted buffalo, lived in villages, planted crops, traded with

other tribes.

THE GREAT PLAINS

• In order to drive out the Plains Indians, the government starved them by cutting off their main source of food – the bison. The government almost killed off bison to extinction. • Bison also damaged locomotives by standing in

the way so the railroad industry wanted the animal eliminated. • By 1884, the bison was close to extinction.

THE GREAT PLAINS

• Tribes wore bison skins in the winter• Believed all animals had spirits• Worshipped the Great Spirit – believed the spirit would

help them become stronger• Earth was also important as the “mother of all spirits.”• Important ceremony – Sun Dance• Participants danced for 4 days• Some wounded themselves to encourage spirits to support

them.

• Medicine Men (Shamans) healed people

GREAT PLAINS

• Land – plains and rolling hills, prairies and grassland• West of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky

Mountains.

• Dwelling – teepees were easily taken down when they needed to move• Wildlife – elk, bison, antelope• Vegetation – berries, wild greens, wild prairie

turnip• Rainfall – only about a foot a year• Climate – cold, harsh winters; hot, humid

summers; dust storms and high winds

GREAT PLAINS TEEPEES

• Source: http://people.ucls.uchicago.edu

LITTLE RAVEN – CHIEF OF THE ARAPAHO

Source: http://ushistoryimages.com/plains-indians.shtm

SOUTHWEST DESSERT

• Pima, Pueblo, Hopi, Acoma, Navajo tribes• Area: Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado• Dry, harsh climate• People lived in multistory houses made of adobe or

stone• Babies spent first year of life strapped to mother’s

back in a papoose.• People grew corn, beans, melons, squash – animals

were scarce in the desert.• Pottery and baskets are still popular today.• Turquois was used for jewelry-making• Promotes health and happiness

SOUTHWEST DESSERT

• Climate – in the summers, temps can top 100 degrees• Monsoon season – late June to September• Dry season in spring – perfect for fires

• River Systems – Colorado and Rio Grande• Land – deep canyons, deserts• River Valleys support willows, sycamore, fish• Areas away from river support yucca, cactus,

reptiles• Wildlife – rattlesnakes, rabbits, coyotes, bobcats

SOUTHWEST – KACHINA DOLLS

• The Zuni and Hopi Southwest Indians carved dolls, called Kachina dolls, out of wood. • Dolls were decorated to

depict Kachina spirits• Dolls helped children of

the tribe learn tribal ceremonies.

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Kachina_dolls.jpg

PUEBLO HOUSES

• Source: http://ushistoryimages.com/pueblo-indian-dwellings.shtm

NAVAJO INDIAN

• Source: http://ushistoryimages.com/navajo.shtm

PACIFIC NORTHERN COAST

• 200-mile coast running from Northern California to Alaska• Kwakiutl, Nookta, Haida, Chinook• Waterways and forests, sea was very important• People collected shellfish and hunted the ocean

for whales, sea otters and seals• Extensive trade system that incorporated the

Chinook Jargon language just for trade.• Prior to civilization, many of the tribes battles

against each other and held captives as slaves.

PACIFIC NORTHERN COAST

• Totems• Tribes decorated

masks and boats with totems which were symbols of spirits of their ancestors

• Families set totem poles in front of their homes (cedar-plank houses)

• The totem pole showed a family’s wealth and status

Source: http://content.lib.washington.edu

PACIFIC NORTHERN COAST

• Potlatches• Potlatch – to give away, to give• Ceremony where a family would give away a large

amount of their possessions.• Family’s reputation depended on how much they gave

away.• Many families planned for years the event.• Often included singing, dancing, costumes and masks.

PACIFIC NORTHERN COAST

• Mild climate and rich natural resources• Massive forests of

western red cedar, Douglas fir, hemlock• Salmon, grizzly

and black bears, bald eagle, wolf

Source: http://www.groundtruthtrekking.org