Far West Native AmericansBY: RIYA KABRA

I chose the Far West Indians as my group throughout this unit. For my projects I chose naturalist and visual spatial. For naturalist, I made a bow and arrow. For visual spatial, I made a feather basket.

Before We Start

Pomo Feather Basket

Read on to find out the uses and making of the Pomo feather basket!

How do you make and use a feather basket?

I made my Pomo feather basket by sticking colorful feathers on to a twined basket. I then cut the edges of the feathers off so everything would be even. Although it seems easy, it really is not!

In the Pomo culture, a feather basket is made by males and females. Men used them for fishing, trapping, etc. whereas women used them to store or cook food. Sometimes feather baskets were used for religious ceremonies.

An original feather basket might look something like this:

Bow and Arrow

The bow and arrow was important to all Native Americans. Further in my presentation I will be describing some of the ways bows and arrows affected Native Americans.

What is a bow and arrow made of?

The first step I took to make my bow and arrow was take 3 sticks which soon became my bow and arrows. For my arrows, I wrapped them in foil and tape and added 2 feathers-yellow and black- to each one. Then I made triangles from foil and taped them on to the arrow. I made by bow by taking the third longer stick and wrapping it with yellow yarn. Then I added a long piece of curling ribbon to make the string. I decorated it with feathers afterwards.

The bow and arrow that Native Americans used was made quite differently although, at the same time, similarly. They used wood from many different trees like cherry, ash, cedar, oak, hickory, etc. The string was made from fibers of plants, but animal parts were also frequently used to make the string as growing and harvesting the plants took a long time. The tip of the arrows was made from animal bone, wood, or stones. They also added feathers as feathers helped to make better aim.

A Native American bow and arrow looks something like this:

What was the bow and arrow used for?

The bow and arrow was used for hunting animals. These animals were then used for food, tools, clothing, hides, objects, and so many other things. The Far West Indians along the Pacific Coast hunted sea animals such as fish, salmon, clams, shellfish, etc. Animals such as deer, elk, bears, rabbits, and squirrels were hunted near the north of California. Grasshoppers and other bugs were hunted around the desert area. Even sheep were hunted in some parts of California! The bow and arrow came in great use of not only Far West Indians, but all Native Americans!

Spirituality

Although the bow and arrow wasn’t considered spiritual or had an admiring personality, many animals did. Bears were admired for their strength and courage. Bear parts weren’t just used to make objects, but bear fat was preserved. All Native Americans believed eagles were sacred. Some stories, songs, and poems were made about beavers. I noticed birds were important to the Far West Indians as well because all stories I read that were told by Far West Indians had birds in them. Bird feathers were also used in the bow and arrow and feather basket.

A belief of the Native Americans was:

All living things are made for a purpose

A ritual of the Native Americans was:

Thanking the dead animal’s spirit after hunting and thanking the Creator

Wrapping This Up

Learning about the Native Americans and their ways was very fun and interesting. Special thanks to Mrs. Drake for carrying this project out!

Thank You!