Native American Nations

Description: The student will describe how early Native American cultures developed in North America.

a. Locate where the American Indians settled with emphasis on Arctic (Inuit), Northwest (Kwakiutl), Plateau (Nez Perce), Southwest (Hopi), Plains (Pawnee), and Southeastern (Seminole). b. Describe how the American Indians used their environment to obtain food, clothing, and shelter.

Created by Sharon Amolo Sharon Amolo is a Media Specialist at Gwin Oaks Elementary

The Inuit of Alaska and Northwest Canada

The Inuit lived in the extreme arctic climate of Northwest Canada and Alaska. The Inuit have lived in the Arctic for thousands of years. The area has cold and harsh winters and cool summers.

Inuit Food
The Inuit of Alaska and Northwest Canada caught or hunted the food they ate. They traveled and fished along the ocean and seashore each season. They used harpoons to hunt the animals. The main food they hunted were seals. They also ate whales, walruses, caribou (reindeer), polar bears, and birds. They also gathered plants such as grasses and seaweed.

Inuit Housing
The Inuit built homes called igloos. The igloos were made from snow and ice. In the arctic, there are not many building materials. No trees grow in the arctic so houses can not be made from wood. Instead the Inuit used blocks of snow to make their homes. In the summer, when the snow melts, the Inuit lived in tent-like huts made of animal skins stretched over a frame.

Inuit Clothing
The Inuit wore thick clothing made from caribou and seal hides. They also made all of their outer clothing waterproof since they hunted for a lot of their food in canoes.

The Kwakiutl of the Pacific Northwest

The Kwakiutl lived on the northwest Pacific coast in the area that is now extends from the top of California to Alaska. The area had lots of trees. The summers were warm and the winters were mild and rainy.

Kwakiutl Food

The Kwakiutl ate fish as their main source of food. Kwakiutl men also hunted deer and moose, while women gathered shellfish, seaweed, roots, and berries.

Kwakiutl Housing

The Kwakiutl lived in longhouses made from the large cedar trees which surrounded them. The homes only had one door and no windows. There was also a hole in the top of the house to let smoke out. The Kwakiutl also painted symbols on the front and inside of their homes and had totem poles that told their family history.

Kwakiutl Clothing

The Kwakiutl wore different clothing depending on the season. In the summer the men wore breechcloths made from grass. The women wore dresses made from the same types of grasses. In the winter both men and women wore clothes made from animal skins.

The Nez Perce of the Plateau

Nez Perce live in the plateaus and the valleys of what is now known as north central Idaho, Montana, northeastern Oregon, and southeastern Washington.

Nez Perce Food

The Nez Perce were fishing and hunting people. Nez Perce men caught salmon and other fish, and also hunted in the forests for deer and elk. They also hunted buffalo herds in the open plateaus. Nez Perce women gathered roots, fruits, nuts and seeds.

Nez Perce Clothing

Nez Perce women wore long deerskin dresses. Nez Perce men wore breechcloths with leather leggings and buckskin shirts. Their clothes were fringed and decorated with beadwork, shells, and painted designs. Sometimes the leaders wore feather headdresses. Both Nez Perce women and men both wore their hair long, either leaving it loose or putting it into two braids.

The Hopi of the Southwest

The Hopi lived in the low, flat desert and high plateaus of the dry southwest. They were desert dwellers and lived in permanent villages.

Hopi Food

The Hopi were farmers and sheepherders. The main food they ate and grew was corn, but they also grew beans, squash, melons, and other vegetables and fruits. Another food that made was Piki bread. The men usually farmed and herded animals. The Hopi also raised turkeys and gathered wild plants for food.

Hopi Housing

Hopi traditionally live in terraced pueblo structures made of stone and adobe (sun-baked clay). Their houses had flat roofs, were several stories high, and were often joined together in groups.

Hopi Clothing

The clothing the Hopi wore was made of animal skins and cotton. The Hopi clothes fit very loose. On an average day the men wore shirts and tunics and the women wore skirts or dresses. In the winter they added shawls, blankets and extra clothing to their outfits.

The Pawnees of the Plains

The Pawnee once lived in the plains region in what is now Nebraska. The villages consisted of 10 to 12 large, round, earth-covered houses. The Pawnee left their villages once or twice a year to hunt buffalo on the plains.

Pawnee Food

buffalo

corn

squash

The Pawnee got most of their food from farming. The women raised corn (maize), squash, pumpkins, and beans. The Pawnee also used horses during their buffalo hunts. However, the hunting was secondary to farming .

Pawnees Housing

teepee

earth lodge

The Pawnee lived in large, dome shaped, earth-covering lodges. Skin tepees were used for buffalo hunts. Pawnee were unlike most of the Plains Indians since their villages tended to be permanent.

Pawnees Clothing

The Pawnee wore different clothing depending on the season. In the summer women wore skirts and moccasins and men wore loincloths. Men also wore a second belt that they used to hang their tomahawks, knives and guns. In the winter men wore buffalo robes and long leather pants, while women wore buck skin dresses with leggings. Both men and women would pierce their ears and wear beaded earrings. Pawnee men shaved all the hair on their head except for a small piece on the top.

The Seminole of the Southeast

The Seminole lived in the southeast in what is now Florida. They were originally part of the Creek tribe of Georgia. As settlers moved into Creek territory in the early 1700s the Seminole fled to Florida. While there they formed an independent Native American nation.

Seminole Housing

The Seminoles lived in large villages built near their fields. The Seminole built houses called chickees. The chickee was made out of wooden poles and had roofs covered with branches, palmetto leaves, and grass. The walls to the houses were open and were built on a platform to keep them safe from the swamp water, snakes, and alligators.

GREAT JOB!
Click on this link to see if you can identify the houses, plants, and animals of the different groups.
http://www.ahsd25.k12.il.us/Curriculum%20 Info/NativeAmericans/Index.html