Native American Cultures: The Southeast

By Encyclopaedia Britannica, adapted by Newsela sta on 06.22.17

Word Count 693
Level 870L

Seminole children at the Brighton Reservation in Florida in 1948. Photo by: State Library and Archives of Florida

The Native Americans of the Southeast culture area lived in what is now the southeastern
United States. From east to west this area stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to past the
Mississippi River. The Southeast tribes included the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek
and Seminole. Other tribes were the Natchez, Caddo, Apalachee, Timucua and Guale.

Food

The economy of the Southeast was mostly agricultural. The leading crop was corn, followed
by beans and squash. Wild plant foods were gathered as well. These included greens, berries,
nuts, acorns and sap.

Southeast tribes hunted deer, black bears, beavers, squirrels, rabbits, otters, raccoons and
turkeys. They also shed and gathered food from the rivers and sea.

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Settlements And Housing

Southeast Native Americans usually settled in places with good soil for planting. Most of the
people lived in small villages located in river valleys. Other people lived in towns, which were
surrounded by fences. Towns usually had temples or council houses, where tribal leaders
gathered.

In much of the region people built round winter houses with cone-shaped roofs. Summer
dwellings were rectangular and had roofs that sloped downward.

Technology And Trade

Most of the clothing worn by Southeast peoples was made out of deer skin. Leggings and
robes of bear fur or bison hide were worn in the winter.

The Southeast Native Americans made the most of the forests of their region. They made
canoes, bows, arrow shafts, dishes and spoons using wood. They also made arrowheads,
clubs, axes and other tools from bone and stone. They used cane, a type of grass, to make
goods such as baskets and mats. Weapons such as knives, blowguns, and shing spears
were also made from cane stems.

Southeast tribes had contact with other peoples both near and far. They traded goods with
Northeast and Plains peoples. Coastal peoples exchanged shells for int, furs, and other
products they could not nd near the sea.

Society

Most Southeast cultures had social classes based on birth. The ruling class consisted of
chiefs and war leaders. Chiefs led the tribe during peacetime, while war leaders held power
only during war.

Many Southeastern societies organized their families through clans. Clans were extended
families in which all members shared a common ancestor. Clans usually included members
from dierent villages.

When it came to labor in the Southeast, men and women had dierent roles. Women were
responsible for most farming, gathering wild plant foods, and preparing food. Men were
responsible for war, trade and hunting.

Religion

Southeast tribes believed that all living things and natural objects had spirits or souls. This
belief is called animism. Even while hunting, animals had to be respected. If hunters did not
follow certain rules, the death of the animal could bring terrible consequences, like disease.

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The plant world was considered friendly to humans. As the most important crop, corn was
celebrated in the Green Corn Ceremony every summer.

European Contact And Cultural Change

The Spanish colonized the Southeast during the 1500s. Thousands of Native Americans
suered as a result. Many were killed during warfare with explorers. Others died of diseases
brought by the Europeans. Still others were captured and traded as slaves.

In 1830 the U.S. Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. This act allowed the president to
force native tribes to leave their land and settle in the west. In the decade after 1830, almost
100,000 eastern natives moved to the west, whether by choice or by force. The journey, later
called the Trail of Tears, led to many deaths either due to illness or lack of food.

Some tribes remained to ght for their land. The Seminole Wars started in 1817, and were
fought between the Seminole and the U.S. Army in Florida. The wars ended in the mid-1800s,
when most of the tribe was tired from war and left the territory.

In the early 20th century the native peoples lost the right to elect their own tribal governments.
Leaders were selected by the U.S. government until 1970s, when the tribes regained this right.
From that point on, the Southeast peoples started businesses to support themselves. They
used the money they made to support education, healthcare and cultural preservation.

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