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Virginia Studies
Study Guide 3
Everything You Will Need to Know About The Indians of Virginia...
Directions: Please answer using complete sentences where possible.
1. Who were the first Americans?
American Indians were the first Americans.
2. Why do we call them Indians?
We call them Indians because Christopher Columbus thought he
had found western route to the West Indies.
3. How do we know the Indians lived in Virginia?
We know the Native Americans lived in Virginia because they left
behind artifacts.
4. What evidence is there that American Indians (First Americans) lived in
all areas of the state?
The evidence that American Indians lived in all areas of the state
is that they left artifacts such as pottery and arrowheads in all
areas of Virginia.
5. When did the settlers come to Virginia?
The English settlers came to Virginia in 1607.
6. What group of Indians did they already find living there?
The settlers found Eastern Woodland Indians already living here.
7. Where did the Indians live?
These Indians lived in the dense forests on the eastern part of
the United States.
8. How many groups of Eastern Woodland Indians were there?
There were three groups of Eastern Woodland Indians.
10.Why would Woodland Indians live in dense forests?
They lived in the dense forests because the forest provided
protection from enemies, shelter, clothing and food.
11. Why would these Indians be called “Eastern Woodlands” Indians?
They were called Eastern Woodland Indians because they lived in
the eastern part of the United States and got everything they
needed from the dens forest they lived in.
12.What language was spoken by the largest group of Eastern Woodlands
Indians?
The language spoken by the largest group of Eastern Woodland
Indians was Algonquian.
13.Where could their tribe be found?
The Algonquian speaking tribes were living around the Chesapeake
Bay in the Tidewater region of Virginia.
14.What body of water were they near?
They were near the Chesapeake Bay.
15.What was the name of one Algonquian tribe?
One Algonquian-speaking tribe was the Powhatan.
16.Which rivers were near this group of Eastern Woodlands Indians?
The rivers near the Algonquian-speaking tribes were the Potomac,
the Rappahannock, the York. and the James.
17.What language was spoken by the Eastern Woodlands tribe that lived in
the southern part of Virginia?
The language spoken by tribes living in the southern part of the
state was Iroquoian.
18. In what other region did this tribe live? In what border state did this
group of Indians live?
Iroquoian-speaking tribes could also be found in the Appalachian
Plateau.
20. What was the name of one Iroquoian tribe?
One Iroquoian-speaking tribe was the Cherokee.
21.What language was spoken by the third group of Eastern Woodlands
Indians?
The third language group was the Siouan.
22. In what region did this group of Indians live?
The Siouan-speaking tribes lived mainly in the Piedmont region.
23. How were the Woodlands Indians influenced by Virginia’s climate and
geography?
The Eastern Woodlands Indians were influenced by the climate
and geography of Virginia because the types of foods they ate,
the clothing they wore, and the homes they built used the
resources found around them during the different seasons.
24. What did they do in the winter?
In the winter, the Native Americans hunted birds and animals for
food and clothing.
25. What did they do in the spring?
In the spring, the Native Americans fished and picked berries.
26. What did they do in the summer?
In the summer, the Native Americans they grew crops like
beans, corn, and squash.
27. What did they do in the fall?
In the fall, the Native Americans harvested their crops.
28. How did they make their homes, or shelters?
Their shelters were made from the materials they fond around
them.
29. Why would the food change with the seasons?
Their food changed with the seasons because there are different
natural resources available at different times of the year.
MAP MAKING
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
Draw a map of Virginia.
Divide your map into the five regions of Virginia (Tidewater,
Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, Appalachian
Plateau).

Label the six important bodies of water (Atlantic Ocean,
Chesapeake Bay, James River, York River, Rappahannock River,
Potomac River).

In capital letters, name and label the language groups and
where they lived.