Native Americans
Inuit
Kwakiutl
Pueblo
Lakota
Iroquois
First Americans Arrive on the Continent

For many years,
archaeologists thought
that people arrived
approximately 11,500
years ago. They
believed that the first
Americans came from
Asia over a strip of land
called Beringia that
once connected Asia
and North America.
Cactus Hill
Archaeologists have recently found artifacts
at Cactus Hill, a site which is about 45 miles
south of Richmond, Virginia, on the
Nottoway River in southeast Virginia. These
artifacts are about 18,000 years old. Now
some scientists believe that the first people
who reached North America came by boat
from Europe, perhaps following a route from
Iceland to Greenland to Canada, perhaps
coming to the Caribbean first.
Recent excavations at a number of
sites have provided new evidence and raised
new questions about when people first came
to the Americas. Stone artifacts, charcoal,
and soil, plant and animal remains point to
human habitation at Cactus Hill at least
18,000 years ago, during the late Ice Age.
It may be that there was no single
"First American". The Americas might have
been populated as far back as 30,00040,000 years ago by diverse people from
several continents. Scientists continue to
study and argue these points. They don’t
agree.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org/content/video/iceagen
ewev_700kW.html
Video: First people in the Americas & Cactus Hill
Many Native American Nations
Many Native American cultures grew,
developed and even disappeared in the
12,000 years from the last Ice Age until
the present. By the year 1400 AD more
than 300 different nations were living in
North America. They spoke different
languages, lived in different types of
homes and had different cultures.
 Each tribe or clan adapted to their
environment and used the available
resources for survival.

Inuit
The Inuit inhabited present-day Alaska, Greenland,
and northern Canada
 They lived in Arctic areas where the temperature is
below freezing most of the time.
 There were few plants
and some areas were
very dry as well as cold.

Inuit tribes of Canada
The Inuit live primarily along the far northern
seacoasts of Russia, the United States,
Canada, and Greenland. There are more than
100,000 Inuit, most of whom live south of the
Arctic Circle.
The majority, about 46,000, live in Greenland.
There are approximately 30,000 on the
Aleutian Islands and in Alaska, 25,000 in
Canada, and 1,500 in Siberia.
The Inuit homeland is in one of the
world’s regions least hospitable to
human habitation. Most of the land is
flat, barren tundra where only the top
few inches of the frozen earth thaw out
during the summer months.
The majority of Inuit have always
lived near the sea, hunting aquatic
mammals such as seals, walrus, and
whales.
Inuit Hunting
Inuit people met nearly all their basic needs
with materials they obtained through
hunting and fishing. That is how they got
their food, their clothing
and much of their shelter.
Inuit Food
The Inuit live in a very harsh
environment, one in which
survival is quite challenging.
Few plants grow where they
live so most of their food
comes from the sea or from
hunting.
 Food taken from the sea
include seal, fish, whale,
and walrus.
 The Inuit hunt polar bear,
caribou, musk ox and small
game like the Arctic hare

Inuit Clothing
Seal, polar bear, caribou skin and fur
 Inner and outer clothing
 Jackets, mittens, trousers, boots

Inuit Shelter (Housing)
Sod huts, often partly underground or
with underground rooms
 Skin Tents
 Igloo

In the winter many Inuit lived in sod
homes. They would dig a hole in the ground
and pile rocks and sod all around the outside
to make walls. Pieces of wood or whalebone
were used as a frame for the roof, which the
Inuit then covered with sod. In both the tents
and the sod houses the Inuit built raised
platforms at the back for sleeping.
Inuit Sod Hut
Inuit Sod Hut
The Inuit are famous for their igloos.
An igloo is built of blocks of snow shaped
into a dome. They were mostly used as
temporary shelter during winter hunting
trips. The igloo is the one of the Inuit's best
inventions. It is warm and easy to
construct. A skilled worker can build an
igloo in only an hour or two.
Inuit Transportation
 Transportaion
on
land was
accomplished on
foot with sled dogs
carrying loads.
 Transportation on
the water was
done by kayak and
umiak.
Traditional Umiaks were
paddle craft. The open umiak
is significantly larger than the
enclosed kayak which was
built to carry one or two men
while hunting. A large umiak
is 6 to 10 meters long and can
hold more than 20 people.
About seven skins are needed
for the cover on a boat of
30 foot (9.1 meter). It has
traditionally been used in
summer to move people and
possessions to seasonal
hunting grounds and for
hunting whales and walrus.
Men race in a umiak in Nome, Alaska.
Roles of Men and Women

Men hunted, fished, and made tools and houses.

Women cooked, prepared food, sewed animal skins
into clothes and shoes and raised children.
Art and Music
The Inuit made beautiful
carvings of ivory,
soapstone and bone.
 Scrimshaw is a special
type of carving on ivory
that has darkened
crevices.

These pieces were often small and easily
portable. Why?
1949 Inuit Hunting
Inuit Video
How to build an igloo - A Boy Among Polar Bears - BBC
Following his father's footsteps - A Boy Among Polar Bears - BBC
At the snow edge - A Boy Among Polar Bears – BBC
Catching Fish for the Winter
Inuit Tribe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_eyB8ZbIsU
Most Inuit today have settled in
villages and live in houses. Many have
access to modern technology, however
many continue to keep some of the old
customs and are proud of the culture of
their people.
Kwakiutl
Homeland is along the
Pacific Northwest coast
 Rainy, mild climate

The Kwakiutl is a group of Indian tribes living
along the Pacific Northwest coast in an area
where Kwakiutl have lived for 8,000 years.
Food is plentiful in their mild, rainy homeland.
They are hunter/
gatherers and get most
of their food from the
oceans and rivers.
Their culture is
recognized for their
artistic totem poles
and ritualistic masks.
Kwakiutl Food
Food is plentiful in
the area where the
Kwakiutl live.
They are hunters and
gatherers.
Salmon
Caribou
Shellfish
Fish
Deer & Elk Bear
Roots
Berries
Nuts
Trade
Traditional Kwakiutl Clothing
Woven Cedar Bark
 Animal Skins

Potlatch 1
Kwakiutl Shelter (Housing)
Plank Houses are
made of cedar.
Kwakiutl Transportation

Dugout canoes
made of Cedar
War Canoes

Kwakiutl men used large trunks of cedar
trees, burned and dug out the center and
made canoes. Some canoes were used by
a few people, but the Kwakiutl also built
large canoes to follow the path of
migrating fish and animals during different
seasons of the year. These large canoes,
sometimes up to 60 feet long, were used
to go far into the ocean. They were
callled “war” canoes
Potlatch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_gYjQw9Bf4
Throughout native North America, gift
giving is a central feature of social life. In
the Pacific Northwest, this tradition is
known as the potlatch. Within the tribal
groups of these areas, individuals hosting
a potlatch give away much, if not all, of
their wealth and material goods to show
goodwill to the rest of the tribal members
and to maintain their social status. Later
they go to another potlatch and receive
gifts. Participation shows status.
Kwakiutl Role of Man and Woman
Men hunted, fished, traded, built houses
and canoes. Men became incredible
carvers and artists.
 Women gathered food, wove cedar, and
raised children.

Kwakiutl Art
Because food sources
were plentiful, the
Kwakiutl culture valued art
and clans devoted time to
art projects like:
 Masks
 Totem Poles
 Carvings

The totem pole
was an artistic way of
representing a family’s
history, social standing
and important events
in a chief or noble's
life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5NSKRc07Fo&
feature=related
Pueblo
Pueblo tribes
inhabited the
Southwest in presentday New Mexico and
Arizona
 They lived in desert
areas with little rain
and in areas
bordering cliffs and
mountains

The Pueblo are natives of the
Southwest deserts, particularly New
Mexico. (The Hopi live in Arizona, while
the Ysleta del Sur Tigua live in Texas.)
Unlike many other Native American
tribes, the Pueblo Indians were never
forced to leave their homelands and
many are still living there today.
Pueblo Shelter
The homes of the Pueblo people were called
Pueblos. They were made of stone and adobe
(mud bricks)
 Often they had
many levels
 Many families and
groups were
cliff dwellers;
Pueblos were
designed for
protection from
enemies.

Pueblo people lived in adobe
houses known as pueblos, which are
multi-story house complexes made of
adobe (clay and straw baked into hard
bricks) and stone. Each adobe unit was
home to one family, like a modern
apartment. Pueblo people used ladders
to reach the upstairs apartments. A
Pueblo adobe house can contain dozens
of units and was often home to an entire
extended clan.
Pueblo Village tour
Unlike most old-fashioned Indian
shelters, traditional Pueblo houses are
still used by many people today. In
fact, some Pueblo people have been
living in the same adobe house
complex, such as Sky City, for dozens
of generations. Other Pueblo families
now live in modern houses or
apartment buildings, just like you.
Why are Pueblo built on high ground?
Pueblo Food





Pueblo people were
farmers, even though
they lived in the in the
basin and range region.
They lived in a very
dry area and irrigated
their crops during drought
They grew corn, beans, and squash.
They hunted rabbit and antelope and made stew
These farmers also grew cotton – used for weaving
Pueblo Clothing
Pueblo men grew cotton
and used it for weaving
clothes and other fabric
 Their woven cotton is
famous
 Animal skins (rabbit) were
also used for clothing

Because they lived in a hot, dry area, often
Pueblo men didn't wear much clothing-- only
breechcloths or short kilts. Pueblo women wore
knee-length cotton dresses called mantas. A
manta fastened at a woman's right shoulder,
leaving her left shoulder bare.
Men and women both wore deerskin
moccasins on their feet. For dances and special
occasions, women painted their moccasins white
and wrapped white strips of deerskin called
puttee around their shins as leggings.
Pueblo Transportation

Pueblo nearly always traveled by foot,
walking or running. Pueblos used dogs
pulling a travois (a kind of drag sled) to
help them carry heavy loads.
Travois Pulled by a dog (amaetur video)
.
Pueblo Art, Music and Storytelling
Pottery, Baskets and Kachinas
There are lots of traditional Pueblo
legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very
important in the Pueblo culture.
Pueblo artists are famous for their
beautiful pottery and heishi jewelry. They
also made stone carvings, baskets, and
colorful weavings. All of these art forms
are still flourishing today. Here is a good
site on the art of Pueblo pottery.
Pueblo pottery
Pueblo baskets
Pueblo Roles of Man and Woman
Men farmed, hunted, made tools,
gathered cotton and wove it into clothing.
 Men also built the pueblos.

Women ground corn, prepared food and
taught children.
 Women wove baskets
and made beautiful and
distintive pottery.

Pueblo is a Spanish word that means “village”

The Pueblo nation includes the Tewa, Hopi
and Zuni tribes. They are the descendents
of the Anasazi – the Ancient Ones – who
built the great adobe cities in the
Southwest. Around 750 a huge city was
built by the Anasazi in what is now New
Mexico. What happened to that city? It
was abandoned. Perhaps climate changes
in the 1300’s and long periods without rain
forced the people to move away.

Some Pueblo people still live traditional
lives in the American Southwest. Many of
them still farm, weave baskets , make
beautiful rugs, silver jewelry and fine
pottery. Some of their homes, like the
Taos Pueblo in New Mexico, were built
about 1,000 years ago.
The Pueblo live along side the Navajo in
Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. The
Navajo and the Pueblo are alike in many
ways.
Lakota

Lakota people lived in the Great Plains, an
area characterized by dry grasslands.
What is the difference between the
Lakota, the Dakota and the Sioux?
There is no real difference. "Lakota" and
"Dakota" are different pronunciations of the
same tribal name, which means "the allies.“
"Sioux," on the other hand, is not a Lakota
name. It comes from the Ojibway name for
the tribe, which means "little snakes." Many
Lakotas use the word Sioux to refer to
themselves when they're speaking English,
however. Most prefer the name Lakota.
Lakota Food
Lakota Women Speak about the
Buffalo
The Lakota are
hunter-gatherers.
Lakota depended on the buffalo (bison) for
everything, including food.
 The Lakota were nomadic — they followed
herds of buffalo
 They also hunted elk, antelope and other
animals.

The Lakota Way 1
Lakota Song
Lakota Clothing

Lakota clothing was
mostly made of
buffalo hides and
deer skin; it was
very decorated and
sewn with sinew
(animal tendon)
Lakota warriors and chiefs were
well-known for their impressive
feathered warbonnets, but they
didn't wear them in everyday life;
they were for special occasions.
Each feather in the war bonnet
was earned through some
act of bravery. Only the greatest
chiefs had a long headdress.
Both Lakota men and women
wore their hair long, cutting it
only when they were in mourning.
Lakota Shelter
Lakota tepees were
made of buffalo
hides.
 Teepees could be
taken down and
moved to a new
location as the tribe
followed the buffalo
herds.
 The Lakota were
nomads and needed
portable shelter.

Lakota Transportation
Lakota transportation
changed after Spanish
brought horses to
North America.
 Dogs and horses pulled
a travois (type of sled)

Photos & Music: Plains Indians and Horses
Plains Indians
The Lakota Indians of the northern plains have
been called a “horse nation” because they have
strong ties, culturally and historically, with the
animals.
The Lakota originally lived by the Great Lakes.
The establishment of settlements caused them to
migrate west from the Great Lakes region. They
later called themselves the Lakota, and were also
called Sioux. They were introduced to horse
culture by the Cheyenne.
After their adoption of the horse, their society
centered on the buffalo hunt with the horse.
Lakota Role of Man and Woman
Women made
tepees and
butchered buffalo
 Women cooked and
cared for children
 Men hunted and
protected the tribe

Lakota Art and Music
Lakota decorated their clothing
and headdresses with beads,
feathers, bones and sinew.
 Drums and pipes were played

 Lakota
baskets were utilitarian in design.
They were small bowl-like containers,
usually lidded and intended to store dried
berries, herbs, medicines and powders.
Made of dried pine needles stitched
together by sinew from deer or bison,
baskets were left flexible and porous or
were coated with pitch to make them
waterproof.
Lakota basket
The Lakota weren’t the only people living
in the Great Plains.
 There were Cheyenne, Arapaho, Blackfeet,
Comanche and Pawnee. All had many
things in common, but one of the biggest
was the importance of the buffalo.
 The Plains Indians depended on these
huge shaggy beasts for almost everything.

Buffalo Hunt: Dances With Wolves
The bison provided meat, leather, sinew for bows,
grease, dried dung for fires, and even the hooves
could be boiled for glue. When times were bad,
bison were consumed down to the last bit of
marrow.
Buffalo Hunt - photos
The Iroquois People
The Iroquois homeland is in northeast United
States, the Eastern Woodland. This region is
heavily forested and gets plenty of rain and
snow.
The Iroquois nation was in the area that is now New York.
Iroquois Indians
Iroquois Indians : History
Iroquios

The Iroquois Indians originally lived near
Lake Ontario and along the Mohawk River
in New York State.

Five tribes, the Mohawks, the Oneidas, the
Onondagas, the Cayugas, and the
Senecas, banded together to form a
confederacy, the Iroquios Nation. Later a
sixth tribe, the Tuscarora, joined.
The Iroquois confederacy created the Great
Law of Peace which explained how to settle
diputes. It brought peace and prosperity to
the Iroquois for hundreds of years.
That peace was shattered when settlers
came from Europe.
Iroquois Shelter
The Iroquois live in longhouses made of wood,
bark, animal skins.
 They are up to 100 feet long and four or five
families shared one longhouse.
 There was a shared fire in the center for
cooking– sometimes
a row of center fires
and a hole in ceiling
for smoke to escape.

The Iroquois lived in villages
protected by fences of sharpened logs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dIqcNtygIM&feature=related
Iroquois Food
The Iroquois were farmers. They grew
corn, squash, beans, which they called the
three sisters. They also grew pumpkins.
 The Iroquois were also hunter/gatherers,
often collecting nuts, berries and wild
roots for food.
 They also fished, often using canoes.
 They hunted deer, bear, small game like
rabbits, squirrels, and turkeys.

.
Iroquois Clothing
Most Iroquois clothing was made from
deerskin.
 They needed warm clothing for the cold
winters in the northeast.
 They wore long fringed
skirts, breech cloths,
moccasins, leggings.
Clothing was often
decorated with beads,
feathers and sinew.

The Iroquois Indians used the pelts of
animals for their clothing. In the winter,
the men wore shirts, leggings, and
moccasins made of buckskin, made from
the skins of animals, mainly deer.
 The women wore skirts they had woven
from the wild grasses, covered with furs,
with leggings underneath.
 In the summer, the men wore a
breechcloth, a short piece of buckskin that
hung from the front to the back.
 The women wore their grass dresses, and
the children wore nothing at all in the
summer.

Iroquois Transportation

Iroquois made
canoes covered with
waterproof elm or
birch bark.
Role of Man and Woman
Women were the head of the family and
owned the land.
Women held a powerful position in the
Iroquois tribe. They owned longhouses,
controlled the land, and chose the chief.
When a man married, he lived moved to the
longhouse of his wife and lived with his
wife's clan.
Children belonged to their mother's clan.
 Men were hunters and fishers and built the
longhouses. They also made canoes and
tools. They protected the family and clan.

Iroquois Women

While Iroquois sachems (chiefs-leaders)
were men, women nominated them for their
leadership positions and made sure they
fulfilled their responsibilities

Women belonged to Medicine Societies and
they participated in political ceremonies.

The Iroquois were an agricultural people and
it was the women who owned the land and
tended the crops.
Iroquois Art and Music

Art and music were
important in Iroquois
culture, particularly
basket weaving,
pottery and beadwork.
Baskets
Hand woven baskets are an important part of
Iroquois culture and tradition. In fact, during a
marriage ceremony, it is mandatory for the
husband and the wife to exchange baskets
with one another.
Pottery
Pots with a round bottom, made from clay,
which have geometric designs on them, are a
typical Iroquois art. They were used by
Iroquois people to cook food.
Iroquois use beads for creating some
stunning designs on the clothes and
jewelery that they wear. Earrings made
from glass beads, which are threaded on a
porcupine's quill, have always been very
popular in this culture.
The Iroquois painted on surfaces and
animal hides, till about the year 1821. It
was only in the year 1821, that they began
painting on canvas and paper.
Lacrosse was started by the Iroquois.
In wintertime, Iroquois people
used laced snowshoes and sleds
to travel through the snow.
Hiawatha who lived
around 1550, was a
leader of the Onondaga
and Mohawk nations of
the Iroquios.
Native American History
Homelands of
the 5 American
Indian tribes
we’re studying
this year.
The European settlers treated the Native Americans harshly.
Their land was taken away from them and they were forced to move
from their native lands to Indian reservations. Some were forced to
send their children away to schools run by white authorities. The
young people often lost the chance to learn about their own culture
and traditions.
Today, there are schools on the reservations, and many of the
Native American people have moved from the reservations and into
American cities to find work to support their families. Native
Americans live both on reservations and in the cities and towns of our
country. They are US citizens and also members of their tribes.
Native Americans have had to fight for their rights to teach
their children about the traditions of the tribes, to hunt and fish, and
to open new businesses on the reservations. Slowly things are
changing. Now Native Americans pass down their traditions, such as
native dances, to their children. Although poverty continues to be a
major problem for Native Americans both on and off reservations,
there is gradual improvement.
Native Americans Today