Native American Culture Regions Notes
3/24/2016 1:19:00 AM
Vocabulary
 Environment: all of the physical surroundings in a place, including
land, water, animals, plants, and climate
 Natural Resources: useful materials found in nature, including
water, vegetation, animals, and minerals
 Climate: a long term weather pattern
 Culture: a people’s way of life, including beliefs, customs, food,
dwellings, and clothing
 Culture Region: an area in which a group of people share a similar
culture and language

Migration: To move from one place and establish a home in a new
place. A move of a large number of people is called a migration.
Beringia Land Bridge: Strip of land connecting Asia and Alaska which
appeared during the last Ice Age. Bridge was crossed by nomadic Asian
hunters following large herds. Bridge disappeared at the end of the Ice Age
stranding herds and hunters. Native Americans became (adapted)
hunter/gatherers to survive.
Northwest Coast
 Features of the Environment
o Cold winters, cool summers
o Heavy rainfall
o Thick fir, spruce, cedar forests
 Food
o Clams, shellfish, seaweed
o Seals, whales, fish (halibut, salmon)
 Adaptations:
o Canoes, wooden harpoons, fences across rivers to trap fish,
nets, logs houses with cedar bark roofs, woven baskets,
mats, rope, blankets waterproof capes, shell buttons, bone
drills, stone chisels and knives
California
 Features of the Environment
o Winter rains, hot dry summers


o Coastal foothills, valleys, deserts, mountains
o Oak trees with acorns
Food
o Salmon, shellfish, deer, rabbits, ducks, roots, berries, pine
nuts, acorns
Adaptations
o Bows and Arrows, snares, nets, woven baskets
o Aprons or skirts made from grasses or leather strips
o Wrapped themselves in animal hides for warmth
o Houses were cone shaped and made from redwood tree bark
o Cooking baskets, storage baskets, sifters, fish traps were
woven from plants
Great Basin
 Features of the Environment
o Desert
o Low grasses, sagebrush
o Small animals, such as rabbits and lizards
 Food

o Limited food and water forced these people to travel looking
for food in small groups
o Ducks, duck eggs, cattail plants, snakes, grasshoppers, pine
nuts
Adaptations
o Temporary shelters of willow poles shaped into a cone and
covered with brush or reeds
o Robes from rabbit skins
o Floating duck decoys
o Nets for catching birds
o Seed beater baskets
Plateau
 Features of the Environment
o Cold winters, gentle summers
o Large rivers
o Surrounding tree covered mountains
 Food

o Abundant fish, Salmon, wild onions and carrots, deer and
antelope
Adaptations
o Built platforms over the river to spear or net fish
o Homes built of logs, and covered with saplings, reeds, and
mud which were partially below ground for warmth in winter
and coolness in summer
o Wove elaborate baskets and hats
o Women scraped and softened hides for dresses, leggings, and
shirts decorated them with designs of seeds and shells
Southwest
 Features of the Environment
o Canyons, mountains, desert, mesas
o Dry, hot climate, seldom rains
o Colorado River and Rio Grande
 Food
o Planted mainly corn, beans, squash, rabbit, chili peppers
 Nomadic hunters – small groups hunted, gathered, and
farmed

Adaptations
o Hunters, gatherers, farmed
o Adobe (sun baked clay)thick walled apartment houses (up to
4 stories) – single villages called a pueblo
o Clothes made of cotton that they grew, spun, and wove into
cloth, dyed fabrics with bright colors
o Built irrigation ditches to water crops
o Clay ovens and pots
Great Plains
 Features of the Environment
o Treeless grasslands
o Plenty of water from rivers
o Soft soil in the east
 Food
o Buffalo, farming

Adaptations
o Bow and arrow, spears, bone knives
o Buffalo skins sewn together to build tipis.
o Horns and Hooves were made into spoons and bowls
o Buffalo skins were softened to make clothing
o Use of horses for hunting
Eastern Woodlands
 Features of the Environment
o Harsh Winters and summer rains


o Forests, lakes, and streams
o Great Lakes
Food
o Deer, bears, beavers, birds, fish, greens, nuts, and berries
o Maple Syrup, sunflowers, tobacco
o Corn, beans, squash
Adaptations
o Beaver traps, nets, spears, tapped Maple trees
o Log and bark canoes
o Sturdy log framed houses covered with elm bark, 20 ft. wide
and 100 ft. long, several related families lived in sections of
the longhouse.
o Hoes for tilling the soil
o Deer skins tanned to make skirts, capes, and moccasins
o Ground corn with wooden sticks and hollowed out tree
trunks, or between stones.
Southeast


Features of the Environment
o Fertile coastal plains, river valleys, mountains, swamps
o Long, warm, humid summers
o Mild Winters
Food
o Corn, beans, squash, pumpkins, sunflowers
o Squirrels, rabbits, turkeys, deer, alligators, and turtles
o Sweet potatoes, wild rice, persimmons

Adaptations
o Mound Builders, Farmers
o Homes built of strips of young trees woven into a rectangular
frame and plastered with clay, roofs were pointed and made
of leaves.
o Hoes made of stone, shells, or animal shoulder blades
fastened to wooden handles
o Blowguns, bow and arrows
o Short deer-skins skirts, used shells, feathers, pearls, bones
and clay to make rings, earrings, arm rings, and hairpins
For thousands of years, these First People had the Americas to themselves.
That would change when Europeans learned of the existence of the American
continents.
8/29/2011 4:04:00 PM
8/29/2011 4:04:00 PM