Study Notes on Native American Tribes
ARCTIC/INUIT INDIANS
G Tundra – barren partially frozen land…no trees
G The land the Arctic/Inuits lived on was called “frozen desert” because it was a a desert – frozen/icy
S
Arctic/Inuits lived in homes called pit homes –
Pit Homes
1. Made of stone walls covered in earth
2. To enter you had to crawl through a tunnel
3. Smokeless oil lanps were used for warmth and cooking
4. Oil comes from melted ablubber – the fat from sea mammals
S Umiak – a large open boat made of animal skin and driftwood; 40 feet in length and used for whaling
S Things the Inuits did for entertainment
- dance, sing, tell stories, study the stars, carve and decorate animal bones and walrus tusks
with fish
S DOGS were their prized possession
S Nomadic – did not stay in one place. Moved about following hunted animals for food
P Leaders were the elders
G Lived in the north country on frozen tundra or frozen deserts
E Hunted seal, walrus and whale
E Also fished in the arctic waters
ANASAZI INDIANS (CLIFF DWELLERS)
S Flat head – seen by the Anasazi as a sign of beauty. Children were strapped to a board and carried
on their mother’s back while she worked the fields. The board made the back of the head flat.
S Kiva
1. A round room dug into the ground
2. Used by the Anastasia to hold religious ceremonies
3. They made their laws here and discussed how to solve problems
S
Built apartments that rose to 70 stories
P
Priests - the most important people and sought out for advice by the tribe
E
Farmers – farmed on flat mountain tops called plateaus
G
Located in the Southwest part of North America
G/E Land was hot and dry and crops often fail
E
The Anasazi tribe died out due to years of drought and lack of harvest
NORTHWEST TRIBE – also known as the SHOW-OFFS
S
Semi-sedentary meaning they stay in one place part of the time; lived in long houses
S
Totem Pole – painted and carved images symbolic of a family’s power and rank
S
Leisure Activities – play acting, dancing, singing, wrestling
S
Divided into 3 classes: slaves, commoners and nobles
S
Potlatch – a party that could last for days
S
Wealthy tribe
G
Located along the Pacific Coast
P
Ruled by a chief
E
Wealthy/affluent tribe. Fished and heated game
S
Lived in plank houses 40 – 100 feet in length
PLAINS INDIANS
E
Buffalo –Hunted buffalo - important to their economy. They used all parts of the buffalo. They
ate the meat and traded buffalo skins for rifles
E
This tribe was the poorest and hungriest of tribes
S
Nomadic – that is, they moved from place to place in search of food; no permanent home
S
Lived in wigwams, made of grass and bark . Some lived in teepees made of animal skin
P
Shaman – this was their spiritual leader and holy man.
G
Located mostly in the central plains from Canada to Texas
G
Weather – very harsh – blizzards, tornados, icy cold or blistering heat, droughts, floods and nice
days.
IROQUOIS INDIANS
E
Farmers, Hunters and Gatherers – tribe farmed until the land became dry and the soil grew barren
Hunted deer, fox and bear.
E
Fur-trapping and trading
E
Iroquois women were excellent farmers
S
Longhouses – lived in these houses that measured over 150 feet; shared by 8-10 families
S
Wampum – memory beads used to tell stories and sometimes used for money
S
Matrilineal Society – this means that the family history was traced through the mom. Iroquois
women were leaders of family clans
P
Sachems – Iroquois chiefs chosen by the Iroquois women
P
League of the Iroquois – democratic league of 5 Indian nations with a council
G
Located in the Great Lakes, New York, and the current New England States section
G
Lived in heavily forested areas