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Your Name
K. Shimabukuro
English 9
8 March 2016
Title
Algonquin
Where do the Algonquins live?
The Algonquins are original natives of southern Quebec and
eastern Ontario, in Canada. Today they live in nine communities
in Quebec and one in Ontario.
How is the Algonquin Indian nation organized? How are
chiefs chosen?
Each Algonquin community lives
on its own reserve, or reservation.
Reserves are land that belongs to
the tribe and is legally under their
control. Each Algonquin tribe-known as a band or First Nation
in Canada--is politically
independent and has its own
leadership. Algonquin First
Nations have their own
Algonquin band flags
government, laws, police, and
services, just like small countries.
However, the Algonquins are also
Canadian citizens and must obey
Canadian law.
The leader of each Algonquin
band is called ogima or ogema,
which is translated as "chief" in
English. The ogima used to be
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chosen by tribal councilmembers,
often from the last chief's sons,
nephews, or sons-in-law. Today
ogimas are elected by the
Algonquins, just like governors or
mayors.
They do the same things all
children do--play with each other,
What language do the
go to school and help around the
Algonquin people speak?
house. Many Algonquin children
Some bands are Englishspeaking, and others are French- like to go hunting and fishing with
their fathers. In the past, Indian
speaking. About half the
Algonquin population also speak kids had more chores and less time
to play, like early colonial children.
their native Algonquin
But they did have toys, games and
language. Algonquin is a
dolls, like this 18th-century doll in
musical language that has
its miniature cradleboard.
complicated verbs with many
parts. If you'd like to learn a few Algonquin mothers, like many
Native Americans, carried their
easy Algonquin words, "kwey"
(rhymes with "day") is a friendly babies in cradleboards on their
backs--a custom which many
greeting and "meegwetch"
American parents have adopted
means "thank you." You can
now. There's a cute picture of
listen to an Algonquin woman
Algonquin Indian children in their
talk in her language here and
cradleboards on this site.
see an Algonquin picture
glossary here.
What were Algonquin men and women's roles?
Algonquin women gathered plants to eat and did most of the child
care and cooking. Men were hunters and sometimes went to war
to protect their families. Both genders took part in storytelling,
artwork and music, and traditional medicine. In the past, the
Algonquin Indian chief was always a man, but today a woman can
be chief too.
What were Algonquin homes like in the past?
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The Algonquins didn't live in tepees. For most of
the year they lived in settled villages of birchbark
houses, called waginogans or wigwams. During
the winter, the village split up to go to hunting
camps, and each Algonquin family built a smaller
cone-shaped wigwam like this for their camp, also
made from birch bark. Here are some more
pictures of American Indian houses like the ones
the Algonquins used.
Wigwam in Ontario
Today, Native Americans only build a birchbark
home for fun or to connect with their heritage.
Most Algonquin people live in modern houses
and apartment buildings, just like you.
What was Algonquin clothing like? Did they wear feather
headdresses and face paint?
Algonquin women wore long dresses with removable
sleeves and the men wore breechcloths and leggings.
Both genders wore moccasins on their feet and cloaks
in bad weather. Later, the Algonquins adapted
European costume such as cloth blouses and jackets,
decorating them with fancy beadwork. The Ojibway
chief to the left is wearing the same style of clothing
Algonquin men did. Here are more pictures of Ojibway
and Algonquin clothing styles, and some photographs
and links about Native American clothing in general.
Chief Rocky Boy
Moccasin
Some Algonquin warriors shaved their heads in the
Mohawk style, using grease to stiffen their hair so that
it spiked up. Otherwise, Algonquin men and women
both wore their hair in long braids. Some men wore a
porcupine roach with a feather in it. (These roaches are
made of porcupine hair, not the sharp quills!) In the
1800's, some Algonquin chiefs began wearing a
feathered headdress like their neighbors the Sioux. The
Algonquins painted their faces and arms with bright
colors. They used different patterns for war paint and
festive decoration. Some Algonquin men also wore
elaborate tribal tattoos.
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Algonquin
canoe
Today, some Algonquin people still wear moccasins or
a beaded shirt, but they wear modern clothes like jeans
instead of breechcloths... and they only wear feathers in
their hair on special occasions like a dance.
Yes--the Algonquin Indian tribe was famous for their
birchbark canoes. These canoe pictures compare
straight-stem Algonquin canoes to the canoe styles of
other tribes. Canoeing is still popular in the Algonquin
nation today. Over land, the Algonquins used dogs as
pack animals. (There were no horses in North America
until colonists brought them over from Europe.) The
Algonquins used sleds and snowshoes to help them
travel in the winter.
Today, of course, Algonquin people also use cars...
and non-native people also use canoes.
What was Algonquin food like in the days
before supermarkets?
The Algonquins were semi-nomadic huntergatherers. That means they didn't do much
farming, and moved around a lot as they collected
food for their families. Besides fish and meat, the
Algonquins gathered berries and wild plants to eat.
They also traded with neighboring tribes to get
corn, and made maple syrup from tree sap.
Algonquin deer hunt
What were Algonquin weapons and tools like in
the past?
Algonquin hunters and warriors used bows and
arrows, spears, and knives. Hunters also built traps
like the ones in this picture to catch deer and other
game animals. Algonquin fishermen used pronged
spears to stab fish from their canoes or through
holes in the ice, instead of fishing with hooks.
What are Algonquin arts and crafts like?
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Algonquin artists are known for their beadwork and
basketry. Like other eastern American Indians,
Algonquins also crafted wampum out of white and
purple shell beads. Wampum beads were traded as a
kind of currency, but they were more culturally
important as an art material. The designs and pictures
Algonquin basket
on wampum belts often told a story or represented a
person's family. Today, Algonquin people also create
contemporary art like oil paintings. You can visit this
site to see photographs of Algonquin paintings.
Who are some famous Algonquin Indians?
Hockey star Gino Odjick is Algonquin from Kitigan Zibi. Here's a
biography of him. Odjick is also active in trying to combat alcohol abuse
among First Nations youth. Here is an article about that.
What about Algonquin religion?
Religions are too complicated and culturally sensitive to describe
appropriately in only a few simple sentences, and we strongly want to
avoid misleading anybody. You can visit this site to learn more about
Algonquin religious traditions or this site about Native American
religions in general.
Cherokee
Where do the Cherokee Indians live?
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The Cherokees are original residents of the American southeast region,
particularly Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and
Tennessee. Most Cherokees were forced to move to Oklahoma in the
1800's along the Trail of Tears. Descendants of the Cherokee Indians
who survived this death march still live in Oklahoma today. Some
Cherokees escaped the Trail of Tears by hiding in the Appalachian hills
or taking shelter with sympathetic white neighbors. The descendants of
these people live scattered throughout the original Cherokee Indian
homelands.
What was the Cherokee Trail of Tears?
Trail of Tears was the Cherokee name for what the Americans called
Indian Removal. During the 1800's, the US government created an
"Indian Territory" in Oklahoma and sent all the eastern Native American
tribes to live there. Some tribes willingly agreed to this plan. Other tribes
didn't want to go, and the American army forced them. The Cherokee
tribe was one of the largest eastern tribes, and they didn't want to leave
their homeland. The Cherokees were peaceful allies of the Americans,
so they asked the Supreme Court for help. The judges decided the
Cherokee Indians could stay in their homes. But the President, Andrew
Jackson, sent the army to march the Cherokees to Oklahoma anyway.
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They weren't prepared for the journey, and it was winter time.
Thousands of Cherokee Indians died on the Trail of Tears. Many Native
Americans from other tribes died too. It was a terrible time in history.
Here are memories of the Cherokee Trail of Tears from two 19thcentury writers, a Cherokee Indian who walked the Trail as a boy and
an American soldier who accompanied the Cherokees.
How is the Cherokee Indian nation organized?
There are three federally recognized Cherokee tribes: the Cherokee
Nation of Oklahoma, the United Keetoowah Band in Oklahoma, and the
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina. Other Cherokee
communities in Alabama, Georgia, and other states are considered
unofficial by the US government. The Eastern Cherokee people live on
a reservation. Indian reservations are lands that belong to Native
American tribes and are under their control. The Oklahoma Cherokee
people live on trust land, though many Cherokees call it a reservation
anyway. The Keetowah Cherokee do not have a land base. Each
Cherokee tribe has its own government, laws, police, and services, just
like a small country. However, Cherokee Indians are also US citizens
and must obey American law.
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In the past, each Cherokee band was led by one war chief and one
peace chief. Cherokee chiefs were chosen by a tribal council. Cherokee
war chiefs were male, but the peace chief could be a woman. Today,
Cherokee tribal councils and chiefs can be either gender and are
popularly elected, like senators and governors.
What language do the Cherokees speak?
Most Cherokee people speak English today, but 20,000 people also
speak the Cherokee Indian language. Cherokee is a complex
language with soft sounds. If you'd like to know a few easy Cherokee
words, "osiyo" (pronounced oh-see-yoh) is a friendly greeting, and
"wado" (pronounced wah-doh) means 'thank you.' You can hear
Cherokee being spoken here, or read a Cherokee picture dictionary
here.
The Cherokee language has an innovative writing system that was
invented by the Cherokee scholar Sequoyah. Sequoyah's writing
system is a syllabary. That means one character represents each
syllable. (Another language that uses a syllabary today is Japanese.)
Here is a chart of the symbols used in the written Cherokee language.
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Today, many Cherokee people use a modified English alphabet instead
of the syllabary Sequoyah invented, because it is easier to type.
What is Cherokee culture like?
Here are links to the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and Eastern Band
of Cherokees, where you can learn about the Cherokee people past and
present. You can also read simple articles about the Cherokee Indians
here and here.
How do Cherokee Indian children live?
They do the same things all children do--play with each other, go to
school and help around the house. Many Cherokee children enjoy
hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Cherokee kids had
more chores and less time to play, just like colonial children. But they
did have dolls, toys, and games to play. In one popular game, Cherokee
kids tried to throw a dart through a moving hoop. Anejodi, a stickball
game related to the Iroquois game of lacrosse, was a popular sport
among Cherokee teenagers and adult men. Like many Native
Americans, Cherokee mothers traditionally carried babies in
cradleboards on their backs--a custom which many American parents
have adopted now.
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What were men and women's roles in the Cherokee tribe?
Like their distant cousins the Iroquois, the Cherokee Indians had an
even division of power between men and women. Cherokee men were
in charge of hunting, war, and diplomacy. Cherokee women were in
charge of farming, property, and family. Men made political decisions for
the tribe, and women made social decisions for the clans. Chiefs were
men, and landowners were women. Both genders took part in
storytelling, artwork and music, and traditional medicine.
Today, Cherokee gender role traditions have changed. Cherokee
women can be chiefs also... and Cherokee men are sometimes farmers.
However, modern Cherokee people still trace clan relationships through
their mothers.
What were Cherokee homes like?
The Cherokee Indians lived in settled villages, usually located near a
river. Cherokee houses were made of rivercane and plaster, with
thatched roofs. These dwellings were about as strong and warm as log
cabins. Here are some pictures of Native American houses like the ones
Cherokee Indians used. The Cherokees also built larger seven-sided
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buildings for ceremonial purposes, and each village usually had a ball
field with benches for spectators. Many Cherokee villages had
palisades (reinforced walls) around them for protection. Today,
Cherokee families live in a modern house or apartment building, just like
you.
What was Cherokee clothing like? Did they wear feather
headdresses and face paint?
Cherokee men wore breechcloths and leggings. Cherokee women wore
wraparound skirts and poncho-style blouses made out of woven fiber or
deerskin. The Cherokees wore moccasins on their feet. After
colonization, Cherokee Indians adapted European costume into a
characteristic style, including long braided or beaded jackets, cotton
blouses and full skirts decorated with ribbon applique, feathered
turbans, and the calico tear dress. Here are pictures of Cherokee
clothing and photographs of traditional Native American clothing in
general.
The Cherokees didn't wear long headdresses like the Sioux. Cherokee
men usually shaved their heads except for a single scalplock.
Sometimes they would also wear a porcupine roach. Cherokee women
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always wore their hair long, cutting it only in mourning for a family
member. Men decorated their faces and bodies with tribal tattoo art and
also painted themselves bright colors in times of war. Unlike some
tribes, Cherokee women didn't paint themselves or wear tattoos, but
they often wore bead necklaces and copper armbands.
Today, some Cherokee people still wear moccasins or a ribbon shirt,
but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of a breechcloth... and
only wear roaches and feathers on special occasions like a dance.
What was early Cherokee transportation like? Did they paddle
canoes?
Yes--the Cherokee Indians used to make long dugout canoes from
hollowed-out logs. Over land, the Cherokees used dogs as pack
animals. There were no horses in North America until colonists brought
them over from Europe. Today, of course, Cherokee people also use
cars... and non-native people also use canoes.
What was Cherokee food like in the days before supermarkets?
The Cherokees were farming people. Cherokee women harvested crops
of corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers. They also gathered berries,
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nuts and fruit to eat. Cherokee men hunted deer, wild turkeys, and small
game and fished in the rivers. Cherokee dishes included cornbread,
soups, and stews cooked on stone hearths. Here is a website with some
Cherokee recipes you can try out for yourself!
What were some Cherokee weapons and artifacts?
Cherokee hunters used bows and arrows or blowguns to shoot game.
Fishermen generally used spears and fishing poles. Warriors fired
arrows or fought with a melee weapon like a tomahawk or spear. Other
important tools used by the Cherokee Indians included stone adzes
(hand axes for woodworking), flint knives for skinning animals, wooden
hoes for farming, and pots and baskets for storing corn.
What are Cherokee arts and crafts?
Traditional Cherokee art included pipe carving, rivercane baskets, gourd
art, and pottery. After moving to Oklahoma, the Cherokees couldn't get
the materials they used to use for traditional crafts, so they concentrated
on other crafts like beadwork and textile arts. Here are photographs of
beautiful beaded Cherokee bandolier bags, and a Cherokee artifact
display from North Carolina.
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What other Native Americans did the Cherokee tribe interact
with?
The Cherokee Indians traded regularly with other southeastern Native
Americans, who especially liked to make trades for high-quality
Cherokee pipes and pottery. The Cherokees often fought with their
neighbors the Creeks, Chickasaws, and Shawnees, but other times,
they were friends and allies of those tribes.
I read that the Cherokee were part of the Five Civilized Tribes.
Was that an alliance like the Iroquois Confederacy?
No. Many people guess this, but it isn't true. "The Five Civilized Tribes"
was just a name that the white settlers used to refer to the Creek,
Chickasaw, Choctaw, Seminole, and Cherokee tribes of the Southeast.
These five tribes were never part of an alliance together, and they did
not call themselves the Civilized Tribes in their own languages.
Originally, the white settlers probably called them this because these
five tribes were early converts to Christianity. They were also farmers
who lived in settled towns under sophisticated government systems,
which Europeans and early Americans considered more higher
civilization achievements than independent bands of hunters who
moved from place to place. However, there were dozens of other Native
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American tribes who also led farming lifestyles, not just these five.
What kinds of stories do the Cherokees tell?
There are many traditional Cherokee legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to the Cherokee Indian culture. Here is a
Cherokee legend about the origin of strawberries.
What about Cherokee religion?
Religions are too complicated and culturally sensitive to describe
appropriately in only a few simple sentences, and we strongly want to
avoid misleading anybody. You can visit this site to learn more about
Cherokee ceremonies or this site about American Indian spirituality in
general.
Who are some famous Cherokee Indians?
One of the best-known people in Cherokee history was Sequoyah.
Sequoyah was a very brilliant man. Although he did not know how to
read or write in any other language, he succeeded in inventing a writing
system for Cherokee that is still used today. A famous Cherokee Indian
from modern times is Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to be Principal
Chief of the Cherokee tribe.
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Can you recommend a good book for me to read?
You may enjoy Indian Shoes, a charming collection of short stories
about a contemporary Cherokee-Seminole boy and his grandfather, or
Aunt Mary, Tell Me A Story, a collection of traditional tales retold by a
Cherokee elder. If you want to know more about the Trail of Tears and
Cherokee history, two good books for kids are Only the Names Remain
and Soft Rain. Older readers may be interested in Voices from the Trail
of Tears or Cherokee Women. You can also browse through our
reading list of recommended American Indian books in general.
How do I cite your website in my bibliography?
You will need to ask your teacher for the format he or she wants you to
use. The authors' names are Laura Redish and Orrin Lewis and the title
of our site is Native Languages of the Americas. We are a nonprofit
educational organization working to preserve and protect Native
American languages and culture. You can learn more about our
organization here. Our website was first created in 1998 and last
updated in 2011.
Mohawk
Were they really man-eaters?
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It's not clear anymore whether that name was supposed to be
literal, or an insult, or just a figure of speech to show that the
Mohawks were fierce. Some Mohawk people believe that in
ancient times, before they joined the Iroquois Confederacy, their
ancestors used to eat enemies they had killed in battle. Other
Mohawks think that never really happened and cannibals were
always rare and strange in Mohawk society, like they were in
other cultures.
Where do the Mohawks live?
The Mohawks are original people of New York state. Here is our
map of New York Indian tribes and the location of their original
home lands. Some Mohawk people still live in New York today, but
most Mohawks retreated to Canada in the 1700's.
Are the Mohawks Iroquois people?
Yes, the Mohawk Indian tribe was one of the
original members of the Iroquois Confederation, or
Kanonsionni in their own language ("people of the
longhouse.") The other member nations were the the
Seneca, the Oneida, the Cayuga, and the Onondaga.
Later a sixth tribe, the Tuscarora, joined the
Iroquois wampum belt
confederacy. Today these long-term allies refer to
themselves as the Haudenosaunee or Six Nations.
How is the Mohawk Indian nation organized?
The Mohawk nation had a tribal council chosen by the Mohawk
clan mothers (matriarchs, or female leaders.) But the Mohawks
were also subject to the decisions made by the Iroquois Great
Council. Nine Mohawk chiefs represented their tribe's interests in
the Iroquois Council. This is similar to American states which each
have their own government, but are all subject to the US
government. In fact, the Iroquois Confederacy was one of the
examples of representative democracy used as a model by
America's founding fathers.
Today the Mohawk people have four First Nations in what is now
Ontario and Quebec, including one reservation with land on both
sides of the Canada-US border. Each of these Mohawk tribes is
autonomous, which means the Indians who live there have the
right to make their own government and laws. There are also
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other Mohawk communities in New York and Quebec, and some
Mohawk people live on the Six Nations Reserve, which they share
with members of the other Iroquois nations.
What language do the Mohawks speak?
Most Mohawk people speak English today, but some Mohawks
also speak their native Mohawk language. Mohawk is a complex
language with many sounds that are unlike the sounds in English.
If you'd like to know a few easy Mohawk words, "she:kon"
(pronounced similar to shay-cone) is a friendly greeting, and
"nia:wen" (pronounced similar to nee-ah-wenh) means 'thank you.'
You can also read a Mohawk picture glossary here and listen to
the spoken language here.
What was Mohawk culture like in the past? What is it like
now?
Here is the home page of the Mohawk Tribe of
Kahnawake, where you can find information about
the Mohawk lifestyle past and present. You can also
read simple articles about the Mohawk Indians here
Mohawk flag
and here.
How do Mohawk Indian children live, and what did they do
in the past?
They do the same things any children do--play with each
other, go to school and help around the house. Many
Mohawk children like to go hunting and fishing with
their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores
and less time to play, just like early colonial children.
But Mohawk children did have toys and games.
Mohawk girls liked to play with cornhusk dolls, and
boys played a game where they tried to throw a dart
through a moving hoop. Lacrosse was also a popular
sport among Mohawk boys as it was among adult men.
Mohawk doll
Like many Native Americans, Mohawk mothers
traditionally carried their babies in cradleboards on their
backs--a custom many American parents have adopted.
What were men and women's roles in the Mohawk tribe?
Mohawk men were in charge of hunting, trading, and war.
Mohawk women were in charge of farming, property, and family.
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These different roles were reflected in Mohawk government.
Mohawk clans were always ruled by women, who made all the
land and resource decisions for each clan. But Mohawk chiefs,
who made military decisions and trade agreements, were always
men. Only men represented the Mohawks at the Iroquois Great
Council, but only women voted to determine who the Mohawk
representatives would be. Both genders took part in storytelling,
artwork and music, and traditional medicine.
What were Mohawk homes like in the past?
The Mohawk people lived in villages
of longhouses, which were large
wood-frame buildings covered with
sheets of elm bark. One Mohawk
house could be a hundred feet long,
and an entire clan lived in it--up to 60
people! Here are some pictures of
Iroquois longhouses like the ones
Mohawk Indians used, and a drawing
of what a long house looked like on
the inside. Here is a photograph of an
Iroquois longhouse, and here is a
Iroquois longhouse sketch
picture of what a longhouse looked
like on the inside. Today, longhouses
are only used for ceremonial
purposes. The Mohawks live in
modern houses and apartment
buildings, just like you.
What was Mohawk clothing like? Did they wear feather
headdresses and face paint?
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Mohawk men wore breechcloths with
leggings. Mohawk women wore wraparound
skirts with shorter leggings. Men did not
originally wear shirts in Mohawk culture, but
women often wore a poncho-like tunic called
an overdress. Mohawk Indians usually wore
moccasins on their feet. In colonial times, the
Mohawks adapted European costume like
cloth shirts and blouses, decorating them with
beadwork and ribbon applique. Here is a
webpage about traditional Iroquois dress, and
some photographs and links about American
Indian clothes in general.
Mohawk traditional clothing
Mohawk Indian moccasins
The Mohawks didn't wear long headdresses
like the Sioux. Mohawk men wore traditional
Iroquois headdresses, which are feathered
caps with a different insignia for each tribe.
(The Mohawk headdress has three eagle
feathers on top.) Mohawk women sometimes
wore special beaded tiaras. In times of war,
Mohawk men shaved their heads except for a
scalplock or a crest down the center of their
head--the hairstyle known as a roach or a
"Mohawk." Sometimes they augmented this
haircut with splayed feathers or artificial
roaches made of brightly dyed porcupine and
deer hair. Here are some pictures of these
different kinds of Indian headdresses.
Mohawk women only cut their hair when
they were in mourning. Otherwise they wore
their hair long and loose or plaited into a long
braid. Men sometimes decorated their faces
and bodies with tattoo art, but Mohawk
women generally didn't paint or tattoo
themselves.
Today, some Mohawk people still wear
moccasins or a beaded shirt, but they wear
modern clothes like jeans instead of
breechcloths... and they only wear feathers in
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their hair on special occasions like a dance.
What was Mohawk transportation like in the days before
cars? Did they paddle canoes?
Yes, there were two types of Mohawk canoes. A canoe
made from elm bark was light and fast. A dugout canoe,
made from hollowed-out logs, was long and could carry
many people. Over land, the Mohawks used dogs as
pack animals. (There were no horses in North America
until colonists brought them over from Europe.) During
Iroquois snowshoes the winter the Mohawks used sleds and laced
snowshoes to travel through the snow.
What was Mohawk food like in the days before
supermarkets?
The Mohawk Indians were farming people. Mohawk
women planted crops of corn, beans, and squash and
harvested wild berries and herbs. Mohawk men
hunted for deer and elk and fished in the rivers.
Traditional Mohawk foods included cornbread, soups,
Iroquois farmers
and stews, which they cooked on stone hearths.
What were Mohawk weapons, tools, and artifacts like in the
past?
Mohawk hunters used bows and arrows. Mohawk
fishermen used spears and fishing poles. In war,
Mohawk men used their bows and arrows or
fought with clubs, spears and shields.
Iroquois war club
Other important tools used by the Mohawks
included stone adzes (hand axes for
woodworking), flint knives for skinning animals,
and wooden hoes for farming. The Mohawks and
other Iroquois were skilled woodworkers,
steaming wood so that it could be bent to make
curved tools. Some Iroquois artisans still make
lacrosse sticks this way today.
What are Mohawk arts and crafts like?
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Iroquois beadwork
The Mohawk and other Iroquois tribes were known for
their mask carving, which is considered such a sacred art
form that outsiders are still not permitted to view many
of these masks. Beadwork and the more demanding
porcupine quillwork are more common Mohawk crafts.
The Mohawks also crafted wampum out of white and
purple shell beads. Wampum beads were traded as a kind
of currency, but they were more culturally important as
an art material. The designs and pictures on wampum
belts often told a story or represented a person's family.
What was Mohawk music like?
The two most important Mohawk instruments are
drums and flutes. Iroquois drums were often filled
with water to give them a distinctive sound different
from the drums of other tribes. Most Mohawk music
is very rhythmic and consists mostly of drumming
and lively singing. Flutes were used to woo women
in the Mohawk tribe. A young Mohawk man would
Iroquois water drum
play beautiful flute music outside his girlfriend's
longhouse at night to show her he was thinking about
her.
What other Native Americans did the Mohawk tribe interact with?
The most important neighbors of the Mohawk tribe were the other
Iroquois nations: the Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, and Cayuga. Before
the Iroquois Confederacy the Mohawks sometimes fought with the other
Iroquois tribes, but once the alliance was formed they were loyal to each
other. The Mohawks were fierce warriors who fought wars with the other
eastern tribes, particularly the Wabanaki tribes, the Algonquin and
Ojibway, and the Mohican bands. The Mohawks also traded with their
neighbors, exchanging corn and woodcrafts for furs and quahog shells.
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What kinds of stories do the Mohawks tell?
There are lots of traditional Mohawk legends and fairy tales. Storytelling
is very important to the Mohawk Indian culture. Here is a Mohawk story
about the origin of the Rabbit Dance.
What about Mohawk religion?
Religions are too complicated and culturally sensitive to describe
appropriately in only a few simple sentences, and we strongly want to
avoid misleading anybody. You can visit this site to learn more about
Iroquois mythology or this site about Native beliefs in general.
Can you recommend a good book for me to read?
One book about the Mohawk tribe for young readers is The Mohawk
Tribe of North America, which has many photographs about traditional
and contemporary Mohawk life. Lacrosse: The National Game of the
Iroquois is a lively look at this traditional sport and Iroquois culture in
general, tracing the lives of three generations of Iroquois lacrosse
players. Legends of the Iroquois is a good collection of traditional Six
Nations stories by a Mohawk author. Wampum Belts of the Iroquois is
an interesting look at the symbols and meaning of the different wampum
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belt designs used by the Mohawk and other Iroquois peoples. Or If You
Lived With The Iroquois provides a good look at daily life in the Iroquois
tribes in the old days. You can also browse through our reading list of
recommended American Indian books in general.
How do I cite your website in my bibliography?
You will need to ask your teacher for the format he or she wants you to
use. The authors' names are Laura Redish and Orrin Lewis and the title
of our site is Native Languages of the Americas. We are a nonprofit
educational organization working to preserve and protect Native
American languages and culture. You can learn more about our
organization here. Our website was first created in 1998 and last
updated in 2011.