Native American Traditions and RegionsEarly 1600s

Copyright © 2012 Jennifer JacksonAll rights reserved by author. Permission to copy for single classroom use only. Electronic distribution limited to single classroom use only. Not for public display.

Traditions

• Native American tribes were established in North America hundreds of years before the Europeans arrived.

• Oral tradition – important role in each tribe; stories were passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth.

Sequoyah, famous Cherokee Indian, with the alphabet he created.Source: http://ushistoryimages.com/cherokee-indians.shtm

Myth• Myth – Native Americans used myths to explain human

behavior and the universe.• Anonymous• Relied on supernatural to explain:

• Natural phenomenon• Human behavior• Mystery of the universe

• Myths helped people understand their world• Sometimes instruments (drums) were used for remembering long

stories.

Creation Myth• Creation Myths tell how the world and human life came to

exist• Emphasize bond between the Creator and the natural world• Many families believed they descended from animals or natural

objects• Origin Myths• Explain how stars, moon came to exist• Explain why a society has specific beliefs

• Tricksters• Animal characters who have two sides

• One defies authority, creates mischief• Also curious and creative and reveal wisdom• Example: raven, coyote

View of nature

• Appreciation and respect of nature was very important.

• Native American spiritual stories were filled with symbols of weather, water, fire, air, etc.

• Natural world was full of spirits.

Navajo fire dance.Source: http://ushistoryimages.com/navajo.shtm

Iroquois thanksgiving prayer• Thanksgiving

We return thanks to our mother, the earth,which sustains us.We return thanks to the rivers and streams,which supply us with water.We return thanks to all herbs,which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases.We return thanks to the moon and stars,which have given to us their light when the sun was gone.We return thanks to the sun,that has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye.Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit,in Whom is embodied all goodness,and Who directs all things for the good of Her children.~ Iroquois ~

Source: http://www.celebrating-thanksgiving.com/prayers/iroquois-prayer.shtml

Native American Regions

Eastern Woodlands• Extended from the Atlantic Ocean to the Plains and from the

Great Lakes area to the Gulf of Mexico• Iroquois, Algonquin, Chippewa, Shawnee• Southeastern tribes: Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole• Moderate climate, plenty of rainfall, cold winters, long

summers• Many lakes, rivers and hardwood forests• Tribes blended agriculture with hunting and gathering. • Used forest for food, shelter, tools, clothing, weapons• Northeast – used animals for food and clothing• Southeast – grew corn, squash, beans

Iroquois hunting camp wigwam

• Source: http://www.livinghistoryed.org/

Iroquois Chief

• Source: http://ushistoryimages.com/iroquois-indians.shtm

Eastern Woodlands• Wildlife – four seasons, moderate climate• White-tailed deer• Raccoon• Black bear• Red-tailed hawk• River otter

• Vegetation – • Eastern Woodlands is known for a colorful display of vegetation in

the fall• Oak, maple, beech, birch, hickory

Cherokee Nation• Largest of the five civilized southeastern tribes• Of Iroquois lineage (migrated)• Agrarian people• Lived in log homes – not teepees or wigwams• Supported the British during the American Revolution• Forced out of Georgia in the 1830s• Now the second largest tribe in the U.S.

Cherokee Indian council House

• Source: http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu

Cherokee Women making pottery

Source: http://ushistoryimages.com/cherokee.shtm

The Great Plains• Lived on the plains and rolling hills of the Great Plains of North

America.• Two broad classification of tribes• Nomadic – Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa

• Survived on hunting• Bison – main source of food• Also used for weapons, utensils, clothing and décor• Tribes followed the grazing of the Bison

• Used Spanish horses for transportation – faster travel• Semi-Sedentary – Iowa, Pawnee, Wichita

• Hunted buffalo, lived in villages, planted crops, traded with other tribes.

The Great Plains• The United States government attempted to drive the Plains

Indians away by killing off bison, their main source of food.• Bison posed a danger for locomotives because it was hard for

the trains to stop in time when herds of bison were on the track.

• By 1884, the bison was close to extinction.

Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bison_bison_d.jpg

The Great Plains• Tribes wore bison skins in the winter• Believed all animals had spirits• Worshipped the Great Spirit – believed the spirit would help

them become stronger• Earth was also important as the “mother of all spirits.”• Sun Dance

• Most important group ceremony• Tribes danced around a sacred object• Some people would harm themselves with the belief that they could

encourage the spirits to support them. • Medicine Men (Shamans) healed people

Great Plains• Land – plains and rolling hills, prairies and grassland• West of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains.

• Dwelling – teepees were easily taken down when they needed to move

• Wildlife – elk, bison, antelope• Vegetation – berries, wild greens, wild prairie turnip• Rainfall – only about a foot a year• Climate – cold, harsh winters; hot, humid summers; dust

storms and high winds

Great Plains Teepees

• Source: http://people.ucls.uchicago.edu

Little Raven – Chief of the Arapaho

Source: http://ushistoryimages.com/plains-indians.shtm

Southwest Desert• Pima, Pueblo, Hopi, Acoma, Navajo tribes• Area: Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado• Dry, harsh climate• People lived in multi-story houses made of adobe or stone• Babies spent first year of life strapped to mother’s back in a

papoose.• People grew corn, beans, melons, squash – animals were

scarce in the desert.• Pottery and baskets are still popular today.• Turquois was used for jewelry-making• Promotes health and happiness

Southwest Desert• Climate – in the summers, temps can top 100 degrees• Monsoon season – late June to September• Dry season in spring – perfect for fires

• River Systems – Colorado and Rio Grande• Land – deep canyons, deserts• River Valleys support willows, sycamore, fish• Areas away from river support yucca, cactus, reptiles• Wildlife – rattlesnakes, rabbits, coyotes, bobcats

Southwest – Kachina dolls

• The Zuni and Hopi Southwest Indians carved dolls, called Kachina dolls, out of wood. • Dolls were decorated to depict

Kachina spirits• Dolls helped children of the

tribe learn tribal ceremonies.

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Kachina_dolls.jpg

Pueblo Houses

• Source: http://ushistoryimages.com/pueblo-indian-dwellings.shtm

Navajo Indian

• Source: http://ushistoryimages.com/navajo.shtm

Pacific Northern Coast• 200-mile coast running from Northern California to Alaska• Kwakiutl, Nookta, Haida, Chinook• Waterways and forests, sea was very important• People collected shellfish and hunted the ocean for whales,

sea otters and seals• Extensive trade system that incorporated the Chinook Jargon

language just for trade.• Prior to civilization, many of the tribes battles against each

other and held captives as slaves.

Pacific Northern Coast

• Totems• Decorated masks and

boats with totems which were symbols of spirits of their ancestors

• Families set totem poles in front of their homes (cedar-plank houses)

• The totem pole showed a family’s wealth and status

Source: http://content.lib.washington.edu

Pacific Northern Coast• Potlatches• Potlatch – to give away, to give• Ceremony where a family would give away a large amount of

their possessions.• Family’s reputation depended on how much they gave away.• Many families planned for years the event.• Often included singing, dancing, costumes and masks.

Pacific Northern Coast

• Mild climate and rich natural resources

• Massive forests of western red cedar, Douglas fir, hemlock

• Salmon, grizzly and black bears, bald eagle, wolf

Source: http://www.groundtruthtrekking.org