Native Cultures:

The Pawnee

- a fourth grade interactive lesson -

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Where did they live?The Pawnee were Plains Indians, which

means they lived in the Great Plains of what is now the United States of America.

Click on the map of Nebraska below. It will open a website that will show you where dozens of Native Americans lived.

Look in the gray-colored portion of the map and find where Nebraska is today. Look there for the Pawnee tribe's location.

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Here is a photo of the Great Plains.

vast grassy dry

flat windy cities

Icebergs oceans mountains

open areas beaches forests

On Your Paper:

Words that Describe Plains Words that DO NOT Describe Plains

Then sort the words below on your paper by writing the words that do and do not describe the plains into the correct column.

Think about what the picture tells you about the plains.

vast grassy dry

flat windy cities

Icebergs oceans mountains

open areas beaches forests

Words that

Describe Plains

Words that DO NOT Describe Plains

vast icebergs

flat oceans

open areas beaches

grassy cities

windy mountains

dry forests

Answer Key

Click to view Answers

F

FF

FTT

TT

What did they eat?Visit the Nebraska State Historical Society website to read about Pawnee foods. Click on the picture of the corn to open the website.

Next decide whether each of the statements below are true or false then click on each of the rectangles below IN ORDER to determine if you are correct.

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1. Pawnee women gathered wild nuts, berries, and seeds.

2. The Pawnee NEVER ate small fish or birds.

3. Pawnee women grew corn, beans, pumpkins, and melons.

4. Watermelon was their main food.

5. The Pawnee ate mostly bison when it came to meat.

6. The Pawnee ate only the best parts of the bison and threw the rest away.

7. One bison provided enough meat for one person for a year.

8. The Pawnee had no way of storing food so much of it went bad.

Uses for The Animals on the Land

As you read, the Pawnee did not waste any part of the bison (or buffalo) after they killed it. Let's see what they did with the hides (skins) and bones.

When you click on the buffalo below, a matching game from the Smithsonian Institution will open.

First, you must click on a part of the bison's body. Then, click on the tool or item you think that body part was made into by the Pawnee. If you want to see a bigger picture of the item first, click on the magnifying glass.

If the body part and the object light up in the same color, you're correct! If they light up in different colors, try again!

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How did they build shelter?The Pawnee also used the buffalo to help in their home-building.

They had two types of homes: one that was permanent, or stationary, called an earthlodge, and one that they used only when they hunted, called a tipi.

Click on the tipi to open a website with some important facts about the Plains Indians and the ways they built their shelters.

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Take this quiz using paper or student response system to see if you remember what you read.

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Q. 2 - Tribes that often moved from place to place were called:

a) movers

b) permanent

c) nomads

d) travelers

Q. 3 - The Pawnee only traveled and lived in tipis when they were:

a) cold in winter

b) lonely

c) hunting buffalo

d) bored

Q. 1 – Plains Indians lived in tipis made out of:

a) ice cubes

b) cedar bark

c) buffalo hide

d) corn husks

Take this quiz to see if you remember what you read.

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Q. 4 – Earthlodges were made out of:

a) earth and grass

b) deer skin

c) tree bark

d) buffalo hide

Q. 5 – The lodges were ___________________ shaped:

a) igloo

b) pyramid

c) dome

d) square

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Click to view answers:

1. c) Plains Indians lived in tipis made out of buffalo hide.

2. c) Tribes that often moved from place to place were called nomads.

3.c) The Pawnee only traveled and lived in tipis when they were hunting buffalo.

4. d) Earthlodges were made out of earth and grass.

5. c) The lodges were dome shaped.

Click here to view answers

From animal skins!

What did they wear?

"The breechcloth and moccasins were the only essential parts of a man's clothing; leggings and robe were worn in cold weather.

Women wore ... moccasins, leggings, and a robe. Later, a skirt and tunic were worn."

Read this information from GoPawnee.com:

How do you think the Pawnee made the leather for their clothes and shoes? Think, then click to compare your answer!

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Let's summarize what we know about the Pawnee and their use of bison (buffalo) for food, clothing, and to help with some of their housing.

Click on the animal skin below to launch a video summary.

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CONGRATULATIONS!

You have done a LOT of research about the Pawnee tribe.

Now you have plenty of information about how the Plains Indians used their environment to survive.