Transcript Document

Native American Societies
Presentation by : Iman Khoury, Katherine Mohr, Sarah
Stebbins, Liam Simkins-Walker, and Clement Piovesan
Native American tribes in
1492
Tribes by Region
Red - Northwest
Coast
Blue- California
GreenSouthwest
Pink- Great
Plains
Black- Eastern
Woodlands
Eastern Woodlands
• Eastern Woodland Indians were named after
sweeping forests that provided them ample
resources of wood
• Wood for houses and hunting
• Tribes lived next to streams and lakes
• Tribes in the warmer southeast lived off the land
• Tribes in the colder northeast relied on hunting
wild animals
• For fur, because of cold and harsh winters
• The Iroquois League was “the League of
Peace and Power” which was made of the
Iroquoian speaking peoples in the North
East
• The original Iroquois league was known as the
League of Five Nations :
– The Mohawk
– The Oneida
– The Onondaga
• In 1722, the Tuscarora nation joined the
League of Five Nations, making it the
League of Six Nations.
Eastern Woodlands
• Believed in one main spirit, the Great
Spirit
• He was responsible for the creation
of humans, plants, animals, and nature
• Communicated with the Great Spirit by
burning tobacco
• This lifted their prayers to him
• Dream interpretations were very
important to the Iroquois
• They expressed the soul’s desire
• Another important spirit: The Three
Sisters
• made up of the spirits Maize (Corn),
Beans and Squash to help their
crops grow and prosper
• Mainly concerned with agriculture, curing
illness and giving thanks
• Six major ceremonies:
– Maple
– Planting
– Strawberry
– Green Maize
– Harvest
– New Year’s
• The first five ceremonies had
speeches by faith keepers,
prayer and tobacco offerings
• The New Year’s ceremony was
the most special, with a sacrifice
of a white dog to get rid of the
evil people in the villages
Eastern woodlands
• The Iroquois hunted and fished
– Bear, beaver, elk, muskrats, rabbits, moose, deer, etc
– All types of fish
– To hunt, they built snares or used bows and arrows
• They also gathered
– Fruit, berries and nuts
– Wild plums, grapes, cherries, and crab apples
– Chestnuts, walnuts and hickory
• In the spring, maple sap was collected
• The men of the tribe cleared the land for farming
• The women planted the seeds
• They used small wooden spades, made mounds in the soil, and
poked holes where the seeds would go
• They planted:
– Corn, beans and squash (the Three Sisters)
– Pumpkin and melon
Eastern Woodlands
• The wigwams were made from bending
young and thin trees into a dome shape
• On the top, pieces of bark were overlapped,
along with a layer of dried
grass (for protection
against bad weather)
• There was also a small
hole at the top so
smoke from fires
could escape.
• The longhouses were long and rectangular.
• The frames were made from saplings, and
they were then covered with sewn bark.
• Several families would live together in the
longhouses, but the families were related.
Eastern Woodlands
• Summer:
• men and women wore loincloths made from soft deerskin with a
leather tie around the waist
• Cold winters:
• men wore tunics and leather leggings,
• women wore leather leggings and long skirts,
• both wore robs with animal fur for very cold days
• They decorated their clothing with beads and feathers, and wore
moccasins
• The Iroquois traded tobacco and corn
– Northerners traded them pelts
– Easterners traded them wampum
• The Iroquois believed in “present giving”, which meant that they
would give a “present” to another tribe and expect a needed
commodity in return
The Great Plains
Broad expanse of land, west of
the Mississippi and east of the
Rocky Mountains
Much if the region was home of
large herds of bison until they
were hunted to near extinction in
the 19th century.
Wide variety of weather, hot
summers and cold winters, with
very high speed winds.
Resources: trees, bisons, elk,
antelope
The Great Plains
Arrival: Migrated over the Bering
Strait, and are believed to have
inhabited the Great Plains since
possible 10,000 BC
Tribes: Sioux: comprised of seven
nations, which made the great Sioux
nation
Seven council fires would assemble
each summer to renew kinship, decide
tribal matters, and participate in
important ceremonies, such as the sun
dance.
There, they selected the four leaders
of the entire tribe.
The Great Plains
Religion: followed no singular religion, but collectively believed in the Wakan Tanka (great spirit)
This spirit had power over everything that had ever existed, and they believed that by worshipping it they would
become stronger themselves.
Earth also very important symbol, as the mother of all spirits.
Worshipped daily, either together or alone, through prayer.
Certain tribes members could become Wakan (shamans) by receiving a visitation of a sign from the Great Spirit.
The Wakan were very important within the tribe and made such important decisions as when and where to hunt.
Believed in talismans/sacred objects, e.g. Medicine bundle (sack carried by the owner with important items (rock,
feathers, etc...) which was supposed to bring good fortune).
Shields were also a very important symbol. They were a hunter's most prized possession. Symbols were often
painted onto the shields to protect the owner in battle.
Ceremonies: The most important ceremony for most great plains tribes was the Sn dance. Participants danced for
four days around a sacred object and often hurt themselves in the process while staring at the Sun. They believed
that this would encourage powerful spirits to support and defend them.
The Great Plains
Food: Elk, antelope, mostly bison, as this
was in great supply.
Lodging: Teepees: these dwelling were
easy to dismantle and transport, but sturdy
enough to withstand winds. This was
important because most tribes were
nomadic and followed the grazing patterns
of the buffalo.
Clothing: Most Plains Indians wore buffalo
hides, which were either tanned or left as
rawhide. The women of the tribe fashioned
these hides into clothes, which were
assembled using sinew threads, and often
decorated with beading.
The Great Plains
Hunting practices: Before the introduction of
guns, hunters would go out in small parties and
attempt to break the buffalos int smaller herds,
where they could be more easily killed.
Another hunting method was to build a corral
into which the tribe members herded the buffalo
where they could be more easily killed
Before guns, they hunted mainly with bows and
arrows, as well spears, and various kinds of club.
The introduction of horses made a huge impact
on the lives of the Plains Indians as , when
hunting, they now had the means to overtake the
bison.
The Great Plains
Trade: Traded buffalo hides, meat
sometimes also traded quillwork and
beadwork.
Traded with mainly other tribes on the
Great Plains, as these tribes were the most
encountered
Most tribes (e.g. The Sioux) often traded
for corn, as they, being nomadic, had little
opportunity to grow it themselves.
Southwest
– Lived in the arid area that is now the
southwest United States (modern-day New
Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nevada,
western Texas and southeastern California)
– Arid desert environment, with large open
spaces, rolling hills, mountains, mesas, plateaus,
and canyons
– Many settlements were established near
rivers due to dry climate (such as Rio Grande)
– Descendants of the Anasazi and Hohokam
– Anasazi lived in Four Corners region,
while Hohokam lived in southern Arizona
– Anasazi famous for building cliff dwellings
in Mesa Verde
– Research shows that the Anasazi
probably emerged around the 12th century BC
and left in the 1200s or 1300s
Southwest
– Major tribes include Pueblo, Hopi, Pima, Apache,
Comanche, Navajo, Mojave, Kiowa, Jemez, Zuni, Yuma,
Shoshoni, and Ute
– Common housing styles included pueblos (apartmentstyle housing complexes made of adobe and used mainly
by the Pueblo and Hopi) and hogans (short and small
circular, hexagonal or octagonal buildings often made of
wood, adobe and mud, and used mainly by the Navajo)
– Kivas, circular underground rooms, were built mostly
by the Pueblo for ceremonial purposes
– Different tribes had different clothing styles, ranging
from plain cloth or animal hide clothes, to colorful and
extravagant ceremonial outfits
– Various tribes also had different types of food; many
tribes hunted wild animals such as deer, and most also
farmed the land with crops such as corn, beans, squash,
and melons
– Total population of all southwestern tribes possibly
around 50,000
Southwest
– Religions varied by tribe and were
often very complex; common elements
include animals being viewed in
spiritual contexts, fancy and
extravagant religious ceremonies, and
spiritual meetings in kivas
– Common types of art in the
southwest include pottery, basketry,
weaving and Kachina dolls
California
Largest Native American
population
Over a hundred tribes
Decrease of population
due to the arrival of
Europeans from the 16th
century to the 19th
century
Geography: deserts as
well as forests
Weather: sunny with hot
temperatures
California
Food: acorn is the traditional food,
fish, deer, elks, antelope. And plants
such as buckeye, sage seeds.
The Native Americans also used
skins from animals for clothing for
women. Men were usually naked in
Southern California
They also used plant fibers and
more sophisticated clothes in the
North.
California
They used redwood trees to
build houses and boats.
They built special boats called
"Tomols", were used especially
to visit their neighbors...
The Native Americans also
made baskets
California
Later, the Indian
Communities were
divided in three classes
just like the European
settlers.
The Elite, the middle
class, and the lower class.
Northwest Coast
• Approximate number of tribes today: 17
• 1843 – Settlement of Victoria on Vancouver Island
Great decrease in population, because of
•
•
Diseases brought by colonists, ex.
Tuberculosis, diphtheria, smallpox
•
Wars with non-natives
• Geography:
• Many waterways & dense forests
• Strong fogs and heavy precipitation
• Mountainous areas
• Along the coast
Northwest Coast
• Geography:
• Many waterways &
dense forests
• Strong fogs and heavy
precipitation
• Mountainous areas
• Along the coast
Northwest Coast
• Fished and hunted in ocean and rivers
• Salmon
• Very large food source for the Kwakiutl
• They were also known as “People of the
Salmon”
• Seals
• Sea lions
• Hunted in tall forests
• Elk
• Deer
Northwest Coast
• Foraged for
• Sea grass
• Shellfish
•
Roots
• Berries
• Used animal fur for clothing, especially
to keep warm in cold weathers
• Used wood from forests to carved
totem poles, sculptures, utensils, and
masks
• Potlatch:
Northwest Coast
•
mainly developed by Kwakiutl
•
Very important and large ceremony in which families
traded and gave away large quantities of their
possessions
•
A family’s reputation depended on the size of their
potlatch
•
Potlatch was abolished in 1884 when a Canadian law
prohibited it
• Hand carved masks (decorated with feathers and painted)
were worn during ceremonies
•
They represented various spirits from the Kwakiutl
mythology
• Totem Poles:
•
Magnificence of a totem pole reflected wealth of the
family
• Hence, totem poles were often elaborately
decorated
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