Native American Tribes & Regions: An Overview Actual tribe content created by “Powerful Social Studies” of East Greenbush, NY, who thoughtfully shared it for free on the Teachers Pay Teachers website.
This slideshow gives you some basic information about many Native American tribes. It’s only purpose is to help you choose a tribe to research. It is not to be used as a resource for your report because there are no information sources cited. Underlined tribes are on your project list. You may only choose from these tribes.
Eastern Woodland: Location Along the East Coast East of of the Mississippi River into Canada
Eastern Woodland: Tribes Adena Hopewell Lenape Iroquois Shawnee Cherokee Chippewa Cree Seminole Wampanoag
Eastern Woodland: Environment Many lakes Rivers Great forests
Eastern Woodland: Housing Wigwam Longhouse Built from woven sticks, bark, wood, mud, clay, sand Longhouse: multi-family
Eastern woodland: Food Hunter-Gatherers Cultivated (grew) crops eventually Hunted deer, rabbits, squirrels Grew Corn, Beans, and Squash (3 Sisters) together. Tribes near water ate fish, oysters, clams
Eastern Woodland: Religion Belief in “Great Spirit” Creation stories
The Plains: Location In “Great Plains” of North America east of Rocky Mountains, West of Mississippi
The Plains: Tribes Blackfoot Cheyenne Crow Sioux Nomads-followed buffalo herd
The Plains: Environment Lacked forests Major rivers and streams Very flat grasslands
The Plains: Housing Lived in tipis made from buffalo hide and sticks Housing had to be mobile since they were nomads-moved with their food!
The Plains: Food Almost exclusively relied on buffalo for food and weapons Some tribes in the east (by the Mississippi) grew maize (corn), beans, and tobacco
The Plains: Religion Similar beliefs everywhere Practiced Sun Dance to thank spirits
Pacific Northwest: Location Northwest coast of North America Bound by Rocky Mountains to the east
Pacific Northwest: Tribes Nez Perce Haida Chinook Makah
Pacific Northwest: Environment Richest of all regions Thick forests, big cedar trees and rivers with lots of fish Sea life
Pacific Northwest: Housing Built big houses of longhouses the contained several families. Built from very sturdy and strong cedar trees
Pacific Northwest: Food Great supply of fish (salmon) Seals Otters Whales Not much agriculture due to plenty of sea life
Pacific Northwest: Religion Made totem poles to tell stories of earth creation OR family or tribe history Worshiped spirits of ancestors
Desert Southwest: Location Southwest of North America into Northern Mexico and Central America
Desert Southwest: Tribes Hopi Anasazi (Ancient Pueblo) Pueblo Yuma Pima Mojave Navajo Apache
Desert Southwest: Environment Mostly desert Little rainfall (mostly) Mineral wealth Great forests Fertile valleys
Desert Southwest: Housing Hopi and Anasazi built adobe (mud brick) homes or cliff-side homes Some nomadic Hunter gather tribes lived in tipis like the plains
Desert Southwest: Food Varies by tribe Anasazi practiced subsistence farming (just enough to survive)/mostly maize (CORN), and hunted deer, rabbit, and squirrel Farming tribes grew a variety of crops, but a lot of maize (CORN). Nomad tribe raided others for survival
Desert Southwest: Religion Practiced Animism (spirits in nature) like other groups Used Kachina dolls to teach the young about spirits