Native Americans of the Southeast of North America

The southeastern Native American tribes stretched the Ohio River to the Gulf of Mexico and central Texas to the Atlantic Ocean.

Do you recognize some of the tribes you learned about last year in South Carolina History??

This land was a mixture of forests and grasslands.                                                        

Many shelters existed among the various tribes including: grass huts, wooden houses, chickees, and adobe dwellings. An artist rendition of the (excavated) Cherokee village of *Toqua as it may have looked before the adaptation of log homes.

Near present day Florida Chickee - traditional Seminole housing

Most Southeastern Native American homes were rectangular or square based with thatched roofs using wattle and daub

These people primarily farmed small fields of corn, beans, and squash

They also hunted and gathered

hunting was a critical source of food and materials with deer being the primary game animal and providing meat, skins, hooves, and bone for many uses. Although a man might hunt deer by himself, deer were also hunted by groups of men using both fire and dogs.

Bears were also hunted (for their meat fat, which was rendered into oil), as were opossums, squirrels, rabbits, turkeys, waterfowl, insects, crabs, crawfish, shellfish, and fish.

  About 4000 years ago, there were many different Southeastern Indian tribes. They each had a structured government. -- tended to live in cabins in villages of about 100 which included a chief

Each tribe was divided into a small number of clans Each tribe was divided into a small number of clans. Clans were related people. When a baby was born, he or she belonged to the mother's clan. Laws varied, but some laws were the same in all tribes. One such law was that you could not marry someone from your own clan.

They spoke different languages and dialects. Some knew each other They spoke different languages and dialects. Some knew each other. Some did not. The members of the southeastern culture practiced many of the same ceremonies, including the green corn dance, told many of the same stories, had similar religious beliefs, but were nonetheless, often at war with each other.

They were artistic, clever people They were artistic, clever people. They produced colorful art using natural dyes.

They made basket from natural fibers to haul food and store goods.

They used shells to make really sharp knives.

They created incredible beadwork.

These early people were great story tellers These early people were great story tellers. They were knowledgeable about herbs and natural medicines. Knowledge was handed down orally from one generation to the next.

The Southeast people believed in honor The Southeast people believed in honor. They believed in many gods and goddesses, deities to whom they prayed in song and dance for help and guidance. They had some very interesting customs, and some very beautiful ones.

The primary goal of religious belief and practice was the maintenance of purity and harmony. Most towns had an eternal sacred fire burning in a temple, symbolizing continuity and harmony.

The major religious observances in the Southeast were for planting and harvest, Green Corn Dance (or Busk), the major ceremony held by Southeastern peoples

The highlight of the busk was the ingestion of the "Black Drink," a purgative which cleaned out the drinkers as they had cleaned out their houses and town.