1. Eastern Woodland Native Americans
By: Alex Xouris, Grace Navarroli, Megan Rochford, and Margaret Neumann

2. Culture
The Eastern Woodland Indians lived in the eastern parts of North America and Canada. Some eastern woodland tribes were: the Shawnee, Iroquois, the Pequot, and the Mohegans. They were hunter gatherers who lived in areas around the Atlantic Ocean, the Mississippi River, and the Great Lakes. Their tribes were broken up into classes that held the top spot for the chief and his children, the nobility and commoners following after. Wars were frequent and usually occured because of male coming-of-age rituals and/or retaliation. The men made weapons (bow and arrows, stone knives, and war clubs) and hunted, whereas the women took care of gardens and harvested crops such as beans, corn, pumpkin, squash, and tobacco. The primary source of protein was deer meat. The men’s faces were often painted and women made deerskin into useful clothing pieces. They spoke a language called Algonkian.

3. Belief System
They believed that the physical world and the spiritual world were constantly interacting and a primary spirit represented all life. This “Great Spirit” was known as “Kitchie Manitou” by the Algonquins and they believed him to control all life and even non-living things. Shamans in tribes were thought of as the highest members because they were the only ones who could communicate the primary spirit, which they did in special rituals.

4. Political Structure
Unlike in most cultures, a women in the tribe became the chiefs instead of the usual male role. There are seven tribes known to have been apart of the Eastern Woodlanders. The tribes each choose one woman to be the leader, and they called them clan mothers. Each clan mother would choose a group of men to be apart of the council. Before the council holds their meetings, the clan mother would inform the men on what should be discussed. The council would get together regularly to discuss the issues and topics that needed their concern.
Above is a depiction of a clan mother, the female version of a chief.

5. Above are two of the most used housing types used by the Eastern Woodland Natives. From the left is a longhouse, which could hold numerous families. To the right, is a wigwam.

6. The Change European Settlers Brought
When the first European settlers first came to the Americas, the first people they met were the Eastern Woodland Natives. They Europeans and Natives adopted different ideas from one another, a popular one for the settlers was the natives deer skin clothes. A form between the two groups was a common theme. The native people were not used to the settlers illnesses, and in only a few years the native peoples population count decreased dramatically. Also, their hunting and gathering lifestyle was disrupted through the trading system the groups developed. Within the first hundred years, the natives population decreased and their entire life was turned upside down.
Above is a depiction of what it was like when the woodlanders met the settlers.

7. To the left is a wampum, an important part of their culture
To the left is a wampum, an important part of their culture. Made for signifigant events and used for currancy. To the right is a dreamcatcher, that was invented by the Woodlanders to protect them from bad spirits in their dreams.

8. Population Pre-Europeans
There were less than 20,000 Iroquoi Indians before the Europeans came. However, considering how big of an impact the Iroquois had on history, that small number is very impressive.

9. Population Post-Europeans
At first their population was cut in half due to the wars with the Europeans. They then put up a fight with the Europeans and actually won, bringing their population up to their highest number, 25,000, about 60 years after the Europeans invaded. However, they couldn’t stay that strong forever. About 100 years after the Europeans came, the Iroquois population was down to about 12,000 Indians

10. https://www. google. com/search

11. https://sites.google.com/site/mrsfranksclass/easternwoodlands

12. http://www. watertown. k12. ma

13. Population Post-Europeans
*Last time they checked (early 2000’s), the Iroquois population has skyrocketed up to 70,000 Indians, all spread out in New York, Maine, and mainly parts of Canada (largely Ontario and Quebec)

14. Significant Events
King Philip’s War (1672)- The Algonquian chief, Metacom was brutally murdered and his family was sold into British slavery. Native Americans tribes were nearly destroyed.
British Settlement in South Carolina (1670)- British settled in South Carolina and discovered the Shawnee in 1674.
Pequot War ( )- War between the Pequot tribe and an alliance of the British and the Narragansett and Mohegan tribes.
Treaty of Hartford (1638)- English recognized the sovereignty of the Mohegan tribe.
French Peace with Iroquois comes to an end (1658)

15. Important Figures
Sha-Co-pay, which means “six”, he was the chief of the Plains Cippewa tribe.
Thayendanegea, or Joseph Brant. Joseph was the leader of the Mohawk tribe.
An-ton-we-tuck, his name means Cock Turkey. He was the Kickapoo leader.
Tachnechdorus, or more commonly called Logan, was an important Iroquois leader in the mid to late 1700s.
Piskater was an important Algonquian leader and is often reffered to as one of the bravest men in Canadian history.

16. Work Cited
Culture slide (Margaret):
Belief System (Margaret):
Significant Events: (Margaret):
Political System (Megan):
The Change European Settlers Brought (Megan):
Important events, and technoledgy (Megan):

17. Work Cited Geographic Reference Materials (Alex):
Maps: "Easternwoodlands - Mrsfranksclass." Easternwoodlands - Mrsfranksclass. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug
Information: "Iroquois." Iroquois. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug
Image: "Iroquois+indians+war - Google Search." Iroquois+indians+war - Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug
Important Figures (Grace):
"Iroquois Leader." Iroquois Leader. Portland State University, 1 Oct Web. 26 Aug
"L’Encyclopédie De L’histoire Du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia." Pieskaret. Marianopolis College, Web. 26 Aug
Penick, Tom. "Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea), Mohawk." Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea), Mohawk. Indigenous Peoples' Literature, Web. 26 Aug
(Picture) "Joseph Brant." - Mohawk Leader. Joseph Brant, n.d. Web. 26 Aug