1. Native American Cultures
Chapter Two, Section Two

2. Setting the Scene Who discovered the Americas?
When were the Americas discovered?
Where did this explorer think he was?
What did he called the people he saw upon his arrival?
How many groups of these people existed?

3. Culture Areas of North America
What is culture area?
A region in which people share a similar way of life.
What is a tribe?
A community of people who share common customs, language, and rituals.

4. Hunting, Gathering, and Fishing
What were some of the methods used by the Indians?
Some:
Hunted animals and gathered nuts and fruits.
Others depended on the sea for food.
They made boats fished or hunted seals, walrus and whales.

5. Farming Many tribes farmed:
Corn, Beans, and Squash
These tribes farmed anywhere from California to the Eastern Woodlands
Did the Indians change any of the foods they farmed? Any ideas how?

6. Trade Did the Indian tribes trade with one another?
Yes
How far? Was it close?
Yes, over 1,000 miles.
Where did they meet?
Near the Dalles on the Columbia River.
What did they trade?
Dried Salmon for other goods like fish oil, whalebone.

7. Climate, Resources, and Culture
How did climate and natural resources influence Indians?
Clothes, shelter, crops
Nomadic- tribes of people that move often once they have used all the resources of the land.

8. Cultures of the Far North Regions
Who lived in this area?
Inuits
What did the Inuits do?
In the summer they collected driftwood by the sea and built shelter and tools.
What were their homes called?
Pit Houses
What their clothes made of?
Furs and waterproof boots of seals skins.

9. Cultures of the Plateau Regions
Who lived in this area?
Utes and Shoshones
What did they do?
They collected pined nuts and dug out roots.
They hunted sheep and rabbits

10. Cultures of the Northwest
Was it better in this region? Why?
What was gathered?
Fish from the sea, cedar trees to make homes and canoes.
Were they Nomadic people?
How did the families compete?
Potlatch dinner to show off the families wealth. The invited guest brought gifts- the more gifts the more respect they received. Those who got gifts were expected to hold a potlatch also.

11. Cultures of the Southeast
Who lived in this area?
Natchez
What did they do?
They hunted, fished, and farmed along the Gulf of Mexico.
How many months were in their calendar?
13 months named after a food or an animal like…
What was the name of the ruler?
Great Sun and was worshipped like a God.

12. Cultures of the Southeast
Describe Great Sun.
He never touched the floor. He was carried or walked on mats.
His family members were called Little Suns.
Next, came Nobles, then Honored People, and Stinkards or commoners (most people).

13. Cultures of the Southeast
Describe marriage.
There were marriage laws.
Nobles had to marry Stinkards. Great Sun’s wife was a Stinkard.

14. Shared Beliefs Respect for Nature:
They believed that they must adapt their ways to the natural world in order to survive and prosper.
They also believed that the world was full of powerful, unseen forces and spirits.They honored those spirits, which were thought to act and feel like humans.

15. Shared Beliefs
Special Ceremonies:
Kachinas
Dance
Prayers
Gifts
Feasts

16. The Iroquois Confederacy
Where were the Iroquois from?
Eastern Woodlands (New York)
What did they call themselves?
The People of the Long House
What were they homes called?
Long houses- 150 feet long and 20 feet wide. 12 or more families lived together.

17. The Iroquois Confederacy
Who held a special place in Iroquois society?
WOMEN!!!
What could they do?
They owned all the household property. They were in charge of planting and harvesting.
When a man married he would move into his wife’s family home.
They had political power- they chose clan leaders and they could remove the leader as well.

18. The Iroquois Confederacy
How many nations were included in the Iroquois Confederacy? 5
What were they?
Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga.
Did they always get along?
No. It was no until 1570 that they made an alliance to stop their wars.
What is Sachems?
Council of 50 chosen tribal leaders.