NATIVE
AMERICANS
Brainstorm: What do you
already know about
Native Americans?
Think: Is there anything
you would like to know
about Native
Americans?
Theorize: How did Native
Americans get to America?
Hint one:
They did not use
boats
Hint two:
It took a very long
time
Hint three:
It was during the
Ice Age.
Answer: They used a Land
Bridge called Beringia
Asia
North
Bering America
Strait
Two thousand years ago, during the peak of the last Ice Age,
a journey from Asia into the Americas would have been
unimaginable. North America was completely covered in ice and
tall glaciers. However, all of that ice made the journey much
easier for people of that time.
The great amount of ice meant that sea levels were much
lower than they are now, and a stretch of land emerged
between Siberia and Alaska. Humans and animals could simply
walk from Asia to North America. The land bridge was called
Beringia.
Over time, these migrants and their descendants pushed
southeast, adapting as they went. In order to keep track of
these diverse groups, historians and scientists have divided
them into “culture areas”. These are groups of people who
shared similar habitats and characteristics.
Most scholars break North America—Canada and the U.S. –into
ten separate culture areas: the Arctic, the Subarctic, the
Northeast, the Southeast, the Plains, the Southwest, the Great
Basin, California, the Northwest Coast and the Plateau.
We will be learning about the 8 that were located in the
present-day U.S. border.
Think: How do we know
things about Native
Americans from so long
ago?
Psttt: Think
scientifically!
Answer: Archaeology
Archaeology is the study of human life by looking at artifacts
that people who lived long ago have left behind. Artifacts are
man-made objects that people from long ago have left behind.
Archaeologists are like detectives. By looking at artifacts,
they try to figure out how people long ago lived their lives,
what art they created, their religious beliefs, their
technology, science, and invention, and their daily life. Clues
archaeologists use to answer these and other questions
about past civilizations can sometimes be found in the
artifacts they dig up.
Geography
The United States has a
great deal of variation in
geographical features.
Using your map, in your
groups brainstorm any
geographical features
you can think of and label
them on your map. This
may include things such
as oceans, lakes, river,
mountains, deserts,
forests etc.
Brainstorm: How might the
geography effect the way
of life for different groups
of Native Americans?
Social Structure and Family Life
Tribes and Clans
At the highest level were the tribes or nations. These were
large groups of people that had culture, geography, and
language in common.
Within each tribe were smaller groups called clans. The
members of a clan generally shared a common ancestor and were
considered related to one another. Each clan had its own symbol
or spirit that gave the clan its name. Many of the clan names
were animals, but not all of them.
Social Structure and Family Life
Chiefs and Leaders
The leaders of the clans and tribes were called chiefs.
Depending on the region, these men were often elected
or chosen by the people. They also sometimes inherited
the position or were selected because of their talent
and abilities. They generally did not have total power,
but were respected men who provided advice that the
tribe or clan generally followed.
Social Structure and Family Life
Women and Men
Women and men had distinctly different roles in both the daily work
and in leadership. The chiefs and leaders were generally men,
however, this did not mean that the women were powerless. Their
opinion was respected and the women usually were the leaders inside
the home.
Women often spent their time gathering resources. They also cleaned,
cooked and looked after the children.
Men typically spent time hunting, building houses and tools, and making
village decisions.
Religion and Beliefs
Native American religion tends to focus around nature. The landscape,
animals, plants, and other environmental elements play a major role in
the religion of Native Americans. Many of the legends passed down
were an attempt to explain events that occurred in nature.
Native American religion includes a number of practices, ceremonies,
and traditions. These ceremonies include feasts, music, dances, and
other performances.
Animism is the most common name for the general beliefs of Native
Americans. It is the belief that all things in nature have a spirit. Things
such as animals, birds, insects, plants, herbs and trees, natural
phenomena such as rocks, mountains, rivers, lakes, and clouds and
celestial bodies such as the sun, moon, planets and stars were all
believed to have spirits.
In Native American religion the beliefs
are based on communication with the
spirit world through mediums known as
a Shaman or Medicine Man, who also
acted as healers. There are many
stories, legends and myths about the
Creator who is generally referred to as
the Great Spirit. American Indian religion
and beliefs were very different
according to the traditions of tribes so it
is not possible to fully define Native
American Religion. However, a majority
of regions believed in a Shaman, Medicine
Man or something close.
Artwork
Native American artwork includes water, oil and sand
painting, leather, wood, pottery and baskets. The type
of artwork and material used depended greatly on the
region in which the tribes lived. Native American
arts have an extremely deep connection with
spirituality and Mother Nature.
Native American art history is strongly associated with
symbols that were often linked with nature. Important
symbols in most Native American art history include
the sun, moon, bears, eagles or people. Pendants and
statues were often created to symbolize and honor
Mother Nature. Everything Native Americans create is
done with time and care so that even ordinary utensils
are often considered pieces of art.
Clothing
Originally, there were many different traditional Native
American clothing styles in North America. Nearly every tribe
had its own distinctive style of dress, and the people could
often tell each other's identities by looking at their tribal
clothes, headdresses, and ornamentation.
In most tribes, Native American men wore breechcloths (a long
rectangular piece of hide or cloth tucked over a belt, so that
the flaps fell down in front and behind), sometimes
with leggings attached in colder climates. For shoes, they often
wore moccasins.
Native American clothing for women usually consisted of skirts
and leggings. The materials used to make clothing varied
depending on resources available to each tribe. Many tribes
used animal hide, such as deerskin, to make clothes.
