Native Americans Activities Pack Who are the Native Americans? They likely came to North America across the Bering Strait when hunting animals. Can you tell where you live on the map? The Bering Strait These people were hunting animals like the Wooly Mammoth. The earth warmed and the bridge melted. 1
What is Native? Native belonging or living in a particular place or region since birth. The people left stranded inhabited North America before later explorers came, thus they are Native Americans. American Indians or Native Americans? Good Question!! Well, some Indian tribes of the Americas and the world see the word Native as meaning inferior or not as civilized as other people in the world. Though, both terms are widely used. The key is respecting all cultures through our actions and words. What do these words mean to you? 2
In America, we mainly think of Native Americans as those that live or lived in the present day United States. Many other civilizations lived outside the U.S., including the Yucatan and South America. Other Americans Aztecs Maya Inca These civilizations were extremely advanced in both science and math. They also built permanent structures, unlike most the Native Northern Americans. Lives of the Indians The lives of Indians in present day United States varied based on the tribe and locations of these people. 3
Food Early Native Americans were hunter gatherers. They likely hunted wild game like the wooly mammoth until they became extinct, around 10,000 years ago. New Game Native Americans switched to hunting other large game such as bison. These hunts were originally on foot not horses. The Horse Horses were not introduced to the Indians until European settlers came to the Americas. The horse became valuable especially to those Indians hunting Bison on the Great Plains. 4
Bison Supermarket The Bison was the equivalent of the supermarket for Native American Tribes, especially those on the Great Plains. The Indians used practically all of the Bison, thus none of the Bison was wasted. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8we-0aqose No Respect! Many Early Settlers with rifles often slaughtered bison on the Oregon Trail. 5
Bison Population With numbers once in the tens of millions, bison nearly became extinct. Railroads and fenced enclosures for farms helped to kill off almost all of the bison. Gone is a way of life The bison were sacred for many Indians and their way of life changed drastically. They now needed to depend more on their agriculture = growing crops. 6
The Three Sisters The three more important products in Indian culture was maize (corn), beans, and squash. Other crops included, sunflower, cotton, tobacco, and pumpkin! Native Americans would dry the tobacco plant and smoke the tobacco product in peace pipes. Indians used the mano or matate to grind corn or wheat. Corn dance song: Smoking http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=kwlcgwxlikg Religion Many Native Americans were spiritual and their practices may have included sweat lodges, smoking, and drumming. In later years, Spanish missionaries converted many Western Indians, like the Pueblo, to Catholicism. 7
Sports Tribes would sometimes resort to sports instead of going to war. A popular sport was similar to lacrosse, called isitoboli, by the Choctaw. The greatest modern day Native American athlete was probably Jim Thorpe. He was awesome! Economy Most all Indian tribes did not use currency for trade. Instead, they bartered items with other tribes and eventually European explorers and settlers. Many trades were unfair for the Indians. Land Maybe the biggest destruction to the Native American way of life concerned land. Tribes believed that you could not own the land and rarely built established communities. Settlers thought that without buildings, nobody had laid claim to the land. 8
Explorers Christopher Columbus was the first European to travel to the Americas across the entire Atlantic Ocean. Columbus is celebrated with his own day, but many accuse him of treating the Native Indians poorly. Jamestown In 1607, Jamestown is founded by the colonists, in present day Virginia. Captain John Smith is captured by Native American Chief Powhatan and saved from death by the chief s chiefs daughter, Pocahontas. http://www.youtube.com/w atch?v=kiubw_kj1-u Expand the Country The United States bought land from Napoleon and the French in 1803. The sale is called the Louisiana Purchase and it double the size of the United States. 9
Sacagawea The next year, Lewis and Clark went on an exploration with Sacagawea. She was a Shoshone Indian. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ajy2c09sxe Trail of Tears President Jackson sent federal troops to forcibly remove almost 16,000 Cherokee who had refused to move westward. Last Stand! Custer announced the discovery of gold in the Black Hills of Dakota. Custer attacks Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse at the Little Big Horn. Custer road to his death, but this would be the end of the Native American way of life. 10
No Reservations Most Native Americans were left to small reservations that through the years got smaller and smaller. Current Native Americans have survived through the hardships and struggles. Amazingly their culture and heritage survive today because of their strength. http://www.youtube.com /watch?v=wvj6xgtlwbw 11
Celebrate, Honor, and Remember It is important that we celebrate, honor, and remember the Early Americans, Native Americans, and Indian Tribes. Learning and willingness to understand these great cultures is often the best and most important step. There are several heritage days across the nation. Most our in late September, October, or November. What have you learned and can teach others? Native Americans Activities Pack 12