Jenna

11-13-13

Social Studies

The Pacific Northwest Native Americans
 

The houses, food and art of the Pacific Northwest Native Americans make them an interesting cultural group. They lived along the Pacific Ocean in the Northwest. Some important tribes of the Pacific Northwest Native Americans are  the Chinooks and the Makahs.

The houses of the Pacific Northwest Native Americans were called pit houses. Pit houses were built partly over a hole dug in the ground, so that some of the rooms were underground.  The long wooden houses were made of cedar planks with flat roofs.

The Pacific Northwest Native Americans ate many different foods. They ate salmon and whale. They also ate wild game and deer. They were great whale hunters. The Makah hunted whales in a canoe. This was dangerous because a whale could flip over the canoe.

The Pacific Northwest Native Americans were artists. They carved totem poles out of wood that showed animals and people. The totem poles showed a family’s history. They also made baskets from braided sweetgrass, and carved masks out of cedar wood.  

The Pacific Northwest Native Americans are a fascinating group to study. One interesting fact about this group was that you could not marry someone from your own clan. Another interesting fact was that when a baby is born, it belonged to the mother’s clan. The mother’s clan had to pay the husband for the child. The Pacific Northwest native Americans are a cultural group with an interesting past.

James F.

November 13, 2013

Social Studies

The Pacific Northwest Native Americans

     The Pacific Northwest is an important region. They were good at making food, clothing weapons and hunting. The Pacific Northwest Native Americans lived along the Pacific Ocean in the northwest part of our country. The two main tribes were the Chinooks and the Makahs.

     They got their food by hunting, fishing and gathering. The game the Pacific Northwest Native Americans hunted was salmon, whale and deer. Their weapons were bow, spear, arrows to kill their prey. Salmon were caught in the streams and they caught them with nets.

     The art they made was totem poles. Totem poles were of people's way of life. Pottery is one of the many things they used.

     Their clothing was animal skin and cotton shirts and moccasins. The moccasins were made out of leather. The shirts were colorful and made from beads.

     One interesting fact about the Pacific Northwest they had a festival called a pottlach. It was a famous tradition for them. The Pacific north west is a great Native American culture to study.

Hayden P.

November 13, 2013

Social Studies

Southwest Indians

     The Southwest Indians art, houses, and government are fascinating to study. The Indians lived in the southwest part of the United States. Two important tribes are the Zia and Zuni. Other tribes are the Acoma, Cochiti, Isleta, and Jemez.

        Some Southwest Indian Tribes lived Pueblos. Some lived in tepees. Others lived in adobe huts. Another name for adobe huts is hogans. They also lived in house built on cliffs.

       They made unique types of art. Pottery was used daily and for display. Their clothing was decorated with flowers. Two tribes made wooden figures called Kachina dolls. They represented Kachina spirits. Turquoise was supposed to give health, happiness, and good fortune.

    A Pueblo consists of 21 tribes. A chief is like a mayor, and a Tribal Council is like our city Council today. Each Pueblo has its own local government. But they are US citizens. They must obey the laws. The Indian Tribes ruling structure may have had an influence on how our local governments operate today.

One interesting fact about the Southwest Indian Culture is the naming of new born. Children are not named until 20 days after they are born. The Southwest Native Americans are an inspiring cultural region.

Social Studies
 

 Eastern Woodlands Indians

        The eastern woodlands native americans. The native american cultural group the eastern woodlands indians had specific types of food, art, and houses. They lived east of the mississippi river. The most important tribes were the iroquois, And the cherokees.

        Some of the eastern woodlands ate nuts, meat, and melon. They also loved to eat fish. And meat nom nom nom.
 

        Also some eastern woodlands made pipes, pottery, and rattles. It was hard for them to make the pottery with there hands.

        The eastern woodlands tribe sleep in pit houses and long houses. The long houses could hold about five to ten families

   
         The eastern woodlands indians was fun to study. You should try to study them too.

Sky L.

11/13/13

Social Studies

Pacific Northwest Native Americans

    The Pacific Northwest Native Americans had great food, clothing and houses. The Pacific Northwest lived in the Northwest part of the country along the Pacific Ocean. Some of the important tribes were the Chinooks and the Makahs.

        The Pacific Northwest ate salmon and whale. They trapped the salmon in a wooden box like object. The women did most of the work with the salmon. they skinned them and cut off the heads and tail parts off. They would then  take the salmon and put it on a wooden rack for it to dry.

         Whale is also what they ate. A harpooner would stand at the front of the canoe. Then he would promise the whale that if it let itself be killed it would be rewarded. They would eat the meat of the whale and the blubber or fat would be used for oil.

              The Pacific Northwest also had beautiful clothes. The women wore skirts. The skirts were made out of red flannel from Canada. It has beautiful hand stitched designs on it. They also wore moccasins which are a type of shoes. They were bedded in a colorful floral pattern. The men wore vests. The front was made out of leather. They also had various designs in colored beads.

            The Pacific Northwest houses were called Pit houses. Several families lived in one. If it was smaller then only one family would live in one. Pit houses were dug in the ground. Some houses were built out of wood. those houses had a hole in the roof and no windows.

        One interesting fact about the Pacific Northwest is some of the Native Americans would trade if they could not get somthing  their self. Also most of them road in canoes called Dug outs to get their self were they needed to be. The Pacific Northwest Native Americans is a great culture to study.

November 13, 2013

Social Studies

The Southwest Native Americans
 

The Southwest Native Americans had interesting way of life. They lived in the desert in the Southwest part of the country. Two important tribes were the Hopis and the Navajos.

The homes of the Southwest Native americans were called hogans. The house was 23 feet long. The first hogan was forck stick hogan. It had a frame pyramid  with 5 triangular faces. They used the hogan for family  traditions and curing other people of the tribe. Another house they lived in was the pueblo. They had to climb ladders to get up and down to their rooms.  They had many rooms in a pueblo.

The Southwest americans had several types of art.  According to the Navajos beliefs,  the universe  is a balance. Illness and other  disasters happen if the balance is upset, and it is believed that only humans can upset it not plants or animals. To make this person healthy again, a ceremony is performed. Sand paintings  koah are used in these ceremonies. They are made between sunrise and sunset. They also made  moccasins. The Navajo  soles were made of  hide. Hard sided moccasins were important to protect feet from horses, catus and the ground.     

The food that the southwest indians  hunted were deer. They hunted the deer when there was a whole lot them grazing. some of the men would sneak up on the deer.Then some other  men formed into a circle  and forced the deer to  the waiting hunters. Then they would spear the deer and take it back to their tribes to skin,cook and eat it.   The South west Indians also farmed. The hopis would plant corn in the paths. That the running water took like anasazi. The hopis  grew corn beans and squash . The hopi indians depended on the rain to make their crops grow. If there  plants did not grow they might starve to death.

Adam P.

November,18 2013

Social Studies

Southwest Native Americans
 

    The Southwest Native Americans are an interesting region. Arizona, New mexico and Colorado is where they lived. Names of some important tribes are Apache, Hopi, Pueblo and Zuni.T hey mostly farmed because of where they lived. They lived in the desert part of the southwest.

The southwest had very artistic activities. Such as pottery, clothing and baskets. many of them are sold in stores and craft shows. Most of the  southwest art is spiritual because of various symbols and designs.

The climate is was hot so they wear much. They wore moccasins on their feet .Some tribes grew cotton for winter clothes.

The South west had interesting houses. These including adobe, earth lodges and sod houses. Most of them had basement like living spaces dug from earth. It must be hard to dig under ground houses with many tree roots.

One interesting fact about the Southwest indians is they lived in the same place that columbus discovered. The Southwest indians were interesting to write about.

Elena R.

November 13, 2013

Social Studies

The Eastern Woodlands Native Americans

    Eastern Woodlands Native Americans had interesting houses, art, and food for survival. The Eastern Woodlands Native Americans lived in the Eastern Woodlands of America. Some important tribes were the Iroquois and the Cherokees.    

One type of house is a wigwam. They are circular shaped shaped and are great for storing items. They are made by using long flexible branches at least 14 feet long, theres a door (or 2)on the side. Wigwams are useful items and to sleep in. They make arrows and prepare food. They cook inside when its raining.   

The Native Americans farmed corn, beans, squash, and pumpkins. They put dried up kernels around the planted seed. There are many different ways certain tribes use to plant food. They use a wooden mortar and stone pestles to grind corn into flour. They fish for trout, bass, and other fish using hooks made from deer bones.  

Native Americans make pottery that are pretty and colorful. They mix the clay that they get from the old lake shells that make them withstand hot temperatures. They make designs with shells and sticks. They burn the pots to make them hard. The Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands were moderate-climate regions. The nice soil and trees from the Ohio River to the Gulf of Mexico filled the entire southeastern area of the Eastern Woodlands.   

The Adena and Hopewell were the first Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands. War was bad and harsh for the indian tribes. They fought over land and materials. Their weapons were bows, arrows, spears, stone knives, and war clubs. When the fight is over the winners take the surviving losers as slaves. The Native Americans are so interesting!

Taylor S.

November,18,2013

Social Studies

The Southwest Native Americans

    The art, clothes, and types of houses of the Southwest Native Americans make them an interesting culture group. The Southwest Native Americans lived in the desert area of the south. two important tribes of the Southwest Native Americans are the Navajo and the Hopis.

The Southwest Native Americans have lots of different types of art including lick rugs and jewelry. One Navajo tradition was spider woman who first taught the Navajo women how to weave. Very few men weaved. Traditionally the shearing, cleaning, carding, dyeing, and spinning of the wool took up most of the time of weaving. While Navajo still raise and sheer sheep, most weavers get wool ready for weaving. it still takes hours and hours on the loom. To make a 3 by 5 foot rug  with a simple design. it takes about 400 hours. To make a really fancy design it takes about 2000 hours. navajo weaving was used for saddle blankets for houses and people wear them for warmth. Now they are used as rugs or hang on the wall as art. Some Navajo rugs have a ‘’spirit line’’. The ‘’spirit line’’ is to let the spirits out of weaving.

Another kind of art is jewery. Silver jewelry is probably the best known form of Native American art. Southwest Native Americans showed their wealth with their jewelry. Coins were used for silver in the early days. Navajo silverwork can be made in many ways. One way is to carve a stone with a knife into the shape. This is called sand casting. Another way is to cut of the silver and use a stamp to make an design. Stamps were made from any bit of scrap iron including spikes, old chisel and broken  files. Turquoise if found in Colorado, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. The color turquoise from a pale chalky blue almost white to a very deep green. The price of a stone will depend on its hardness, color and markings. Some turquoise has pyrite tools gold veins.

The Southwest Native Americans wore moccasins. The Moccasins had a hard sole and were of hide. Hard soled moccasins were important to protect their feet from the hard cactus ground. The Hopi men wore wide, loose cotton pants and loose shirts. Hopi women wore handwoven, knee length, belted dresses. When gathering foods, they would wrap their legs in buckskin for protection from the desert’s prickly plants. Both men and women wore moccasins. The Navajo men traditionally wore deerskin shirts, hip leggings moccasins and woven blankets. Later, they wore cotton or velvet shirts with on collars, breeches below the knees, and moccasins. The Navajo women most often wore deerskin shirts and skirts, handwoven blankets of plain dark colors for poncho style dresses, and moccasins with wrapped leggings.  The pueblo men wore short kilts, or breeches cloths. The pueblo women wore knee length  dresses called mantas. both men and women wore moccasins. Today they  all dress in modern clothes. They wore wool, boots, that was made from buffalo and aaronson on hot days.

The type of houses they lived in were called pueblos. They used ladders to reach the roof entrances to the houses. The thick walls of the building kept them cool in the summer in warn in the winter.

One interesting fact is that ancient southwest indians cut a hole in the center of their pottery so the ‘’spirit’’ of the vessel could join its owner in the afterlife. Another fact is that Hopi comes from the word hoping that means ‘’harmony, peace, and fellowship with every living creature’’ Learning about the Southwest Native Americans art, clothing and houses allows us to understand their way of life.

Coriena M.

11/13/13

Social Studies
 

The Southwest Native Americans
 

The food, art, and types of houses of the Southwest Native Americans make them an interesting region to study. The Southwest Native Americans lived in the Southwest desert area of the United States. Some important tribes of the Southwest Native Americans were the Navajo and the Hopis.

The Southwest Native Americans ate many types of food. They ate corn, beans, and breads and many other foods. The Southwest Native Americans grew corn, and beans, but they made the bread by hand. They ate all the food they grew and made. The Southwest Native Americans enjoyed all the food the grew. And they also loved to hunt for food too.

The Southwest Native Americans lived in houses called Hogans. The first Hogan had a fork-stick Hogan frame, a pyramid with 5 triangular faces. To protect a fork-stick Hogan, it might be entirely covered with packed adobe or mud. Hogans today have one round room, usually about 23 feet in diameter. They might still be used for housing in remote areas, but they are mainly used nowadays for family ceremonies and curings.

Southwest Native Americans have two kinds of art. One type is sand painting. The sand painting called ikaah, were used in ceremonies made between sunrise and sunset of the same day. The first step in making a sand painting is to grind up rock found on the traditional Navajoland. The sand painter then spreads white glue on a thin board. Then the sandpainter  sprinkles sand across the board. Then the sandpainter uses the same glue and paintbrush to create a design. The design is done by hand. Each color is done separately, leaving enough time for the glue to dry. After the design is done, a very fine mist of polish is put on for protection. Another type of art was jewelry. Silver jewelry is the most popular form of Native Americans began working with silver around 1850. Jewelry was the way many Native Americans showed their wealth. Coins were used in the early days to make jewelry. Navajo silver jewelry can be made in a lot of ways. One way is to carve a stone with a knife and pour the silver into the shape. This is called sand casting. Another way is to cut the shape out of silver and use a stamp to make a design on it, similar to painting. Silver carving didn’t start happening until the 1880’s.

Kaden B.

November 13, 2013

Social Studies

The Great Plains Native Americans

            The Great Plains Indian Americans are great because of their houses, food, clothes. They lived west of the Mississippi River. Two important tribes were the Mandans and Kiowas.

They lived in tipis. The tipis had framework cedarwood. The tipis structure consisted of lodgepole pines placed and secured in a cone. Then 14 to 20 buffalo hides were sewn together in a circle with sinew, and stretched across the poles with a smoke hole at the top. A flap was use to enter and exit their house.

The Plains Native Americans were mostly farmers. They grew grain and corn. The Plains also hunted elk, grizzly bear, and antelopes. They ate berries, cherries, and wild turnips. They also ate buffalo. They ate it fresh. They also boiled it in a stew. They also preserved it by cutting it into stirps and drying it on a rack.

The Great Plains Native Americans wore buckskin pants and beaded vests that they made with animal hides, and beads. They wore a war bonnet during battle.

One interesting fact about  Great Plains Indians are they were the only Native American groups to ride on horses. This made traveling and hunting easier. The Kiowas is a fascinating cultural region to learn about.

Justice P.

November 13, 2013

Social Studies

The Eastern Woodlands Native Americans

            The Eastern Woodlands Native Americans’ clothing, art  and foods are all  very  fascinating. The Eastern Woodlands Native Americans lived east of the Mississippi River. The two important tribes were the Seneca and the Mohawk s.

They had many types of clothing. Women wore skirts woven from plants. The men wore shirts or leggings. They also used pelts of animals for their clothing. In the winter the men wore animal hides. In the winter women wore skirts they had woven from wild grasses covered with furs with leggings underneath. In spring, the women wore grass dresses and the children wore nothing at all.

For personal ornaments the women decorated clothing .  A special form of art for the Eastern Woodlands Native Americans were wampum beads They were made from white and purple  shells.   They dug clay out of a river bank, put seashells and sand and  they made beads out of shells bones and sand.   They wore the beads .The women did all the beading.  

One food the Eastern Woodland Native Americans made was maple sugar.   They also hunted small animals. They ate bear, deer, rabbit,  berries, corn, greens and sweets . Buffalo were an important source of food too.

Andrew P.

November 13, 2013

Social Studies
 

Great Plains Native Americans

The Great Plains Native Americans had wonderful food, houses and clothing. They lived west of the Mississippi River in the center of the country. Two important tribes were the Mandans and  the Kiowas.

The bison was the main source of  food for the Great Plains Native Americans. They provide the people with food, shelter, clothing and almost everything else they needed for survival. meat was eaten fresh from the hunt, preserved into jerky, or cooked in a stew.

The native Americans of the Plains made most of their clothing from tanned animal hides. They used the skins of antelope, mountain sheep, deer, and elk. Moccasins were shoes made of animal hides and often decorated with quills or beads. The moccasins came in different patterns according to the region.

Their homes were called tipis were made of tanned buffalo hides .the tipi was water resistant and easily assembled .there was a fire in the  pit  center of the tipi that helped the people stay warm.

Dean S.

November 13, 2013

Social Studies
 

Pacific Northwest Native Americans

The houses, art and food of the Pacific Northwest Native Americans makes this an important region. The Pacific Northwest Native Americans lived along the Pacific Ocean in the northwest part of our country. Two important tribes are the Chinooks and the Makahs.

The Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest had one type of house called a pit house. It is made of wood. They were big ,up to 1000 feet long.  A whole village could live in one. there were no windows. there was a hole in the roof to let in the air.

Fish was the main source of food for these Native Americans. they hunted fish. they wasted none of the fish. they used every part of the fish that they caught. Fishing was every important to the culture of  the indians.

Art was important to the pacific northwest native americans. One of their forms of art was totem poles. Totem poles were big tall cedar logs. They were carved and painted and decorated. The totem poles had animals and religious spirits. You could tell a family was important by looking at their totem pole.

The northwest part of the United  States was home to the Pacific Northwest Native Americans. They had a very interesting culture. Learning about the different  types of art, food, and houses helps us to understand their way of life.

Ruby Rose C.

November 13, 2013

Social Studies
 

The Southwest Native Americans

    The  Southwest  Native Americans had an interesting jewelry, houses and art. The Southwest Native Americans lived in the desert in the southwest part of the country.two main tribes were the Hopis and the Navajos.

    The Southwest Native Americans lived in homes called hogans. They made the hogans from a stick frame with five triangular sides. The sides were covered with a packed adobe which was a special clay or mud. The door always faced east. Men sit on the south side. Women sit on the north side. Special guests sit on the west side facing the door.

    The Southwest Native Americans made cool and interesting art, such as jewelry.  Silver jewelry is probably the best known form of Native American art.  They began working with silver  around 1850.Jewelry was the way that they showed their wealth.

One special type of art was the kachina. Family’s taught their kid’s the names of special powers of it. By giving them  kachina figures.

The Southwest Native  American Indians  lived in the desert  and used resources to make art  and to make jewelry. Thier silver jewelry is their best known art. The Southwest Native Americans are a fascinating cultural region.   

Briten V.

11-13-13

Social Studies
 

The Great Plains Native Americans
 

The Great Plains  Native Americans are cool because of their tools, houses and food. The Great Plains  Native Americans lived near Wisconsin and west of the Mississippi River. The Mandans and the Cherokees are two of the important tribes.

Two tools they used were travois and bowls.Travois was a sled made of two long poles with a rack of sticks on  it. It was pulled benind a dog. It was used to carry a family's belongings and sometimes a small child.The bowls were used for crushing corn and eating out of.   

Their houses were called teepees. The houses were made of sticks. The hides were water  proof and were  used for walls. The top of the teepees had  a hole in the top for  the smoke to escape.

The food they ate wes Bison. Bison  were used to eat and trade. The horns were used to make a water jugs.

One interesting fact is that the Great Plains Indians did not make totem poles like other cultural groups. this is because they were always on the move. The Great Plains Native Americans is a fascinating cultural region to learn about.

Shane K.
November 13, 2013
Social Studies                            

Eastern Woodlands Native Americans   

The houses, food, and art of the Eastern Woodlands Native Americans make them on interesting group to study. They lived east of the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean. Two important tribes were the Iroquois and the Cherokee.

The houses of the Eastern Woodlands Native Americans were called pit houses and long houses. Pit houses were made of bark and mud  and sometimes clay.  Long houses were made of bark and trees and small branches.

The Eastern Woodlands Native Americans were talented artists. they made baskets out of tree bark .They weaved the datasets and decorated them. They also made totem poles by carving faces and pictures into wood.

The Eastern Woodlands Native Americans, ate fish, deer, bears, and berries. they used bones to make fishing hooks to catch the fish. they hunted for deer and bears with bows and arrows. They picked wild berries in the Woods to eat.

The Eastern Woodlands were a very interesting group. They created the dream catcher to catch bad spirits in their dreams. They played a game like lacrosse for fun. pocahontas was a famous Eastern Woodlands Native American from the powhatan tribe. Learning about the Eastern Woodlands Native Americans has been fun.    

Reports, page 1

Jake P.
November 17, 2013
Social Studies

Eastern Woodlands Native Americans

            The Eastern Woodlands Native Americans’ food, games and houses were fascinating.  They lived in North America east of the Mississippi River into Maine and New England.  The names of some of the tribes were the Ojibwa, Potawatomi, Ottawa and Iroquois. 

            The Eastern Woodlands Native Americans relied on hunting, fishing, farming and gathering for food.  The men and boys hunted for wild animals such as deer, rabbits, turkey and squirrel.  The men and boys also fished in the many rivers and lakes and caught freshwater fish like bass, trout and whitefish.  The women were farmers and they grew corn, beans, squash, and pumpkin. The woman and children gathered fruits, such as choke cherries and nuts, like acorns, chestnuts and walnuts, from the forest.

            The Eastern Woodlands Native Americans played many games.  Two of the games were Little War and Snowsnake.  Little War was a game like today’s game of lacrosse.  This rough game was played with a special stick with a buckskin net on the end and a ball made of wood.  Each team had about 60 players and tried to shoot the ball into the other team’s goal.  Snowsnake was a game they played on frozen lakes and rivers. Thin wooden “snakes” were pushed across the snow to see whose would go the farthest.

            The Eastern Woodlands Native Americans lived in wigwams and longhouses.  Longhouses were large long buildings made with a frame from young trees, then covered with bark and sewn together. Several families that were related lived in one. Wigwams were small houses made of birch or elm bark. They would house a single family.

The Eastern Woodland Native Americans were an interesting cultural region. They invented dream catchers to catch bad spirits in dreams. Another interesting fact is they used shell beads, called wampum, for money. The Eastern Woodlands Native Americans were fun to learn about.