By: Hannah, Courtney, and Julianne

Introduction…………………………………………………………………1-2

Roles of Men and Woman………………………………………….3-4

Customs…………………………………………………………………………5-6

Music and Arts……………………………………………………………7-8

Homes…………………………………………………………………………9-10

Games…………………………………………………………………………11-12

Food……………………………………………………………………………13-14

Have you ever heard of the Algonquians? They had dark eyes and strait, black hair. The men had unusual hair cuts. They shaved off most of their hair and only left a two inch wide strip. This was in the middle of their head. The Algonquians women braided their long, dark, hair. Married woman had one braid and unmarried woman had two. Men dressed in deerskin pants called leggings. In the summer men wore very few clothes. Women wore deerskin skirts all year round with jewelry made from shells. They live in Long Island and the Hudson River Valley. Read more about the Algonquians in our book!

Algonquian women gathered plants to eat and did most of the child care and cooking. Men were hunters and sometimes went to war to protect their families. Both took part in storytelling, artwork, music, and a traditional medicine. In the pas, the Algonquian Indian Chief was always a man, but today, a woman can be chief, too.

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Every 6 months the Algonquians came together for a powwow. Each tribe brought it’s chief to the powwow council. The powwow was an occasion for feasting and dancing. Arguments between groups were settled, alliances formed, and trading was completed.

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The Algonquians made object and painting with a lot of patterns. Algonquians are known for their bead work and their basketry. Algonquin also crafted Wampum out of white and purple shells and beads. They were traded for currency, but they were more important as art material. Today, Algonquin people also crated art like oil painting.

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Algonquians lived in wigwams. Wigwams looked like a igloo. There is only one family living in a wigwam. A wigwam is made of branches, leaves, or animal fur. The homes had a hole at the top of the wigwam to let smoke out.wigwams

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Algonquin Children did have toys, games and dolls. Algonquin told stories about Indian cultures like Fairy Tales. The Boys pretended that they were great hunters or warriors. The Girls enjoyed playing a game like hopscotch just like us right now. Sometimes the Algonquians told stories by dancing. Dancing was to please the spirits.

The Algonquians fished, hunted, or farmed, depending on where they lived.. Tribes who lived near the coast and in the great lakes region depended upon fishing for their diets. Those who lived inland depended on the game they hunted, as well as the Native plants they learned to grow. Much of the hunting was done in the winter, when there was snow on the ground. That way the Algonquians could follow the animal tracks more easily. Also, the animals moved slower which gave the hunters advantage. Many times the hunters would lure the animals to the edge by using food. They fished almost like we do today. They carved a hook, put a piece of fruit on it, putting the hook on a vine, and fishing.

Meat and fish were cooked over a fire in pots made out of bark, wood, or clay. Sometimes meat was boiled using red-hot stones, which were put in the water. Other times it was cooked on sticks. Garlic helped to flavor the meats and vegetables. To preserve the meats, the Algonquians smoked it. Crops and berries were also dried and stoved for the winter. Getting ready for the winter was a big job. They hunted things like deer, goose, moose, bear, and horse. Not very often they had bear because someone was normally killed. They used the bear fur for clothes. The bear is a very important animal to the Algonquians.

The Algonquin lived in New York and there are still some Algonquians today! They live with the same cultures and some of it is even in museums. You should see it!