The Eastern Woodlands

Unit 1, Chapter 2, Lesson 2Pages 62 – 67

Objectives

• Describe how the Eastern Woodlands peoples adapted to their environment

• Locate the Eastern Woodlands cultural area and compare lifeways among its inhabitants.

Life in the Eastern Woodland

• Stretched east of the Mississippi River

• Name the thick forests that covered the land

• Villages built along banks of rivers and streamswww.promotega.org

A Common Resource

• TREES– Shelter

– Weapons

– Tools

– Canoes

– Food: Cherries and plums

Eastern Woodland People

• Northeastern part of the Woodlands

– Soil was rocky

– People did more hunting and gathering

• Southern areas of the Woodlands

– Soil was better/richer with nutrients

– People would farm: beans, corn, squash

JOBS – Division of Labor

• MEN

– Hunted animals for food

– Used antlers and bones to make tools

– Used spears & nets to catch fish

– Cleared land for planting

• WOMEN

– Prepared the food– Used animal skins

to make clothing & moccasins

– Planted & harvested crops (along with the children

Two Groups of Eastern Woodlands

• Iroquois

• Algonquian

• Separated into these groups based on the languages they spoke

IROQUOIS

• Lived inland: Great Lake Region

• PA, NY, & Lake Ontario of Canada

• Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca

• These tribes known as the Iroquois, or the FIVE NATIONSIroquois Flag

Iroquois Villages

• Iroquois were farmers

• Built on steep hills

• PALISADES – walls of tall wooden polesBuilt around villages for protection

Iroquois Shelters

• Longhouses – long wooden building that could hold up to 50 people

• Poles made from small trees, bent then covered with bark

• Divided into sections• Held one to two

families

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Iroquois Crops

• Three main crops: Corn, Beans, Squash

• Crops called: Three Sisters• All three crops were planted in the

same field• After a few years, soil less fertile• A new field would be cleared in

another area

CRAFTS

• Wampum – beads cut from seashells

• Used to make beaded designs

• Traded & Exchanged for goods

• Used to show:– Important decisions– Events– Stories

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Iroquois League

• Five nations often battled over control of hunting grounds

• Hiawatha – saw family killed by another tribe

• He was to kill those who killed his family

• He wanted fighting to stop

Hiawatha

• Leaves his village to meet with Deganawida (deh-gahn-uh-WEE-duh)

• Deganawida known as the Peacemaker

• Eventually, they convinced the Five Nations to unite and work together

United Iroquois

• Formed about A.D. 1570• Acted as a Confederation • Confederation – loose group of

governments working together• Representatives were sent from all

tribes• Grand Council – settled disputes

among the people peacefully

What was used to make longhouses?

• Trees bent to make the frame and covered with bark

Why were trees important to the Eastern Woodlands?

• Provided the wood used to make tools, canoes, shelter, and were also a source of food.

ALGONQUIAN

• Three tribes that lived along the coastal plain:

– Delaware

– Wampanoag

– Powhatan

ALGONQUIAN

• Other tribes that lived inland, around the Great Lakes:

– Ottawa

– Chippewa

– Miami

Algonquian Homes

• Some groups built longhouses like the Iroquois

• Others built round, bark-covered shelters– Wigwams– Built like longhouses: small trees bent, tied

together into a dome shape, then covered with bark

Algonquian Food

• Did not rely on farming

• FISHED

• Built canoes

• Used animal bones & wood to make hooks and fishing trapswww.buckskinnerweb.com

Clothing

• MEN

– Wore shirts– Leggins– Moccasins– All made from

deerskin

• WOMEN

– Wore dresses– Made from

deerskin

Government

• Algonquian groups had leaders who governed more than one village

• Some had two chiefs: – one for matters of peace– one for matters of war

Ceremonies

• Marriage Ceremonies• Man had to show he was a good

hunter• Woman had to show she was a

good homemaker• Couple would marry by exchanging

gifts and inviting their families to a feast

How did the diet of the Algonquian differ from that of the Iroquois?

• The Algonquian ate more fish, while the Iroquois relied more on crops

How is the term confederation related to

the Iroquois League?

• The Iroquois League was a confederation of different groups

Why did the Iroquois groups choose to come

together to form the Iroquois League?

• The groups thought they could better protect themselves and their way of life if they cooperated.