1. The Tuscarora

2. Homes

3. Foods

4. Religion

5. Art

6. Games

7. Roles of Men Woman and Children

The Tuscarora Tribe was one of the tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy. They joined the Confederacy in 1722. They were living in North Carolina. Then they joined the Iroquois Confederacy. You will learn about the games they play, their art, their religion, the roles of the men, women and children, their houses and their food.

The Tuscarora didn’t have homes like us. In 1722, they settled in-between the Oneida and Onondaga territories. They lived mostly in longhouses. Up to 20 families lived in one longhouse. Their homes had a fire pit in the middle and several families lived in one house. They slept on animal furs. It was made of many branches and trunks of trees.

Wooden poles surrounded the villages. This helped protect the villages from enemies. These wooden poles were called palisades.

The Tuscarora had many foods back then. But they had to work to get them unlike us when we just buy food in the supermarket. They gathered fruits and nuts from the forest and fished from nearby rivers. Fresh vegetables grew in the rich soil. They grew crops in the fields and they hunted many animals for food but mostly they hunted deer.

In the Tuscarora religion, they believed that all people should have freedom of religion. They have traditions such as corn husk dolls. Corn Husk Dolls are for the kids to play with. It is made of corn husks.

They also celebrate Border Crossing Day. Border Crossing Day is when the Tuscarora's make a parade and walk across the border to Canada.

The False Face Society scared any evil spirits.

The Tuscarora made art from a lot of things. They stitched flowers, leaves and stems onto bags and clothing. The Tuscarora tribe made clay pottery. They also made birch bark boxes. They made wampum's. They made wampum’s from deerskin, beads and porcupine quills. Another thing they made was bead necklaces.

Tuscarora men, woman and children had jobs unlike us. Men went out to hunt and they made shelter and palisades. Men also carved snowshoes and bow and arrows. Woman cooked, took care of the children, made the clothing, grew crops, and weaved baskets. Children helped get water and wood for the fire. Boys learned how to make traps and shoot bow and arrows and girls learned to make pottery and clothing.

http://www.photosensibility.com/photoblog/index.php?showimage=116

Although the Tuscarora had jobs, they did fun things like us. Lacrosse was one of those games. Hoop and Spear was played during the Thunder Ceremony. Snow Snake was also played in the winter after the men came back from the annual hunt. Each team carved their own snake. Then they dragged a log through the snow to make a path. The object is to throw the wooden snake as long and as fast as possible. Whichever side had the highest score won. One last game was Peach Stone game which took place after the full moon of the new year.

The Tuscarora played This Iroquois are

Many games such as the playing the snow

Hoop and spear game. Snake game in the

winter.

The Tuscarora is still governed in a traditional way. It is still the same rule with the clan mothers. The clan mothers still rule the land. Today they have regular jobs like us. They have jobs in nearby cities and children go to school. The Tuscarora families also like to stay together. Teachers wear traditional dresses. The Tuscarora are a very interesting tribe.