NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN NATIONS – IDENTIFYING KEY CHARACTERISTICS, LANGUAGE, GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS & CULTURELesson Plan 1 – Clifford Thornton

EDU 647 - LESSON PLAN 1 - CLIFFORD THORNTON

OVERVIEW OF NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN NATIONS

Name of Nation Current PopulationNavajo 308,013

Cherokee 285,476Sioux 131,048

Chippewa 115,859Choctaw 88,913Apache 64,809Pueblo 59,337Iroquois 48,365Creek 44,085

Blackfeet 23,583Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010

EDU 647 - LESSON PLAN 1 - CLIFFORD THORNTON

WHERE DID THE NATIVE AMERICAN INDIANS COME FROM?

“The usual theory of the settlement of the Americas is that the earliest peoples of the Americas came from Asia over a land bridge which connected the two continents across what is now the Bering Strait during a period of glaciation, when the sea water level was lower. The number and nature of these migrations is uncertain, but the land bridge is believed to have existed only until about 12,000 years ago, when it was flooded out.”

“Three major migrations occurred, as traced by linguistic and genetic data; the early Paleoamericans soon spread throughout the Americas, diversifying into many hundreds of culturally distinct nations and tribes. By 8000 BCE, the North American climate was very similar to today's.”Source: “Native Americans in the United States”, Wikipedia, Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States#Ethno-linguistic_classification

Depiction of how Native American Indians crossed a “land-bridge” thousands of years ago from present day Russia to present day United States via the Alaskan peninsula.

EDU 647 - LESSON PLAN 1 - CLIFFORD THORNTON

NORTH AMERICAN GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS

• Northeast (Eastern Seaboard to the Appalachian Mountains)

• Southeast (Southern tip of Florida to the Ozarks)

• Mid-West or Plains (aka “The Great Plains”), from the Ohio Valley to the Rocky Mountains

• Southwest (“4 points” here – intersection of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado); the U.S. purchased much of this territory from Spain

• Great Basin (was formerly a prehistoric sea)

• Plateau• Northwest or Northwest Coast• Westcoast or “Western Coast” or

present-day California

EDU 647 - LESSON PLAN 1 - CLIFFORD THORNTON

NAVAJO• Pronunciation: English – (nav-uh-hoh),

Navajo language: Diné or Naabeehó• Geographic Region: Southwest• Key Cultural Characteristics: Originally were

hunters and gatherers, semi-nomadic, matrilineal social system

EDU 647 - LESSON PLAN 1 - CLIFFORD THORNTON

CHEROKEE• Pronunciation: English – (cher-uh-kee),

Cherokee language: Ani-Yunwiya• Geographic Region: Southeast• Key Cultural Characteristics: Two-part

societal structure; white = leaders, red = soldiers, their original language was Iroquoian – hinting that they migrated to the Southeast from the Great Lakes region, matrilineal society

EDU 647 - LESSON PLAN 1 - CLIFFORD THORNTON

SIOUX• Pronunciation: English – (soo), Sioux dialects: Santee

Dakota -(Isáŋyathi; "Knife") Yankton and Yanktonai Dakota - (Iháŋktȟuŋwaŋ and Iháŋktȟuŋwaŋna; "Village-at-the-end" and "Little village-at-the-end"), The Lakota - (Thítȟuŋwaŋ; possibly "Dwellers on the prairie")

• Language divided into 3 dialects• Dakota• Lakota• Nakota

• Geographic Region: Midwest / Plain (i.e. Dakotas, Minnesota, Northern Iowa, Western Canada, & Montana

• Key Cultural Characteristics: Hunter/Warrior culture (i.e. warrior societies), valued bravery and wisdom, cooking syle: roasting, fraternity-like social structure

EDU 647 - LESSON PLAN 1 - CLIFFORD THORNTON

CHIPPEWA• Pronunciation: English – (chip-uh-wah),

Also known as: Ojibwe or Ojibwa, Speak Ojibwe language – (/o/ + /jiibw/ + /abwe/); this language also goes by the names of “Anishinaabemowin” or “Ojibwemowin”

• Geographic Region: Great Lakes Region (Northern) – Canada (Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba), U.S. (Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota)

• Key Cultural Characteristics: birch-bark canoes, birch-bark scrolls, mining/trading copper, cultivating wild rice, Midewiwa – record keepers, patrilineal system

EDU 647 - LESSON PLAN 1 - CLIFFORD THORNTON

CHOCTAW• Pronunciation: English – (chok-taw),

Choctaw language – (Chahta), belongs to the Muskogian language group

• Geographic Region: Southeast• Key Cultural Characteristics: Descended

from Hopewell & Mississippian cultures, built Earthwork mounds, hunter-gatherers (i.e. in ancient times as they inhabited the Southeast around 4,000 – 8,000 years ago, they hunted “megafauna”, performed “head-flattening”, played stickball

EDU 647 - LESSON PLAN 1 - CLIFFORD THORNTON

APACHE• Pronunciation: English – (uh-pach-ee), • Language: Athabaskan• Geographic Region: Southwest• Note: They fought invading Spaniards and

Mexicans for centuries!• Key Characteristics: Built well constructed

tents, use dogs to carry supplies, nomadic lifestyle, hunted, social organization – extended family units or “family clusters”

Above: Geronimo – famous Apache leader & warrior

EDU 647 - LESSON PLAN 1 - CLIFFORD THORNTON

PUEBLO• Pronunciation: English – (pweb-loh), Pueblo

languages: Keres, Tiwa, Towa, Tewa, and Zuni• Geographic Region: Southwest (New Mexico,

Arizona)• Culture dates back to 3,000 BC• Key Characteristics: Constructed complex

“apartment-like” structures, exogamous & endogamous marriage structures, prayed with cornmeal, used decorated prayer sticks, performed textile weaving before the introduction of Europeans (i.e. it’s not clear if they inherited this from Aztec culture), they were “dry farmers”, they were also skilled in pottery

EDU 647 - LESSON PLAN 1 - CLIFFORD THORNTON

IROQUOIS• The French called them the “Iroquois League” and were also

known as the “Iroquois Confederacy”• Comprised of 6 nations: Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas,

Cayugas, Senecas, Tuscaroras• Pronunciation: English – (ir-uh-kwoi), Languages: Mohawk,

Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, Tuscarora• Geographic Region: Northeast (Adirondack Mountains) and Great

Lakes region• Important Note: Their structure of governance had an influence

on developing the structure of U.S. government. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson observed their governing style through meetings with Iroquois leaders. They played an important role in the U.S. Revolutionary War – tribes split between taking sides with the British and colonists

• Key Characteristics: Adopted European culture and assimilated through trade and religion, villages moved every 5-20 years to replenish soil and lumber, replicated European-style log cabins, farmed, hunted, fished, collected maple syrup, Matriarchal clan system, wore “Wampum belts”

• Smallpox decimated their population in 1635.

Actor Daniel-Day Lewis portrayed an adopted Mohawk in the 1992 20th Century Fox movie, “The Last of the Mohicans”.

EDU 647 - LESSON PLAN 1 - CLIFFORD THORNTON

CREEK (“MUSCOGEE PEOPLE”)• Pronunciation: English – (kreek), Muscogee (muhs-

koh-gee), Muscogee language - (maskóːkî)• Languages: Muscogee, Hitchiti-Mikasuki• Descended from Mississippian Culture• Geographic Region: Southeastern Woodlands –

Tennesee, Georgia, Alabama, Northern Florida• Note: They were involved in the U.S. Revolutionary

War, siding with the British• Note: Decided a major land dispute with the Choctaw

nation through a huge ball-game in 1790.• Key Characteristics: Hunter-gatherers, Matrilineal,

adopted European-style clothing and fabrics and ornamations

EDU 647 - LESSON PLAN 1 - CLIFFORD THORNTON

BLACKFEET (“BLACKFOOT CONFEDERACY”)• Pronunciation: English – (blak-feet)• They originate from the extreme Northeast (border of Canada and

Maine) and migrated west to Montana• Language: Blackfoot (one of the Algonquian languages family); all

related tribes spoke Blackfoot• Consists of 3 “Tribal Nations”

• Piikáni ("Piegan Blackfeet“)• Káínaa ("Bloods")• Siksikáwa ("Blackfoot")

• Geographic Region: Canada (Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia), U.S. (Montana/ Great Plains)

• They called their tribal territory “Nitawahsin-nanni” meaning "Our Land“

• Both Blackfeet boys and girls learned to ride horses from an early age• Key Characteristics: Society consisted of “bands” which contained 10-

30 lodges, nomadic lifestyle in early times – they followed and hunted huge Bison herds, fished trout, brave men wore necklaces made of Grizzly Bear claws, warriors conducted “spiritual cleansing” prior to battles and painted their faces and their horses

A battle between a Blackfoot and Plains Cree by Paul Kane

EDU 647 - LESSON PLAN 1 - CLIFFORD THORNTON

FAMOUS NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN ATHLETESJIM THORPE – SAUK & FOX BILLY MILLS - LAKOTA

• Professional U.S. Football & Baseball player

• Won Gold medals in the Pentathlon & Decathlon, 1912 Olympic Games, Stockholm, Sweden

• U.S. Marine Corps. Officer• Won Gold medal in the 10,000 meter

run, 1964 Olympic Games, Tokyo, Japan; he is the only American to win a gold medal in this event

Source: www.Wikipedia.com, “Jim Thorpe”, “Billy Mills”

EDU 647 - LESSON PLAN 1 - CLIFFORD THORNTON

NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN SPORT• These Native American Indian games were like

“Lacrosse” or “Stickball”• American Indian names for game:

• Isitoboli – “Little brother of war”• Dehuntshigwa’es – “man hit a round object”

• Versions of game:• Great Lakes• Iroquoian• Southern

• Sometimes used to settle disputes instead of going to war; goals could be as much as 2 miles apart!!

“The game is played with one or two rackets/sticks and one ball. The object of the game is to land the ball on the opposing team's goal (either a single post or net) to score and to prevent the opposing team from scoring on your goal. The game involves as few as 20 or as many as 300 players with no height or weight restrictions and no protective gear. The goals could be from around 200 feet (61 m) apart to about 2 miles (3.2 km); in Lacrosse the field is 110 yards (100 m).”

Source: “Native Americans in the United States”, Wikipedia, Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States#Ethno-linguistic_classification

Painting by George Catlin in the 1830s

EDU 647 - LESSON PLAN 1 - CLIFFORD THORNTON

SOURCES• Navajo – “Navajo”, Wikipedia, Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navajo • Cherokee – “Cherokee”, Wikipedia, Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee • Sioux – “Sioux”, Wikipedia, Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sioux • Chippewa – “Ojibwe“, Wikipedia, Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ojibwe • Choctaw – “Choctaw”, Wikipedia, Link: https://

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choctaw#Paleo-Indian_period • Apache – “Apache”, Wikipedia, Link: https://

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache#Entry_into_the_Southwest • Pueblo – “Puebloan peoples”, Wikipedia, Link: https://

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puebloan_peoples • Iroquois – “Iroquois”, Wikipedia, Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iroquois• Creek – “Muscogee”, Wikipedia, Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscogee • Blackfeet – “Blackfoot Confederacy”, Wikipedia, Link: https://

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackfoot_Confederacy • www.Dictionary.com : Search for “Navajo”, “Cherokee”, “Sioux”, “Chippewa”,

“Choctaw”, “Apache”, “Pueblo”, “Iroquois”, “Creek”, “Muscogee”, “Blackfeet”, “Blackfoot”