Native American societies
Southwestern Native Americans: Trade and economy
A wide trade network developed between the Southwestern Indians. This allowed for trade across a much larger distance than almost any other region. Natives of this region were able to obtain shells, copper and feathers. Most of these exotic goods came via a strong trading network between southwestern natives in present day Mexico and those in the present day United States of America. Local trading was also common as communities exchanged corn, squash, beans and various forms of meat.
Southeastern Native Americans: Environmental impact and usage
Americans were blessed with some of the most fertile agricultural land on the planet. The people utilized this land to grow staple crops such as maize, beans, tobacco and sunflowers that were used for both consumption as well as trading. They also used tall grasses to create thatch grass houses.
Northwest coast Indians: Gender roles
Both men and women were a part of the social structure in the northwest. Because of the abundance of resources in the area many people settled down in large permanent villages. Women were often in charge of the village food production as well as organizing groups to gather and fish. Men were often in charge of the hunting that went on as well as being part of local government
Great Plains Native Americans
Chicksaw, Camanche, Pawnee, Sioux, Crow, Cheyenne, Arapaho
Northwest coast
Chinook
Great Basin Native Americans: Gender Roles
Due to the lack of social hierarchy gender roles were not very complex and varied from group to group, however in general women were supposed to take care of children while gathering roots, nuts and plants while they moved. Men were expected be fierce warriors and to help hunt for small game.
Eastern Woodland: Gender Division and Roles
Gender roles in the Eastern Woodland society varied depending on the culture and society. However like many native American societies at the time women were usually the domestic leaders of the group. They usually were in charge of home chores and child raising as well as distributing food amongst people. Men and women helped with the agriculture as many hands were needed for a successful agricultural system. However men usually led when it came to hunting, trapping and fishing.
Northwest coast Indians: Government
Governmental systems of the Northwest coast Indians was built around a socially hierarchy. The chief was in charge followed by powerful and wealthy adults. The more possessions a person owned (shells, beads, mats and skins) and the closer they were to the chief the more power they had. As well as a chief many communities had spiritual men and women who were supposedly able to heal those of illness and could practice witchcraft to harm others. These spiritual elders were sometimes even held of the chief.
Great Basin Native Americans: Government
Groups of Native Americans were small in this region. Comprised of several noamidc family societies, ,the smaller the group the better because food was scarce. Groups only came together very so often to trade and fish or hunt together. Due to the small societies there was little to no formal hierarchies. Most people instead chose to follow successful hunter and warriors but they were not forced to and the person they followed had no power over them.
Southwestern Native Americans: Gender roles
In Southwestern cultures agriculture was a large part of their life. That meant that most gender roles most visible in agriculture. Men were tasked with preparing the dry soil with hoes and using irrigation techniques to try and water their crops in a dry and hot climate. Women were expected to do the overall tending to the crops, which included weeding as well as harvesting. Hopi were matrilineal and matriarchal and there is little sense of superiority when it comes to gender.
Great Basin Native Americans: Trade and Economy
Many small family units became wealthy traders who acted as middlemen for the native americans in the Great Plains regions and those towards the Pacific coast. As well as long distance trade, traveling bands of people traded weapons and tools with one another more locally. This was important because these tools were able to allow the predominantly nomadic societies to more efficiently gather, hunt, navigate and prepare food.
Native Californians: Trade and economy
Many tribelets consisted of at least one trader, who was responsible for obtaining goods for the group that weren't local to where they were. These traders were capable of trading long distances and were known for trading items such as baskets, obsidian and coastal shells.
Eastern woodland Native Americans
Miami, Shawnee, Iroquois, Lenape, Pequot, Massachuset and Abenaki
Eastern Woodland: Government
Most Eastern Woodland societies were strong politically stable groups of people. Each tribe or society was usually organized with a chief at the top followed by their family and then the rest of the population. As time went on the Iroquois people, especially developed large overarching governments that spanned many tribes and peoples. This large government was was introduced around the 16th century and was comprised of several tribes represented by Chiefs.
Native Californians: Environmental impact and usage
Most Native Californians did not participate in agriculture, instead they were part of a hunter-gatherer society. This meant that the native people had to be well in tuned with the native wildlife such as the migrations of animals and the seasons in which certain natural fruit and vegetables were available. Many Californians also traveled along the ocean or along a river. This allowed for them to always have a constant source of water as well as a faster source of transportation when needed.
Southwestern Native Americans: Government
Most Southwestern societies were theocracies, meaning that the lead priest was also the governmental leader. The leader often divided the common people into groups making the societies well organized and easy to live in. Religious leaders were tasked with making the decision for the community. The controlled where the group settled, when and where they hunted and what to do militarily.
Great Basin Native Americans: Environmental impact and usage
Most people lived of forging for roots, seeds, nuts, lizards and small mammals. Because of the isolated and hards nature of the environment, communities were only temporary, usually made up of several lightweight and compact "wickiups" made of saplings, leaves and other assorted brush material.
Southeastern Native Americans: Trade/ Economy
Most trade that happened between the tribes of the southeastern United states usually involved deerskin, which was used for all types of activities as well as pottery and intricately weaved baskets. Of course there was the trade of crops such as maize and tobacco
Eastern Woodland: Economy and Trade
Most trading was done locally with goods such as birch bark goods, porcupine quills used for decorative beads and clothes as well as food and other edible goods. As European influence grew however the Indians began trading guns and horses between each other. The most valuable good in the trading industry however might have been the water resistant beaver pelt that native Americans traded with Europeans for previously inaccessible goods.
Native Californians: Government
Native Californians were a very unique group of people. They were comprised themselves into traveling family tribelets, subsidiaries of bigger tribes but organized into small families. More centralized groups were led by a single family. The chief of could be a man or woman and functioned as an economic leader more than anything. Directing the tribe on what to gather and what to hunt. Most tribes and tribelets were peaceful meaning that the chief almost never had to worry about conflict.
Southwestern Native Americans
Navajo, Pueblo and Apache
Plateau Native americans
Nez Perce and Yakiman
Plateau Native Americans: Trade and economy
Plateau societies were based around trading between groups. Their ability to create material goods such as baskets and pottery sparked trade between local tribes as well as others. They were known by the Plain tries as well as the Northwest coast Indians for their quality goods and materials
California Native Americans
Pomo and Chumash
Southeastern Native Americans
Powhatan, Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw and Seminole
Great basin Native Americans
Shoshone, Paiute and Ute
Eastern Woodland: Environmental impact and usage
The Eastern Woodland peoples were semi nomadic, settling in multiple spots throughout the year often based along rivers and bodies of water. They took advantage of the massive wooded area they called home by using elm tree bark to create large house called "longhouses". These buildings could fit many families and were more permanent than their birch bark counterparts the "wigwam".
Northwest coast Indians: Environmental impact and usage
The Pacific Northwest is one, if not the most abundant place for resources in North America. With and almost constant water supply and large lush forests the area is able to provide enough resources for a myriad of different peoples and species. Northwest coast Native Americans took advantage of this through there large permanent villages and their advanced and efficient methods of fishing.
The Plains Indians: Trade and Economy
The Plains Indians were semi nomadic, meaning that moved between permanent settlements depending on the season. This allowed for trade between societies frequently as they often passed by one another. This trade revolved around the main crop of corn as well as the main meat source, buffalo. The most important item of trade however was the trade of horses. The plains indians traded between the Pueblo society of the southwestern culture as well as trading with Europeans.
The Plains Indians: Environmental impact and usage
The Plains Indians were semi nomads who rotated around their environment depending on the season. In spring they would often settle down in temporary villages constructed out teepees. During this time they planted corn and other agriculture as well as gathered food and other goods. Then during the summer they would become mobile, following the herds of buffalo and hunting them using their horses. They would return to their settlements in fall where they would harvest crops and store them as well as dry the buffalo meat for winter.
Southeastern Native Americans: Government
The Southeastern Native Americans were largely organized around ceremonial and market center of influences called "hamlets". These provided as places of spiritual worship and ceremonies as well as places of trade. The Southeastern peoples were largely influenced by Animism, the belief that all living things have a soul. Therefore the most important figure in their culture, both governmentally and spiritually were Shamans, people who were believed to be able to connect to the spirit realm.
Southwestern Native Americans: Environmental impact and usage
The Southwest is a dry and hostile climate, thus making it very hard to sustain life. This meant that most native Americans were forced to extreme lengths to find hospitable places to live. Many, if not all societies in this region mastered ways of transporting water from the mountains down toward the dry valleys where they resided. Natives created many different versions of houses, some were mud huts, while others were tall apartment-like buildings created out of adobe.
Plateau Native Americans: Government
The governmental systems of Plateau peoples varied. Some used a democracy with no central head and others used a totalitarian chief. Most groups however used a chiefdom surrounded by advisers and counselors. These counselors helped the chief to make decisions concerning the overall well being of the tribe. These counselors were often well respected members of the community man or woman.
Plateau Native Americans: Environmental impact and usage
The people of Plateau took advantage of their natural streams and rivers. Often building up small peaceful villages nearby. They especially loved to fish, creating nets and fishing techniques to catch large amount of salmon and trout. Longhouses were created roofed with tulle, a marsh plant and used for storing large populations of people.
The Plains Indians: Government
The people of plains Indians were organized into councils who elected a chief. The council was usually comprised of well respected and powerful local men who made decisions and voted on items that they thought would better then group. The chief was the larger representative for the tribe or community who would communicate with other leaders as well as assign jobs to member of the the council.
Northwest coast Indians: Trade and economy
Trade in the Northwest was fueled first and foremost by marine wildlife. Salmon, trout, shellfish, whales and other aquatic life was highly valuable. As well as fish Northwest Native Americans traded coastal beads with more inland societies such as the Plateau people and the people of the Great Basin
Native Californians: Gender roles
Women in Californian societies held most of the family power. Controlling what happened domestically as well as being responsible for gathering small food,such as fruit, beans and nuts for the family as well as even creating temporary creating shelter. Men were responsible for the hunting and fishing which was important because most groups were nomadic meaning they were highly mobile and tended not to farm.
The Plains Indians: Gender Roles
Women of the Plains Indians typically owned the home and most of the possessions found in the home. Women were responsible for household and domestic affairs such as tanning hides for the family, tending to crops, gathering foods and organic material as well as building the teepees. Like many other native societies, men were responsible for hunting and defending the group. They also participated in local government and politics.
Southeastern Native Americans: Gender Roles
Women were a vital part of southeastern culture as they were responsible for planting, weeding, harvesting and then preparing produce to be eaten. Men on the other hand took care of hunting, fishing and trading. As well as being responsible for the protection of the group from rival societies or outside forces.
Plateau Native Americans: Gender Roles
Women were for the most part the head of domestic affairs in Plateau societies, taking care of children and preparing meals. However women of the Plateau society were highly respected for their ability to create detailed baskets, decorative clothes and beadwork. Women even often began to form their own societies and groups to produce these goods. Women were even allowed to participate in politics in many cultures and many always placed a highly respected woman on the advisory council .
