Native American Cultures in North America

Inuit, Kwakiutl, Nez Perce, Hopi, Pawnee, and Seminole

Inuit: Arctic Region

The Inuit's lived in the extreme arctic climate of Northwest Canada and Alaska. They traveled and fished along the ocean and the coast. They made spears and harpoons to hunt whales, seals and Caribou. Caribou was their main source of food.

Inuit: Housing
The Inuit people lived in igloos that were built out of ice and snow.

Inuit: Clothing
Inuit clothing was made mostly of Caribou skins and fur. They also used seal hides.

Alaskan Malamutes: originated from the Mahlemiut tribe of Inuit.

Inuit: Interesting Facts

Finger Masks: Women used these when they danced

Inuksuk: The Inuit built these to keep track of where they were. They were also a way to communicate. Sometimes they marked good places to fish.

Inuit Finger Masks

Kwakiutl: Pacific Northwest Region

Kwakiutl pronounced "kwah-kee-oo-tull Lived near the Pacific coast.; cold in the winter, warmer in the summer. Caught a surplus of salmon, which they dried and ate yearround. Surplus: what is left over after use; extra They also picked berries and roots Carved canoes out of Cedar trees

Kwakiutl: Housing
Built large homes from cedar trees with bark roofs. Decorated them with paint and carvings. They often had a few families from the same clan living in each house. Clan: a group of families that are related

Kwakiutl: Totem Poles

Totem Poles Large carved poles used to display the clan crest and social status of a family. The poles were carved directly out of cedar trees. Most totem poles had both animal and human forms carved into them.

Kwakiutl: Potlatch
A potlatch is a celebration where the host gives the guests gifts of food or possessions. There was singing, dancing and feasting. Only a wealthy chief could afford it. It would help share resources to areas in need.

Kwakiutl: Clothing
Some men wore a breech cloth. Women wore short skirts made of cedar bark. In colder weather, they wore knee-length tunics, long cloaks of shredded cedar bark, and moccasins on their feet. Men and women sometimes wore basketry hats .

Kwakiutl: Interesting Facts

The Kwakiutl were very good at carving wood. They made masks for decoration as well as for celebrations.

Nez Perce: Plateau Region

They lived on the plateaus and valleys between the Rocky Mountains and the Cascade Mountains. They traveled and fished along the many rivers. Migrated to hunt and gather during summer and fall. Ate berries, roots, salmon, deer, elk and buffalo.

Nez Perce: Housing

In the winter, they lived with several extended families in longhouses; an oval house covered with mats that could be over 100 feet long. As they migrated with the seasons, they brought tipis (teepees) to live in; a tall, coneshaped, buffalo-hide house.

Nez Perce: Clothing

Women wore long deerskin dresses that were often decorated with beadwork, shells, and painted designs.

The men wore breech cloths, leather leggings and buckskin shirts that were also decorated.
Both men and women wore moccasins.

Nez Perce leaders sometimes wore feather headdresses and the women would wear basketry hats.

Nez Perce: Interesting Facts

Before horses were introduced to the Nez Perce, they did most of their traveling by foot; or canoes carved from trees. They used dogs to pull sleds (travois) carrying water and other materials. Later, horses helped them travel further and they started hunting buffalo.

Hopi: Southwest Region

Lived in the low, flat desert and high plateaus of the dry, desert, Southwest; hot and dry climate. The Hopi are natives of northwestern Arizona and have been there for thousands of years The Hopi were expert farming people. They planted crops of corn (maize), beans, squash and cotton. Maize was their staple food. They used irrigation to bring water to their crops. Irrigation: channeling water in order to grow crops in dry land.

Hopi: Housing
Built large pueblo (town) homes with many rooms which were made out of adobe (clay and straw baked into hard bricks) and stone. They were often built into the side of a mesa (an elevated area of The Hopi people used ladders to reach the upstairs apartments. A Hopi pueblo can contain dozens of units and was often home to an entire extended clan.

land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs.)

Hopi: Clothing
Men wore breech cloths. Hopi women wore knee-length cotton dresses called mantas. Men and women both wore deerskin moccasins. Hopi men usually wore cloth headbands tied around their foreheads.. Unmarried Hopi women wore their hair in elaborate butterfly whorls while married women wore theirs in two long pigtails. The Hopis also painted their faces for special occasions. They used different patterns for war paint, religious ceremonies, and dances.

Hopi: Interesting Facts

The Hopi had ceremonies throughout the year. ( A special event where people gathered to express important beliefs.) They were the first to fire their pottery. Kachina dolls were made to represent figures from their mythology. The Hopi were excellent weavers.

Pawnee: Great Plains Region

The Pawnee Indians are original people of Nebraska and Kansas. Most Pawnee people now live in Oklahoma. They had a good amount of rainfall. It was warm in the summers and cold in the winter. They were farmers and grew corn, squash, and beans half of the year . During the other half of the year, they hunted buffalo

Pawnee: Housing
Most Pawnee Indians lived in settled villages in the river valleys. Their homes were round earthen lodges. They were made from wooden frames covered with packed earth, bark, and grass. When the Pawnee tribe went on hunting trips, they used buffalo-hide tipis (or teepees) as temporary shelter, similar to camping tents.

Pawnee: Clothing
Pawnee women wore deerskin skirts and poncho-like blouses. Pawnee men wore breech cloths and leather leggings. Men did not usually wear shirts, but warriors sometimes wore special buckskin war shirts. The Pawnees wore moccasins on their feet, and in cold weather, they wore long buffalo-hide robes. A Pawnee lady's dress or warrior's shirt was fringed and often decorated with beadwork and painted designs.

Pawnee: Interesting Facts

Pawnee men sometimes wore feather war bonnets. "Nawah" (pronounced nah-wah) is a friendly greeting. They used dogs to pull a travois (trav-oy). They made pottery and painted animal hides to
tell stories.

Seminoles: Southeast Region

Istonko (pronounced iss-tonekoh) means "hello" in Seminole Creek Lived in what is now know as Florida The Seminoles were farmers. Seminole women harvested crops of corn, beans, and squash. Seminole men did most of the hunting and fishing, catching game such as deer, wild turkeys, rabbits, turtles, and alligators.

Seminole: Housing

They built chickees ; houses made of wood poles

with thatched roofs made of palmetto fibers. Sometimes there were no walls. Later, they added platforms to avoid flooding.

Seminole: Clothing Wore light clothing made of grass and thin cloth Moccasins Breech cloths

Seminole: Interesting Facts

Seminole dolls were either carved from wood or made out of fibers from the palmetto tree. The porcupine hair roach is a head ornament worn by men. Patterns used in bead work and clothing had special meanings. The Creeks, Miccosukees, Hitchitis, and Oconees--joined together and became the Seminole nation.