Summary

SUMMARY
The Eastern Woodlands region covered the east coast of the United States, it stretched from the
Atlantic Ocean west to the Mississippi River. It also included parts of southern Canada.

TRIBES OF THE EASTERN WOODLANDS

While there were many tribes in the Eastern Woodlands region, the following are the tribes that
are the focus of this study:

Shawnee
The Shawnee Indians mainly lived in what is now Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. However, Shawnee
tribes were found as far north as New York and as far south as Georgia. Each Shawnee village had
a chief and tribal council that made decisions for the tribe. The chief was chosen based on his
bravery.

The Shawnee women were farmers and the men were hunters and fishers. The men hunted deer,
turkeys and buffalos with bows, arrows and spears. Fur trading was very important to the tribe,
so the furs were cleaned and traded. The Shawnee Native Americans still exist today in Oklahoma.

Cherokee
The Cherokee Indians were a powerful tribe. The Cherokee actually lived in cabins made of logs. The
Cherokee Indians had many small tribes, each lead by a chief. Also, the Cherokee were very
religious and spiritual.

During the American Revolution, the Cherokee actually took the Britishs side and fought against
the colonists. When the war was lost, some began to follow the European's lifestyle. Eventually, the
colonist found gold in the Cherokees land and they were forced to move from their land to present
day Oklahoma. This was called the Trail of Tears (see Trail of Tears Handout).

Iroquois
See Iroquois Nation Handout

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 Iroquois Nation
Iroquois Nation
The Iroquois Nation was actually a league of tribes that merged together to become stronger.
The original six tribes were: Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, Mohawk, Tuscarora and Oneida. The
French called them the Iroquois, but they called themselves Haudenosaunee.

The tribe had a representative government. Each original tribe had its own chief, who was
elected by the tribe. All of the chiefs made up the Iroquois Council, which was responsible for
making major decisions.

The Iroquois lived in longhouses. Longhouses were very long buildings built with wood frames
and covered with bark. They had a door at each end, but no windows. Holes were put in the
roof to allow the smoke from fires to escape. Many families lived in a single longhouse. The
inside of the longhouse was divided into many sections by hanging animal skins or bark.

The Iroquois women were farmers. Together they planted the three sisters, which were corn,
squash and beans, together. Also, the women took care of the home and children.

The men hunted wild game including deer, rabbit, turkey, bear and beaver. Some meat was
eaten fresh and some was dried and stored for later. Hunting animals was not only important
for meat, but for other parts of the animal as well. The Iroquois used the skin for making
clothing and blankets, the bones for tools and the tendons for sewing.

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 Trail of Tears Handout
Trail of Tears
In 1830, Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act to relocated Native
Americans from their homes to a current day Oklahoma. This exchange of land
location was not agreed upon by the Cherokee chiefs, but it was done anyway.

At first, many groups refused to move. Eventually, white men on horses came in and
looted their homes and forced them out with bayonets.

Cherokees were forced from their homes to Oklahoma, mostly because gold was found
in the area in which they lived. The Americans wanted the gold and wanted to farm
the land because it was fertile for cotton growing. Therefore, the Native Americans
were forced to give up any land east of the Mississippi.

The Cherokee people called this move the Trail of Tears because of how devastating
the relocation was emotionally and physically.

The Cherokee people did not have cars or even many horses, so they were forced to
travel thousands of miles by foot.

Whooping cough, typhus and starvation were prevalent during the trip. In addition,
some people were not well enough for the trip and died on the way to their new
homeland.

It is estimated that over 5,000 Native Americans died on this journey. The ones who
made it were forced to live on a small area of land without much compensation. The
survivors experienced emotional damage from the relocation.

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 Culture and Lifestyle
Culture
The many tribes in the Eastern Woodlands region are collectively called the Eastern Woodlands
Indians. While there were many tribes in the huge region, their culture and lifestyle allowed them
to be grouped together.

Languages
The woodland area was widespread; from New York to Southern Florida. In that wide area, there
were many tribes and languages.

Food Sources
Corn, squash and beans were the three sisters. They were important produce to the Eastland
Woodland tribes. Also, they had fish from nearby rivers and plenty of wild life to hunt in the
woodlands.

Clothing
The tribes from the Eastern Woodlands wore more modern looking clothing. The men wore pants,
shirts and a headbands with feathers. The women wore leggings with a wrap around skirt or a
dress. They also wore headbands with feathers.

Home Life
The Iroquois lived in longhouses, which were homes made of wood and covered with bark. Many
families lived in the longhouses. The Algonquin, and other tribes, lived in wigwams. Wigwams were
also known as birchbark houses. Wigwams are small houses, less than 10 feet tall. The frame was
made from wood and was covered with sheets of birchbark. The roofs of wigwams were curved.

The women in the Eastern Woodlands took care of the gardening, homes and children. The men
were hunters and fishermen. The Eastern Woodlands were home to thick forests, which made
hunting easier. They lived off of the produce and animal meat for survival. They also traded the
furs to support themselves.

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 Religion
Religion
The Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands believed that there was a
primary spirit that was responsible for creation. This spirit was called the Great
Spirit. They believed that the spiritual world and physical world interacted
constantly because the Great Spirit was in every living and non-living thing.

They believed that only Shamans or Medicine Men could communicate with the
Great Spirit on peoples behalf. Shamans were the most important spiritual leader
in the tribes because they could communicate with the Great Spirit and could
ward off bad spirits by performing rituals.

Ceremonies
The natives of the Eastern Woodlands had feasts and ceremonies to celebrate
special occasions throughout the year. They had celebrations for birth, puberty
and death. They also had ceremonies for the changing of the seasons.

Face painting was an important part of the

ceremonies and was used to express feelings.
Red paint represented life, black represented
death and purple represented royalty.

Ceremonies, or rituals, were also held to

ward off bad spirits or cure diseases. Wampums, beads made into belts or sashes,
were also an important part of celebrating.

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 MAP

Map Short Answer: What other tribes could the Native Americans from the Eastern
Woodlands come in contact with?

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 WEBSITES

For additional information, visit one of these websites:

http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/IroquoisVillage/constructiontwo.html

http://nativeamericans.mrdonn.org/longhouses.html

http://nativeamericans.mrdonn.org/wigwams.html

http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/shelter/wigwam/wigwampukaskwa.h

tml

http://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/native-american-indians/woodland-

indians.htm

Note: Only the above websites may be used.

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