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. .These Indians lived east of the Plains Indians. These Indians, like the Indians of the other cultures, depended on the natural resources around them for all of their basic needs. Because these Indians lived in the forests, they were called the Eastern Woodland Indians. Their food, shelter, clothing, weapons, and tools came from the forests around them. They lived in villages near a lake or stream. The Woodland Indians lived in wigwams and longhouses.
Important Woodland tribes were the Iroquois, Cherokee, and Mound Builders. The Iroquois Indians lived in the Northeastern part of the Woodland Culture where today lies New York. The Iroquois Indians lived in wigwams and longhouses. Wigwams were made by bending young trees to form the round shape of the home. Over this shape pieces of tree bark were overlapped to protect the Indians from bad weather. A small hole from the top allowed smoke from the fires to escape. Beds were covered with animal skin. Longhouses were long rectangular homes. Longhouses were made by building a frame from young trees. They were then covered with bark sewn together. There was a long hallway with rooms on both sides. There were sleeping platforms covered with deerskin along each wall. There were also shelves for storing baskets and pots. Several families related to each other lived in the long house. The Iroquois built log walls all around their villages. The wall had only one opening. They could quickly close this opening if their enemies came near. They found their food by hunting, fishing, and gathering berries, fruits, and nuts. They also cleared the land and planted large fields of corn, beans, and squash, which Native Americans called "The Three Sisters". They used bows and arrows to hunt. They would sometimes wear the skin of a deer over their body to tiptoe the deer. The Iroquois also used traps for small animals. Canoes were used to fish in the lakes and streams nearby. The Cherokee lived where now Tennessee and Georgia are. Like the Iroquois, the Cherokee depended on their natural resources for survival.
They lived in about 200 quite large villages. A normal Cherokee town had about 30 - 60 houses and a large meeting building. Their houses looked like upside down baskets. Later, log cabins with bark roofs were used for homes. The Cheokee villages also had fences around them to prevent enemies from entering.
The Cherokee were considered one of the most "civilized" Indian tribes of North America. They had their own government, laws, courts, and schools. A Cherokee Indian named Sequoyah invented a written language called "Talking Leaves". It had 86 characters. Within a few years all of the Cherokees could read and write it. Mound builders were Indians who built large mounds, or hills, on earth. There were two types of mounds, flat-topped and conical. Flat-topped mounds were flat on the top and were used as the base for temples or chief's homes. Conical mounds were rounded on the top like a steep hill. These mounds are believed to be where the Mound Builders buried important people. The largest of the Mississippian Mounds was found in Illinois. It had about 40,000 people. There were over 100 mounds. Some were conical to bury their dead. Some were platform mounds for homes of the chiefs. The Mound Builders were farmers. They planted corn, squash, beans, and other seed plants. They also hunted for nuts, berries, and small animals. The Mississippian Mound Builders are believed to have died from diseases brought to this country by the white man.
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