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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.
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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.
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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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