In this lesson, students will analyze primary source images of Native Americans interacting with the environment. The images show different aspects of how Native Americans dressed, hunted, and lived. Show
Historical BackgroundThe kinds of food the Native Americans ate, the clothing they wore, and the shelters they had depended upon the seasons. Their foods changed with the seasons. In winter, they hunted birds and animals and lived on stored foods from the previous fall. In spring, they hunted, fished and picked berries. In summer, they grew crops (beans, corn, and squash). In fall, they harvested crops and hunted for foods to preserve and keep for the winter. The Native Americans used natural resources in every aspect of their lives. They used animal skins (deerskin) as clothing. Shelter was made from the material around them (saplings, leaves, small branches, animal fur). Native peoples of the past farmed, hunted, and fished. They used natural resources such as rock, twine, bark, and oyster shell to farm, hunt, and fish. Hunting/Fishing/Farming: The Powhatan Indians were primarily farmers planting fields that averaged one hundred acres in size. The women were responsible for working the fields and did so using various tools made from such materials as deer antlers. They grew corn, squash, pumpkins, beans and sunflowers. They also gathered wild foods from the land around them such as nuts, berries and roots. The women were responsible for making meals of these foods. Corn (maize) was the staple crop, and from it women produced such foods as corn cakes and hominy. Homes: Clothing: Lesson ObjectiveVS.2e The student will demonstrate knowledge of the physical geography and native peoples, past and present, of Virginia by describing how American Indians related to the climate and their environment to secure food, clothing, and shelter. Materials
Procedure
AssessmentThe students will create a word/picture splash in order to display what they have learned about the Native American use of natural resources. Their rubric will be based on the design, spelling, # of pictures, and # of new vocabulary terms used in their project. References“A Powhatan Man Ready to Hunt.” Image. From The National Park Service: Historic Jamestowne. http://nps.gov/jame/historyculture/the-powhatan-indian-world.htm (accessed November 4, 2011). De Bry, Theodor. “Their Manner of Making Boats.” Engraving. In “Powhatan Indian Period Images,” Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. http://historyisfun.org/Powhatan-Indian-World.htm (accessed November 4, 2011). “Bow and Arrow.” Image. Alabama Archaeology: Prehistoric Alabama. http://bama.ua.edu/~alaarch/prehistoricalabama/woodland.htm (accessed November 4, 2011). “Powhatan Indian Village.” Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. http://historyisfun.org/Powhatan-Village.htm (accessed November 8, 2011). Image ID: 2245.257. Photograph. Indian Peoples of the Northern Great Plains – Online Image Database. http://www.lib.montana.edu/digital/nadb/ (accessed November 9, 2011). How did the environment influence the cultures of American Indians?The Indians food was decided by the environment that they lived in. Most of the food that the Indians ate was hunted, so that means that the main part of their diet was the animals that lived around them in the same environment as them.
How did the American Indians adapt to their environment?They used animal skins (deerskin) as clothing. Shelter was made from the material around them (saplings, leaves, small branches, animal fur). Native peoples of the past farmed, hunted, and fished. They used natural resources such as rock, twine, bark, and oyster shell to farm, hunt, and fish.
What was the relationship between Native American societies and their environments?Native American societies developed around their natural environments, using the resources that were available to them. For example, the Southwest, Plains and Great Basin were quite dry. A lot of desert. And so societies in these regions adapted to the dry climate in several ways.
How did the tribes of northern and western North America adapt to their environments?The Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest adapted to their environment by making things out of wood. They depended on the fish, wildlife, and plants instead of farming.
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