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Heath Social Studies
Exploring America's Heritage

Chapter 1, Lessons 1, 2, 3

Haida Tribe:

Located: Pacific Northwest Coast of America, modern day Queen Charlotte Islands of Canada
Climate: Regular rains, mild temperatures.
Environment: Woodlands. Coniferous and deciduous trees (Douglas Fir, Green Spruce, Maple, Oak, and Cedar). Cedar was most prized.
Animal life: Bear, Caribou, and small animals on the island. Deer, elk, and Mountain goats found on mainland nearby.
Aquatic life: five kinds of salmon, halibut, cod, herring, smelt, and whales.
Housing: Plank style homes made from cedar trees. Large trunks marked the four corners, as well as the door post.
Fishing and Hunting: Boats made from cedar trees hollowed out (some 70 ft long). Team work to trap whales. Lead boat would harpoon whale. Line would have seal skin air bags attached - designed to slow the whale down. Extremely dangerous hunting.
Culture: Haida were very creative - decorated everything from houses to boats with pictures. Most noted work was the totem pole - each told a story of the family's real or imaginary deeds.

Iroquois Tribe:

Located: Woodlands of Eastern North America in modern day New York.
Climate: Moderate climate - warm summers and cold winters. Above average rain fall.
Environment: Woodlands with fresh water lakes and streams nearby. Birch tree most prized.
Animal Life: Large and small animals - deer, rabbits, and turkeys.
Aquatic Life: Freshwater fish, shellfish, and water birds.
Housing: Early Iroquois lived in wigwams made of branches and bark. Later they built much larger homes - Longhouses. Made using a pole frame and covering with slabs of Elm and Birch bark. Twelve families could reside in one longhouse. Villages consisted of many longhouses surrounded by a high wooden fence.
Fishing, Hunting, and Farming: Fish were an important resource. Fished using canoes covered in Elm or Birch bark. Deer were hunted on foot. Deer were used for food and clothing needs. Women tended the gardening of corn, squash, beans, and sunflowers.
Culture: Formed the Iroquois League of Nations to stop bickering and warfare.

Anasazi Tribe:

Located: Southwestern US in modern day Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.
Climate: Arid, hot summers and cold winters. Very little water.
Environment: Desert with canyons and plateaus. Little vegetation - cactus and bushes
Animal Life: Small animals, lizards, snakes.
Aquatic Life: None
Housing: Made of clay and stones. Walls were thick to insulate. Buildings were built like apartment houses - several stories tall with many rooms to house up to 1,000 people. Later homes were built into the sides of cliffs.
Farming: Used dry farming - process of planting at the base of a hill, used stones to cover the hill side, and during storms, the rain ran off the stones and down into the crops. Also used small ditches to collect runoff.
Culture: Ceremonies were performed for rain and good crops. Took place in an underground room called a kiva.

Pawnee Tribe:

Located: Great Plains region of US, stretching from modern day Canada to Mexico.
Climate: Moderate temperatures scarce periods of rain.
Environment: Plains with tall grass and few trees.
Animal Life: Small animals, wolves (coyote), and the buffalo. Buffalo was most prized resource.
Aquatic Life: None
Housing: Spring and Fall tribe lived in lodges built of earth and leaves. In the Summer and Winter they lived in the portable teepee made of poles and buffalo hide. Homes portable to follow food source. Teepees were transported on the A-framed travois.
Hunting and Farming: Primarily hunted the Buffalo. Hunters would dress in wolf skin (as the buffalo didn't fear wolves), sneak among the herd, and use lances and stone heads to surprise the buffalo. Other hunting methods included using a collapsing circle or herding the buffalo off of cliffs or into pits. The entire buffalo was put to use - skins and hide used for clothing, sinew and muscle for thread, stomach for bowls, and horns for utensils. Farming consisted of beans, squash, corn, and sunflowers.
Culture: True migratory tribe.

Bibliography:

Exploring America's Heritage. Heath Social Studies: Teacher's Edition. D.C. Heath and Company, Washington D.C., 1991.