The Inuit of the Arctic

Location
Arctic and Subarctic Region; east and west coasts of Greenland
Food
seal, musk-ox, walrus, whales, and most commonly fsh
Social Organization
organized according to groups of people who hunted together, and on trading
partnerships between groups who had diferent goods to ofer
patrilineal bonds among people living along the Bering Sea
Shelter
iglus (igloos in English) domed snow houses
Transportation
in the winter, sleds were pulled by teams of doges
in the summer, people walked (sometimes with snowshoes)
Clothes
sealskin and caribou-skin articles of clothing
layered winter pants and parkas
air-trapping hair provides a warm, insulating barrier
no heavy clothing in summer
Contact with Others
sharing is the basis of their culture
they treat everything with equal respect, try to maintain a harmonious relationship
Ceremonial
after marriage, husband would spend at least a year with wifes relatives, so that
he could work alongside her father.
The Iroquois of the Eastern Woodlands
Location
around fertile country of the Great Lakes
Food
Agriculture of the nations came originally from other cultures
2500 years ago- Mayans in Mexico planted corn, beans, squash, pumpkins and
melons.
1000 years ago- Process moved north, tribes localized their crop.
1000 years ago- the Iroquois-language nations adapted the process of agriculture.
Eastern Woodland Farmers grew the three sisters: Corn, Bean and Squash
also ate were berries, wild tubers, barks and herbs, and sunfowers; tobacco was
also harvested, but for smoking
Social Organization
both matrilineal and matrilocal; women owned crop felds and responsible for the
tending and harvesting of crops
each village belonged to a certain tribe or clan, and a collection of villages made
up a Nation.
each village had a sachem, or chief who enforced laws and guided the village in
times of trouble.
more material goods someone could aford to give away, more their status rose.
Shelter
longhouses; long rectangular buildings made with wood frames and covered with
bark
homes for extended families, grouped by matriarchal lines females brought
their husbands and children to live with them in the longhouse
eldest women were the masters of the longhouse.
each family lived on fur and mat-covered platforms, fve to six feet wide, and 15
feet long.
Transportation
traveled mainly by foot (snowshoes) or canoe
Clothes
clothing was made from fur and hides, along with cornhusks and plant and tree
fber.
everyday footwear, made from one piece of tanned and smoked hide seamed
together at the heel and toe, with the top folded down to produce a cuf
Contact with Others

Ceremonial
six annual ceremonies, four relating to the corn crops, each lasted several days.
The Peoples of the Plains
Location
interior plains / prairie area
Food
bison and deer
pemmican cakes (sort of trail mix): ground-up bison meat that has been dried,
lard, and dried berries
Social Organization
basic unit: ffty to a hundred people needed to operate an efcient bison drive
Shelter
tipi (tepee in Englihs): a portable conical tent made of birch support poles and
stitched bison hide
Transportation
originally, the Plains people traveled everywhere on foot (wore snowshoes in
winter).
sleds were pulled by dogs, and helped with transporting in the winter.
started to ride horsed in the 1700s
Clothes
tunics, leggings, skirts, breechcloths, and moccasins made from deer skins
Contact with Others
there were no boundaries, such as the one that now exists between Canada and
the United States. But each tribe recognized the traditional hunting areas of other
tribes.
Ceremonial
the Sun Dance or the Thirsting Dance, was an event in which most members
of a nation assembled prior the the bison hunt.
a lodge would be built for the sponsor (male or female) as he or she would fast
central cottonwood pole had decorations, such as bison skulls and other ritual
objects, and rafters on the top would be supported by smaller poles on the
circumference, forming an umbrella shape
people who had made vows would dance in the lodge, and they couldnt eat or
rest
dancer would gaze at the top of the pole while following the rhythm of chants at a
still location
The Peoples of the Plateau
Location
interior plateau of British Columbia
Food
salmon, deer, and some bison
plants, berries and edible roots such as wild onion, wild lily bulbs, and balsam
root
Social Organization
communal and generally free of classes (unlike the Northwest Coast people).
hunting and fshing grounds generally belonged to the whole village, although
there were exceptions to this rule.
usually one main village or family Chief who had inherited the role from their
father.
picked for diferent roles, such as hunting or warfare, because of their personal
abilities and knowledge. For example, they had a Salmon Chief, who was responsible
for the fshing in the village.
in some areas (Ktunaxa society) they also had a council of Elders who gave
advice when it came to important community issues, as they had more life experience.
Shelter
lived in one of three shelters, depending on the season: a pit house, a tipi, or a
tule-mat lodge
a pit house, used in the winter months, was a shelter built mostly below ground
with an entrance and ladder at the top
Transportation
people built wooden dugout canoes called 'sturgeon-nosed' or 'ram-shaped'
canoes for traveling
Clothes
salmon skin moccasin for poor, and deer hide moccasins for wealthy
used tanned hides, grasses, and softened bark
most common animal hides used for clothing were muskrat, beaver, and deerskin
men wore leggings, and women wore skirts or dresses made from hide or
grasses
Contact with Others
traded with the Count Salish extensively, most commonly shells and soapstone
Ktunaya adopted the Sun Dance from the plains region
Ceremonial
ceremonies involved a lot of music and dancing which were both used to
summon up religious powers; mainly singing and chanting
The Peoples of the Northwest Coast
Location
Oregon coast up to the Alaskan coast
Food
plenty of food available to them, so they never needed to develop a system of
agriculture to sustain their people.
learned to exploit the natural waterways in the area; became very skilled
fshermen.
Pacifc salmon, whales, clams, oysters, mollusks, crab, shellfsh, oils, deer, elk,
mountain goat, and deer
Social Organization
The Northwest Coast people never developed a democracy. Instead, their society
was ruled by wealth. The wealthiest clan had the most power.
Northwest Coast groups were divided into basic social units: extended families
with a common ancestor. In these family groups, the oldest and highest ranking
individual (closest link to the common ancestor) was named the Chief of the family.
Then within each family, a person's rank was determined by their relationship with the
Chief.
villages had chiefs and nobles who had the right to high-ranking family names,
and who controlled access to resource sites commoners and slaves did not.
One thing that set the Northwest Coast people apart from other First Peoples
groups was their recognized ownership of land and property. Families claimed sites for
fshing and gathering, and owned land. The amount of property that a family owned
further contributed to their amassed wealth.
private property included house sites, salmon fshing grounds, berry patches, and
important stands (trees covering an area) of cedar
Shelter
they were able to live sedentary lives in permanent settlements.
they lived in longhouses or 'Big houses' constructed out of cedar planks, and
housed several families.
Transportation
since they relied so heavily on the Pacifc Ocean, and lakes and rivers for their
survival, they needed to build strong canoes that they could use for traveling.
canoes were used to travel to events, like potlatches, to fsh, and in warfare.
Clothes
the people of the Northwest Coast wore very little clothing, except when it was
cold.
in the warmer months, men would often go naked, and women would only wear
bark skirts.
the women made most of the clothing out of softened cedar wood or bark, animal
leather, and wool.
bark capes and spruce hats as protection against the rain.
Contact with Others

Ceremonial
'potlatch' was the name given to most Northwest Coast celebrations, meaning 'to
give', and usually were a way in which families could show of their wealth to others.
a potlatch was a big celebration that often took more than a year to plan. The
ceremony usually corresponded with a person's change in social status, for example,
marriage, birth, death, and coming of age. It included a feast, singing and costumed
dancers, and some potlatches lasted as long as two to three weeks.
totem poles were large carved poles used to display the clan crest and social
status of a family.
Vocabulary Words
to domesticate to adapt a plant or animal for human use
shamanism the belief that everything in the world has a spirit and that certain special
people can communication with the spirit world
ethnography an organized way of describing the characteristics of a culture
to domesticate to adapt a plant or animal for human use
matrilocal when a man and a woman marry, they go to live with the womans
extended family
patrilocal when a woman and a man marry, they go to live with the mans extended
family
patriarchal status and power is controlled by men
patrilineal descent from generation to generation is reckoned through the male line
only
matrilineal descent from generation to generation is reckoned through the female line
only
bilateral descent from generation to generation is reckoned through both the male
and female lines
insulating a warming barrier through which energy (heat) cannot escape