Unit 1 Early Life, East and West

1. Unit 1 Early Life, East and West Chapter 2: Native Americans of North America

2. Lesson 3:The Southwest Desert • The Southwest Desert cultural region is mostly hot and arid. • Several different tribes settled in this region long ago, including the Hopi and the Zuni. • They developed a village way of life, based on farming. As a result, they later became known as Pueblo Indians. The people of other tribes in the region were not farmers. • They included the Apache, who were hunters, and the Navajo, who raised sheep. • Pueblo Indians are thought to be descended from the Anasazi, the "Old Ones" of the land around Four Corners. Like the Anasazi, the Pueblo developed irrigation to grow corn, beans, squash, and cotton. • The Pueblo also followed Anasazi housing customs. Their villages looked like today’s apartment buildings, rising several stories off the ground. • The Hopi placed their villages on top of high mesas. Such sites helped them defend themselves against enemies.

3. Lesson 3:The Southwest Desert = Continue • Hopi men governed their villages. But women owned all the property and passed it down to their daughters. • Men were the weavers of cloth and women were the weavers of baskets. In Hopi tradition, the groom’s father wove the wedding robe for his son’s bride. A woman from the bride’s family wove a special basket for the groom. • Rain—that is what tribes like the Hopi needed most to survive in their harsh, dry region. They believed that beings called kachinas could bring them this rain and other kinds of help. Hopi dance ceremonies honored the kachinas and sought their aid. A Zuni drying platform for maize and other foods, with two women crafting pottery beneath it. Hopi portraits

4. Lesson 3:The Southwest Desert = Continue • Today Hopi continue to live on their traditional lands. More than 7,000 Hopi live on a reservation in northeast Arizona. Their reservation is completely surrounded by the much larger Navajo reservation. There have been tensions between the two tribes over land ownership. • The Hopi continue to live in villages. One of them is Oraibi, built on a mesa. Founded in about 1050, it is probably the oldest town in the United States. Many Hopi still follow their ancient traditions and customs, such as the kachina dances and the snake dance. But they have adopted modern ways too. Some Hopi live in New Oraibi—a town built in the valley below the older Oraibi. Very old abandoned house and panoramic view from Oraibi village

5. Lesson 4:The Northwest Coast • The tribes of the Northwest Coast, including the Kwakiutl, the Tlingit, the Haida, and the Nootka. • The Northwest Coast cultural region had plentiful natural resources. Its forests contained many tall, sturdy cedar trees. These forests were also rich in game for hunting. The coastal waters and rivers were filled with fish and seals. The people of the Northwest Coast did not have to grow crops for food. They got all they needed from hunting and gathering. • A shaman was an important person in the Kwakiutl culture. A shaman was a person people came to when they were not feeling well. They believed that the shaman could cure them. Among the Kwakiutl, both men and women could become shamans.

6. Lesson 4:The Northwest Coast - Continue • Kwakiutl shamans sometimes performed dancing ceremonies. They wore carved masks. As they danced, they might change their appearance by opening or closing parts of the masks. Special effects often made the dances more exciting. Hidden performers made wooden birds swoop down on the audience. Or they made howling sounds that seemed to rise from the floor. At the end, the dancer might vanish in a puff of smoke! • Because food was plentiful, the Kwakiutl had plenty of time to create beautiful objects. Many of them—masks, rattles, serving dishes—were carved from wood and decorated with paint. The objects reflected the Kwakiutls’ respect for the spirits they felt around them. • Thanks to a mild coastal climate, the Kwakiutl could often wear light clothing. Kwakiutl women wove cedar bark into a fabric. Then they made it into skirts for themselves and long shirts for the men. The Kwakiutl also wore clothing made of buckskin, taken from the deer of the forests. In colder weather they put on animal furs. • The forests’ cedar trees supplied the Kwakiutl with sturdy housing. Logs provided the upright posts for a house and its roof beams. Planks cut from logs formed the walls and roof.

7. Lesson 4:The Northwest Coast - Continue • Three hundred years ago, the Kwakiutl numbered about 15,000. Today, only about 4,000 survive. The forests and the sea remain important in their lives. Most of the men work in logging, construction, or fishing. • The Kwakiutl keep many aspects of their traditional culture. They have also added new customs. Foods such as sugar, flour, potatoes, and tea have joined berries, game, and fish. Powerboats have often replaced their cedar canoes. Newer building methods have replaced traditional cedar houses. Both medical doctors and shamans serve the people. The Kwakiutl still give potlatches today.

8. Summarize the Lesson • People of the Southwest lived in villages and used irrigation to farm the land. • Kachina dolls were used to educate Hopi children about their customs and traditions. • Today about 7,000 Hopi live in Arizona. • Indians of the Northwest Coast met their needs from hunting and gathering. • Shamans were important people in Kwakiutl culture. • Today many Kwakiutl work in logging, construction, and fishing.