North Carolina’s Natives

1. North Carolina’s Natives

2. How do Historians study North Carolina’s native people? • Historians use artifacts, European records, and Oral traditions to uncover the past. • Artifact: Things that have been left behind (arrowheads, paintings) • Oral Traditions: Stories and legends passed down through generations. • European records: Explorers kept records of what they found upon discovering Native Americans.

3. Which Native American groups lived in North Carolina? • Algonquians: Lived along the coast of North Carolina • Tursarora Indians: Lived further Inland (Maybe in Richlands!) • Catawba and other Siouan groups: Lived in the Piedmont Region. • Cherokee Indians: Lived further west in the Mountain Region.

4. When did the Natives come to live in North Carolina? • Historians believe that Native Americans first came to N.C. during an early ice age (B.C. era). • Others believe they came before the ice age by boat from other continents.

5. What was life like for Native Americans? • They lived in small towns based on family ties. • Their lives revolved around the seasons: Men hunted in the winter while women gathered nuts and berries. In spring, Natives living near the coast would go to the beach to eat fish.

6. How did the natives view land use? • Native Americans did not view land as “property.” • They believed land belonged to whoever was using it at the time. Villages shared land and produced food for everyone living there.

7. Who were the “leaders” in Native American communities? • The Chief was usually in charge of several towns. • Chiefs received gifts or “Tributes” from Natives living in his town. • Deer skins, corn, etc.

8. What was the Chief’s job? • The Chiefs were political and spiritual leaders. • They would decide on major decisions such as food/material rationing, while also leading spiritual gatherings.

9. Your Assignment • 1. Write your summary! • 2. Draw a sketch of what you imagine a Native American village may have looked like.