native+americans

Native American tribes lived in Pennsylvania and New York at the time of the arrival of white European settlers. The powerful Iroquois nation of tribes was located in New York rather than Pennsylvania, but they were spreading into northern Pennsylvania. In the Susquehanna, Easton, and Appalachian areas. The Algonquian Tribes (Delaware, Shawnee, Nanticoke) and Iroquois Tribes (Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca) lived in clans, or small villages. Each clan was represented by an animal. They believed the animals were ancestors and protectors of the clan. The council of men was appointed for each clan. The women were the ones who chose the members of the council. If they made a wrong choice, they could remove the ones they chose from power. Several clans made up a tribe of Native Americans. For the Algonquians, the tribe had a chief and several council members. The chief was the battle leader, hunting leader, and settled disagreements. The Iroquois had different political policies. Five feuding tribes formed a group of tribes to keep from fighting each other. The women would choose the chiefs of each tribe and they sat on a tribal council. The council was meant to keep the tribes together and keep the peace between them all. Typically, one person was chosen as the head chief of the council. The head chief had to have the agreement of the other chiefs before making any big decisions. The Native Americans ruled themselves simply. They had no judges or written rules. They also didn’t have a written language. They lived by the simple rule of right and wrong. The punishment was usually “and eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” For example, if you stole from someone you would pay by giving away some of your possessions. And if you murdered someone a member of that person’s family killed you. The Algonquian tribes built their homes differently than the Iroquois tribes did. The Algonquian tribes built small houses called wigwams for each family. They built these out of young trees. There are three styles of frames a rounded dome, a conical shape (called a tipi) and a rectangular shape. Algonquian’s build separate sweathouses, too. It was like their own health spa in their homes. The Iroquois build houses called longhouses. A dozen families might share a single 20x100 foot longhouse. A typical longhouse usually held the parents, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and their kids of one family. When a man and woman got married, the man moved into the woman’s home. He could not depend on being helped by his children; he had to go back to his mother’s clan. The Native Americans had no organized currency or money system. Trading and bartering were the main ways to get the things that you needed. The wampum belt is made from shells and other ornaments. It was originally used by the Iroquois as a way of recording historical events. Later it became a way for trading for ornaments and decorations. Also it was symbolizing a peace treaty. A black wampum belt it meant war or big trouble. Men were the hunters and warriors within the tribe. The women and children skinned the animals, prepared and cooked the meals, tended to the crops, and did all the other work. Children were taught to respect their elders and to appreciate their lives. Deerskin was the main choice of clothing fabric. Once skinned, the deer pelt was brushed until the hair rotted off. The pelt was tanned into buckskin. This was used to make shirts, leggings, loincloths, skirts, and moccasins. Robes and blankets were made out of bear, beaver, and raccoon fur. Since Native American women worked a lot, they saved their best clothes for special occasions. Also, they only had one set of work clothes. Women prized long hair and took very good care of their hair. It rarely became gray and they never dyed it. Men cared more about their hair than women did. Everyday, they would cover their hair in bear fat to make it glossy and sometimes they added soot to make it blacker. As a rule, the Native Americans worshiped nature and believed in the “Great Spirit.” Although the Algonquians had to kill animals, their religion revolved around nature and animals. They thought the spirits of animals were very powerful. They also believed that if they treated dead animal bones with respect, the animal would not be angry. For example, fish bones were thrown back into the water and the skulls of animals were hung in lodges and were used for prayer. Religion was very important to Algonquians. The Iroquois, however, recognized a lot of powerful spirits whom they could contact through dreams. They also acknowledge the forces of good and evil. They spoke of the Master of Life. They believe that the Master of Life created the world. They also believed that the Master of Life’s brother tried to destroy the plans of his brother. When they traveled, the canoe was the most efficient way to travel. The Algonquians built a superior lightweight birch bark canoe. The Iroquois constructed canoes out of heavy elm bark. In Pennsylvania, Native Americans traveled more by land than by water. They were excellent trail makers. When possible, they chose paths that were made on high grounds or ridges. When they had to cross a body of water they always looked for the best place to ford. To ford is to find the shallowest place to cross. They had different paths for everything they did. Since most of their trails were so well planned, they didn’t have to change them much when they got automobiles. They also didn’t have signs or trail markers on their roads. They didn’t become lost often, but when they did their rule was “if lost, check the moss.” Moss is located on the north side of the tree. These were the two major tribes in Southern New York and Northern Pennsylvania at the time. The tribes started in New York but slowly moved to Northern Pennsylvania. These tribes were similar in some ways, but also very different in ways such as their beliefs, houses, government, and transportation. But both tribes had a chief leader and a council who made decisions for the tribe. And in both tribes the women chose the members for the council. So women had a voice in the government of their tribe. Native Americans originally lived in the areas where we live today.