The Eastern Woodland Cultural Region

M. W. Davis

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Location

• The Eastern Woodlands region covered the east coast of what is today the United States.
• It stretched from the Mississippi River area all the way to the Atlantic Coast.

Eastern Woodland Cultural Region

The Iroquois

• Made up of five tribes
• Seneca
• Cayuga
• Onondaga
• Oneida
• Mohawk
• The Iroquois lived in the Eastern Woodlands Cultural Region

Eastern Woodlands�Physical Environment

• Thick forests
• Used the woodlands for food and clothing
• Many carved tree wood into bowls, tools, and utensils
• Some made bark or grass baskets for gathering and storage
• Cleared part of the woodlands to make room for fields of crops
• Made birch wood canoes

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Eastern Woodlands�Everyday Life

• Way of life: hunting and farming
• Hunted animals that were plentiful in the area
• Fished in lakes, rivers, and streams
• Grew crops
• Used the woodlands for food and clothing
• Traveled by canoes
• They used snowshoes during the winter

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Cold Winters

• Winters with snow
• Sometimes they could not find food
• Hard to stay warm

Hunting Food

• Deer was the most important animal to the Woodland Indians.
• Deer were used for clothing, moccasins, and food.
• The antlers were used for arrowheads and the hooves were used for glue.
• The Woodland Indians also hunted rabbits, bear, squirrel, beaver, and wild turkeys.

Bear

Rabbit

Squirrel

Beaver

Deer

Bear

Wild Turkey

Hunting Food

• They also fished from rivers and streams throughout the region using hooks, spears, and nets.
• Tribes along the coastal Atlantic waters also dug for shellfish such as oysters and clams.

Farming Food

• The Northeastern Woodland Indians were expert farmers and farming was the main focus of their lives.
• They planted corn, beans, and squash which they called the "Three Sisters".
• They also gathered seeds, berries, and nuts.
• They dried berries, corn, fish, meat and squash for the winter.

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Slash and Burn Farming Method

• Some Eastern Woodland tribes used the method of slash-and-burn to farm. To clear new fields they would kill or burn trees and plant crops among the remaining trunks and stumps.

After harvesting their crops they would leave the field and clear another spot for the next year’s crops

Slash and Burn Farming Method

Longhouses

• All the Eastern Woodland tribes were stationary tribes.
• Some Eastern Woodland tribes lived in homes called "longhouses“
• The longhouses were rectangular in shape, used saplings (baby trees), and branches for the frames.
• The branches were then woven together using the bark from the trees.
• It was not uncommon to see 20 different families living in one longhouse.

Like most longhouses used by the Eastern Woodland Indians, they contained shelves that could be used for storing food, equipment, and tools. While it was common for the Indians to sleep on the floor, some homes had platforms or racks that could be used as beds or chairs. The Indians in these homes slept on platforms lined with deerskin on each wall. In the center of this longhouse was an area to build a fire which was used for keeping warm in the winter or for cooking during rainy weather.

A View Inside a Typical Longhouse

Shared fires were located down the middle of the longhouses for cooking and warmth. Holes were cut in the roofs to let the smoke escape.

Many Different types of Longhouses

• Not all Eastern Woodland Indians built longhouses. Some built wigwams.
• A wigwam was a round building with a round top.
• It was made from tree logs, covered again with bark.
• Extended families - kids, parents, and grandparents - all lived together in one wigwam.

Wigwams

Many Different types of Wigwams

Eastern Woodlands Indian’s Clothing

• The Eastern Woodland Indians wore animal skins.
• They skinned deer and used the hide to make clothing.

The Eastern Woodland Indian’s Tools

• The Eastern Woodland Indians used bow and arrows to hunt. They sharpened arrowheads to make them sharp to kill their prey.

The Eastern Woodland Indians Baskets

• The Eastern Indians made baskets from wood bark.
• They used them to carry water and hold food.

Eastern Woodland Indian’s Pottery

• The Eastern Woodland Indians made pottery out of clay.
• They used the pottery to hold water and food.

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The Eastern Woodland Indians Culture

• The Eastern Woodland Indians had a unique way of life.
• They had ceremonial dances and songs if their hunting day was a success.

The Eastern Woodlands had feasts and ceremonies to celebrate special occasions throughout the year.

'Wampum' were important parts of religious ceremonies. They were made of small beads made from shells. The beads were stringed together to make strings, belts and sashes.

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They also made 'Dreamcatchers', which were decorated nets. They would hang these above their beds to catch the bad dreams and let the good ones pass through.

Ceremonies and Art

Wampum

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Wampum Beads

Wampum belt