4.2 - Native American Groups and the Environment

From EngageNY

NATIVE AMERICAN GROUPS AND THE ENVIRONMENT: Native American groups, chiefly the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) and Algonquian-speaking groups, inhabited the region that became New York. Native American Indians interacted with the environment and developed unique cultures.

4.2a
Geographic factors often influenced locations of early settlements. People made use of the resources and the lands around them to meet their basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter.
  • Students will examine the locations of early Native American groups in relation to geographic features, noting how certain physical features are more likely to support settlement and larger populations.
  • Students will investigate how Native Americans such as the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) and the Algonquian-speaking peoples adapted to and modified their environment to meet their needs and wants.
4.2b Native American groups developed specific patterns of organization and governance to manage their societies.
  • Students will compare and contrast the patterns of organization and governance of Native American groups such as the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) and Lenape, including matrilineal clan structure, decision-making processes, and record keeping with a focus on local Native American groups.
4.2c Each Native American group developed a unique way of life with a shared set of customs, beliefs, and values.
  • Students will examine Native American traditions; job specialization the roles of men, women, and children in their society; transportation systems; and technology.
  • Students will examine contributions of Native Americans evident today.

Supporting Materials

Book

...If You Lived With the Iroquois

This book describes what life was like for the Iroquois hundreds of years ago. By putting the reader in the empathetic position of posing the information as questions, the reader is drawn into the subject matter in a realistic and exciting way. The reader discovers the rich culture of the...

Web Resource

History of Wyoming County, NY with Illustrations, Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Some Pioneers and Prominent Residents (1880)

Book digitized by Google and uploaded to the Internet Archive by user benuski.

Also found at:
http://books.google.com/books?id=...

DVD

Iroquois

A fascinating study of North American Indians accurately portraying their history, culture and way of life today. Leading Native American scholars discuss the specific histories of each of the North American peoples and challenge many still-prevalent myths and stereotypes. Each program focuses...

Book

Iroquois Crafts

Before the intrusion of the White Man, the people of the five tribes or nations (later, six) which comprised the League of the Iroquois controlled much of the lands in the vicinity of Lake Ontario. Sometime in the sixteenth century, the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas founded a...

Book

People of the Longhouse

Describes every aspect of the Iroquoian way of life, as well as the impact of contact with Europeans. We have 2 copies of this inside the Native American: Iroquois curriculum kit.

DVD

People of the Woodlands: The First Americans

Through live-action video and reenactments your students will explore the history, culture, and legacy of the first People of the Woodlands, including the Iroquois, Cherokee, and Chippewa. Learn how these people adapted to the woodland environment using all its natural resources. Learn about the...

ebook

The First Peoples of New York

Traveling back to the time before European explorers colonized New York, many Native American tribes roamed the forests and rivers of this resource-rich land. Tribes within the Iroquois League and Algonquian-speaking groups each had their own cultures and ways of living off the land—and each had...

Book

The Iroquois

Describes the history, social structure, and customs of the People of the Longhouse.

Book

The Iroquois

An informative study of the Iroquois nation covering their history, religion, customs, festivals, daily life, how they hunted, and the tools and weapons they used.

Book

The Iroquois

Their history, beliefs, way of life, and situation today.

Pages

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