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Cultural diversity, or multiculturalism, is based on the idea that cultural identities should not be discarded or ignored, but rather maintained and valued. The foundation of this belief is that every culture and race has made a substantial contribution to American history.

The people who were the first to live in America are called First Americans.

They are also called Native Americans or American Indians.

First Americans lived in many places in the United States. These places are

called “regions”.

Three regions that we will study are the Eastern Woodland, Plains,

and the Southwest.

Eastern WoodlandPlains

Southwest

To meet their basic life needs, First Americans were very wise. They

used the natural resources of their region.

These are examples of natural resources:

Can you be as wise as a First American?

Trees and plants Animals Land and water

Answer each question carefully and correctly.

Are you ready?

Test your thinking skills.

To become a wise chief, you must earn 3 feathers.

The

Native Americans

of the

Eastern Woodlands

1. The Eastern Woodland Indians lived in forests, near rivers and streams.

What would they use to build their houses?

Seashells Trees

Please try again!

Their houses were made of wood and tree bark.

2. Sometimes, many people lived in a house, so it had to be big.

What is the name of this kind of house?

long house

large house

As many as six families lived in a long house. It could be 200 feet long!

Please try again!

3. To get their food from the rivers and streams, the Eastern Woodland

Indians

fished swam

The Eastern Woodland Indians were very good fishermen.

Please try again!

4. The forests had many animals that were food for the Eastern

Woodland Indians.

Someone who captures animals for food is called a

horseman hunter

Please try again!

They hunted many animals, including bear, deer and rabbits.

5. The Eastern Woodland Indians ate vegetables with their meat and fish.

Someone who grows vegetables is called a

farmer forester

The Eastern Woodland Indians grew many vegetables, especially the “3 Sisters”—

corn, beans, and squash

Please try again!

6. You’ve learned that the Eastern Woodland Indians lived near rivers and streams. To get from place

to place, they probably

paddled canoes and drove cars

paddled canoes and walked

Please try again!

Please try again!

They made canoes from tree trunks.

You have answered all the questions about the

Eastern Woodland Indians correctly!

Congratulations!

You have earned your first feather!

Click to continue

Cherokee(Carolinas, Alabama, Virginia, Kentucky,

Tennessee, Georgia)

Iroquois(What is now New York State and across the border of Canada)

Language Tsalagi Tsalagi

Beliefs Spirits and performed ceremonies to ask spirits

to help them in battle, health, and hunting.

They believed in a great spirit who was the leader

of all things.

CustomsStick ball games (Anejodi)

similar to lacrosse; traveled by horses

Travel by foot or by boat; Stick ball games

ArtPainted baskets,

decorated pots, wood carvings, carved pipes,

and bead work

Mask carving, beadwork, porcupine quill work

LiteratureOral telling of traditions, and tribal stories by the

campfire

Wampun belts and the pictures would tell a story about the family.

The

Native Americans

of the

Plains Region

1. The Plains are flat, grassy areas. First Americans who lived in the

Plains region moved often to follow

buffalo deer

Please try again!

The buffalo, also called bison, has a very large head. It eats

grass and drinks water. An adult buffalo can weigh as much as

2,000 pounds!

2. The Indians lived in homes that could be moved quickly.

These homes were called

tents teepees

Please try again!

Women usually put up the teepee. It was made with buffalo hides and decorated with

paint.

3. The Plains Indians hunted the buffalo for food and clothing. To capture the buffalo,

the Plains Indians had to know how to

ride a horse

paddle a canoe

The Plains Indians were very good horsemen. They killed only enough buffalo that they

needed for food. They did not waste any part of the animal.

Please try again!

4. There were many tribes that lived on the Plains. To protect themselves from other tribes, the men learned how to fight with bows and arrows. These men were called

Warriors Wrestlers

The more feathers a warriors wore, the greater a warrior he was.

Sometimes, a great warrior was given a buffalo helmet to wear,

also.

Please try again!

5. The Plains Indians did not settle in one place for a long time. Tribes that move are

called

nomadic

settled

The Plains Indians carried their belongings on a travois (say “trah-voy”). It was made of 2 teepee poles attached

to the harness of a horse or dog.

It looked like this.

Please try again!

You have earned your second feather! You are on your way to becoming a wise

chief.

You have answered all the questions about the

Plains Indians correctly!

Click to continue

Sioux(Wisconsin, Minnesota, Montana, North and

South Dakota, Whole Midwest)

Language Lakota/Dakota

Beliefs There was a great spirit who was the most powerful of all things and beings. Plants

had spirits of their own. Medicine Man who was the leader of the ceremonies.

Customs Traveled by canoes and dogsleds

Art Bead work, quill work, and buffalo hide paintings

Literature Oral tells around the campfire

The

Native Americans

of the

Southwest

1. The Southwest Indians lived in the dry, hot region of North America. There weren’t

many forests. They built their homes of

Wood Mud and straw

Please try again!

This mixture of mud and straw is called adobe. The Indians made the walls of their

homes very thick. This would keep the houses cool.

2. The Southwest Native Americans built their homes with two or three

stories or levels. To get to each level, they would use

Stairs Ladders

Please try again!

The ladders could easily be pulled up and stored inside each room.

3. Even though there wasn’t much rain, the Southwest Indians learned to irrigate their

land.

Irrigate means to

Scratch with a shovel

Bring water to crops

Please try again!

The Southwest Indians made trenches that brought water from rivers and streams for their crops.

4. The Indians of the Southwest were farmers. Corn was an

important crop.

The Indian name for corn is

Mustard Maize

Please try again!

Did you know that there are more than 500 ways to use

corn?

5. The Southwest Native Americans also raised sheep. The wool from the sheep was

used for

Weaving clothing and rugs

Making houses

They dyed the wool using berries and plants.

Please try again!

Excellent, my friend! You have earned your third feather.

Your wise answers have made you a chief!

Click to begin again

Pueblo(Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Nevada)

Language Pueblo

Beliefs Kiva was a underground room where rituals and ceremonies would take place;

Kachina dolls (represented the spirits)

Customs Cradleboard carrying (like a baby carrier you see today); Traveled by foot

ArtPottery (We still collect this today),

Navajos Jewelry (Turquoise), colorful weavings, and stone carvings

Literature Oral tells by the campfire