NATIVE AMERICAN HOMES
Anne J. FranceseOur Lady of Good Counsel School
Second Grade2009-2010
Native American tribes had different types of homes in regions throughout the United States. The type of home used depended on the natural resources available, the climate, and the way that they lived.
Eastern Woodland Indians (Iroquois)
• Agricultural people• Used trees from
forests to make permanent homes
• Lived in longhouses with several families or entire clan
Southern Woodland (Seminoles)
• Lived in swampy areas
• Homes built on stilts• Stilts kept homes dry
and offered protection from wild animals
• Homes had no walls
Plains Indians ( Sioux)
• Nomadic people• Hunted buffalo for
food, clothing, hides• Lived in teepees
made of buffalo hides• Homes were easily
moved
Southwest Indians (Hopi)
• Made pottery to store food and to trade or sell
• Dry, hot climate; not good for farming
• Lived in Pueblo villages made of clay and straw
• Permanent homes, called adobes
• One family per house
Northwest Coastal Indians
• Fished for food• Huge trees provided
wood for building homes similar to homes of today
• Permanent Plank houses were made of cedar wood
• Totem poles described history of tribe
Inuit (Eskimos of Northern Canada)
• Whalers• Few trees, frozen
earth, deep snow• Snow houses called
igloos
Today most American Indians live in modern houses and
apartments.