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.