por Shahra Mohamed Jiffry hace 3 días
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Native peoples across North America developed dyes to add color to their clothing. The dyes were made from natural materials, such as the roots, flowers, bark, and fruit of various plants. Communities discovered which plants in their area were useful as dyes. For example, the Anishinabe (Ojibway) people used larkspur flowers for a light blue color, and blueberries for dark blue. The Potawatomi people made yellow, red, and brown dyes from the bark of oak and alder trees. The Iroquois used cranberry juice as a red dye.
Moccasins protected people’s feet and provided warmth. The thickest parts of the skin from animals such as moose and bison were used. In some places, moccasins were lined with rabbit fur for added warmth. An extra layer of skin could be sewn to the bottom of moccasins to prevent sharp objects on the ground from.
In northern areas along the west coast of North America, people made clothing from cedar bark. This bark could be split into thin strips or long, flexible strings. Strips were sewn together, and strings woven, to make fabric for clothing, including shirts, pants, and capes
Some Native peoples created decoys to help bring animals close to where hunters were waiting. In Cree communities, people made life-size geese from branches of the tamarack tree. These decoys were placed on shorelines where flocks of geese flying overhead would see them. The geese would think the decoys were real and would land on the water nearby.
In other Native communities, duck decoys were carved out of cedar and floated on a lake.
Today, hunters still use decoys to hunt geese, ducks, and other animals.
Native peoples of the Eastern Woodlands developed special methods for hunting moose. In one method, hunters used old moose antlers to rake through bushes in a forest. When moose came to investigate the sound, hunters killed them. Another method was for hunters to imitate the call of a female moose, which attracted male moose. To make the female moose call louder, hunters developed the moose caller. This was a cone made of birch bark, and the hunter used it like a megaphone to make the call loud enough for distant male moose to hear.
A bow and arrow allowed hunters to kill or disable an animal from a distance. Various kinds of wood were used, depending on what was available in the area. Some communities wrapped the bow with strips of animal skin or sinew. This made the bow stronger, so the arrow would fly farther and faster. At the tip of the wooden arrow was a sharp blade made from stone, metal, or bone. Feathers helped the arrow fly straight.
In places where birch and maple trees grew, people harvested the sap from these trees to make a tasty syrup. In the spring, hollow bird bones or willow sticks were pounded into the tree. The sap ran out through the hollow part and was collected in birchbark baskets or buckets. The sap was then poured into a log that had been dug out to form a large container. Next, heated rocks were placed in the sap. This caused water in the sap to evaporate, and the sap turned into a thick, sweet syrup. Today, maple syrup is still a popular treat on foods such as pancakes and waffles.
Wild rice grew in the shallow bays of lakes and rivers in some northeastern areas. In the fall, rice was gathered by teams of two people in a canoe. One person paddled the canoe, while the other used two short sticks to knock the rice off the plant and into the bottom of the canoe. First, the rice was cooked in a clay pot. Next, men would dance on the rice to loosen the hard outer shell. Women then placed the rice on a blanket and tossed the rice into the air. The wind blew away the outer shells, and the part that was good to eat fell back onto the blanket. Wild rice could be stored for long periods, and it was also used to trade for other goods.
Today, harvesting wild rice is still important to Native communities around the Great Lakes. Motorized boats make the process faster
Native peoples in northern areas of North America developed a dried food called pemmican. It was made from meat that had been pounded and shredded, and then mixed with animal fat. Fruits or berries were added for flavor. To keep pemmican from going bad, it was smoked or dried in the sun. Because it lasted a long time, pemmican was useful as a winter food, and as a food source on long journeys.
To keep teeth clean, some Native groups rubbed the root of a plant called gold thread on their teeth. Gold thread could also be used to make a mouthwash. This mouthwash was useful for treating mouth sores and mouth pain in babies who were teething. ❤
Native peoples all over North America used plants to treat many health problems. Different parts of a plant might be used to make a tea. Sometimes a plant was ground up and mixed with water to make a paste. The paste was then put on a wound or sore muscle. Here are just a few examples of herbal remedies from various Native groups:
Pine tree (needles) / sore throats, coughs
Strawberry (leaves/roots) / fever, diarrhea, mouth and gum problems
Chokecherry / (leaves, bark, roots) colds, bronchitis, indigestion
The Zuni people of the Southwest found a way to treat headaches. They made tea from a fungus called smut, which grows on plants. Today, scientists have discovered why this treatment works. The tea shrinks swollen blood vessels in the brain, which can cause a headache. Plants were sometimes dried and ground into a powder to use as medicine.
Flexible wooden poles were bent and tied together to create a rounded roof. The frame was covered with bark from cedar or elm trees. Horizontal poles running along the outside made the walls strong. A longhouse was usually about 8 m (26 ft.) wide. The length depended on how many families would live inside. A series of hearths (places for fires) ran down the middle of the longhouse. Each hearth was shared by two families.
A wickiup could quickly be built from materials found near the campsite. First, the branches were bent and tied together to form a dome shape. Then the smaller branches were weaved horizontally through the upright branches to make the frame stronger. The frame was often covered by reeds or grass. This home provided shade from the hot sun and allowed breezes to pass through the walls.
The outer covering of a wigwam was made from animal skins or tree bark with spruce or willow saplings. For the winter, extra layers of covers were added for shelter. In the center of the roof of a wigwam there was a hole covered by a flap of tree bark. The flap could be moved to expose the hole so it can let in fresh air and grant smoke to escape from fire
Iroquois communities developed a traditional sport called snowsnake. A snowsnake was a long, smooth piece of wood, similar to a spear but with one end carved to look like a snake’s head. The object of the sport was to throw the snowsnake with great force along a very long trough. The trough was made by using a log to press down snow on a frozen lake. The winner was the person whose snowsnake slid the farthest. Today, snowsnake is still a popular event at festivals with traditional Native games. The best competitors can make their snowsnake travel as far as 2.4 km (1.5 miles)!
Some Native groups played a sport that was similar to hockey. People used curved sticks or their feet to hit a ball made of wood or deerskin. The object was to score by getting the ball into the other team’s goal. The game was played on the ground or on ice. Usually only women played, but sometimes women and men played together. Some people believe that our modern sport of hockey was developed from this Native sport.
Various Native groups developed different versions of a game that was played with a hoop and a pole. One person would send a hoop rolling across the ground. Another person would try to throw a pole, or sometimes a spear, through the moving hoop. This game helped people develop skills they needed to hunt with a spear.
Walking through deep snow can be slow and difficult. Native peoples developed snowshoes to make it easier to travel on foot during winter. A snowshoe frame was made from curved strips of wood, such as cedar, with straight pieces running across to make it stronger. Thin strips of animal gut or hide were woven into a web that was attached to the wooden frame.
Snowshoes, which are still used today, made it possible to walk on top of snow without sinking in. Native peoples developed different types of snowshoes. On a long journey, a traveler might bring different types of snowshoes for use in different kinds of snow.
The bull boat was used by the Mandan people, who lived in present-day North and South Dakota. This boat had a circular frame made of willow saplings that were tied together using sinew. Buffalo skin was tightly stretched over the frame to create a waterproof covering. This light and portable boat was often used by Native traders and could carry very heavy loads
Native peoples living in northern areas along the west coast made canoes from large cedar and sequoia trees. A section of tree trunk was hollowed out by burning the wood and also cutting it with axes and chisels. These canoes were designed for use on the ocean.
Dugout canoes were often decorated with paintings and carvings. Carved animal figures showed which clan the owner belonged to.
