Q CCBOR MU I Nie Oder cicy rs).Using Internet links There are lots of exciting places on the Internet where you can find out about the first North ‘Americans. This book contains descriptions of websites that you can visit by clicking on links on the Usborne Quicklinks Website. Just go to www.usborne-quicklinks.com and enter the keywords “starting North Americans”. Here are some of the things you can do on the sites described in this book: + Read an animated North American legend. + Tour a cyber exhibition of amazing masks. + Print out and make your own totem pole. Safety on the Internet Here are a few simple rules to help keep you safe while you are online: + Ask your parent's or guardian’s permission before you connect to the Internet. + Never give out information about yourself, such as your real name, address or phone number. + Never arrange to meet someone you started talking to on the Internet. + Ifa site asks you to log in or register by typing your name or email address, ask permission from an adult first. + If you receive an email from someone you don't know, tell an adult. Don't reply to it. (COMPUTER NOT ESSENTIAL If you don't have access to the Internet, don't worry. This book is a complete, superb, self-contained reference book on its own. Site availability The links in Usborne Quicklinks are regularly reviewed and updated, but occasionally yi get a message that a site is unavailable. This might be temporary, so try again later, or even the next day. Websites do occasionally close down and when this happens, we will replace them with new links in Usborne Quicklinks. Sometimes we add extra links too, if we think they are useful. So when you visit Usborne ‘Quicklinks, the links may be slightly different from those described in your book. What you need Most of the websites listed in this book can be accessed using a standard home computer and a Web browser (the software that lets you look at information from the Internet). Some sites need extra programs (plug-ins) to play sound or show videos or animations. If you go to a site and do not have the necessary plug-in, a message will ‘come up on the screen. There is usually a button ‘on the site that you can click on to download the plug-in. Alternatively, go to Usborne ‘Quicklinks and click on Net Help. There, you can find links to download plug-ins. Note for parents and guardians The websites described in this book are regularly reviewed and the links in Usborne ‘Quicklinks are updated. However, the content of a website may change at any time and Usborne Publishing is not responsible for the content on any website other than its own.We recommend that children are supervised while on the Internet, that they do not use Internet Chat Rooms, and that you use Internet filtering software to block unsuitable material. Please ensure that your children read and follow the safety guidelines printed on the left. For more information, see the Net Help area on the Usborne Quicklinks Website ae Ey am. “Gs Seams EGWHO WERE THE FIRST NORTH AMERICANS? Phillippa Wingate & Struan Reid Ilustrated by David Cuzik Designed by Vicki Groombridge History consultant: Michael Johnson Cover design: Russell Punter Research assistant: Henry Brook CONTENTS 2 Who were the first north 20 Did they believe in God? Americans? 22 Did they have an army? 4. What did they look like? 24 Who were the first European 6 Did they build towns? Visitors? 8 What were their houses like? 26 Who were the first European 10 How big was a tribe? settlers? 12 Did they all speak the same 28 Did the Europeans stay? language? 30 What happened to the Native 14 What did they hunt? North Americans? 16 Where did they buy things? 31. In search of the Thunderbird 18 What did they do for fun? 32 IndexWho were the first North Americans? People we now call the Native North Americans. They lived in what has become the United States of America and Canada. This was thousands of years before anybody arrived from Europe. But they hadn’t always lived there. Sie nop shoe the areas of North = peti oe ‘America in which Straits, ading towar people settled. North America, Awad Totem in this blue area ==» are named the Northwest Coast Where did they come from? A part of the world named Asia. Some What are these? of the people who lived there walked These things probably across to America. belonged to some of the first people from Asia to cross Didn’t they have to cross an ocean? ¥ into America. Can No. At that time Asia and America were you guess what they joined by a bridge of land and ice. Later, nets Osad for? this bridge of land disappeared under a stretch of water now named the Bering These points have been sharpened. Straits. After that, people had to cross to North America in boats. orecoskeing Why did they go to America? seo ces Probably to look for food. They may have animaitene, been looking for new hunting grounds, - and followed herds of animals over the bridge of land. When people got there they loved it, because there was nobody else hunting the same animals.Internet ink for olink toa website where you con browse 0 _mop showing remains lft bythe first North Americans over ~ 10,000 years ogo, g0 to www.usborne-quicklinks.com What animals did they hunt? Mainly mammoths and mastodons. These were huge animals, much bigger than elephants. These men are kailing a: mammoth with spears. i | I The people kno : Inuit stayed in How long ago did they arrive in North America? Probably more than 15,000 years ago, at a time when large areas of the Earth's The people who Ine in surface was covered in tere ree known stow and ice. Tanti Did they stay in the north? settled in this No. People went off in different peor directions. Some moved south to the ‘re named : Feiner areas now named Florida and Mexico. : Some went to the great forests in the east. Others made their homes on the grassy plains in the middle of North America. Only a few people stayed in the north and northwest. 3 Tribes that settled in this oronge area are known as Pueblos. ___4JWhat did they look like? Many of them had straight, dark hair and Did they grow beards? dark eyes. But there were lots of tribes Well the women didn’t! Inuit men grew and not all of them looked the same. peared to heap aheny-warm, ue Plains The shade of their skins varied from Indians rarely had them. They plucked out light brown to very dark brown. any hair that grew on their bodies. Ouch! Did they have different hairstyles? Yes. Long braids decorated with animal fur or feathers were popular. But some tribes in the east shaved their heads, leaving only a tuft of hair in the middle. This man is wearing a headdress with buffalo horns. This Inuit baby is keeping warm. This man’s shirt is decorated with porcupine quills. This man from the Woodland Mahican tribe has shaved the sides of his head. This Navajo hunteris if wearing This Plains Indion leather ieeorghg her boots. baby on a wooden cradleboard. These leather wearing a dress tribes had special made from the patterns on their skin of an elk, ‘moccasins. What did they wear? That depended on where shirts, loin cloths and belts they lived. The Inuit, who made of leather. lived in cold areas, wore For special occasions, coats called parkas made of they painted patterns on seal skins. Plains Indians their clothes and decorated People from Pueblo tes wore and Woodland tribes wore them with porcupine quills, 4 clothes made of cotton or wool long dresses, leggings, beads and tufts of horsehair.Internet fink: fora link to 0 website where you can browse ‘an online gallery of Native American clothes, go to www.usborne-quicklinks.com How did they make clothes out of leather? They stretched out animal skins on the ground and scraped off any flesh or fur. ‘Then they rubbed the skins with paste Horsehair made from animals’ livers and brains. e = This made them soft and stopped them from rotting. For special clothes, women chewed pieces of leather to make them really soft. SNM) this shirt hos been decorated with beads and dyes. This woman is scraping clean the skin ofan elk This woman is sewing alent uh Sh What ornaments did they wear? Sp eres Plenty of different kinds. Both men and Wooden stakes women wore ornaments to look beautiful a and to show how important they were. The skin s ‘Abone Earrings and bracelets made of shells, a little smelly aoe “ necklace quills and beads were very popular. Some ja, hunters wore necklaces made from the teeth or claws of animals they had killed. ‘Shells Did you know? Inuit wore sunglasses. Well, almost. They made wooden eye shades to keep out the glare of the sun. Two different types of eye shades D A bear claw necklace wenn eo like these in their noses.Did they build towns? Yes. Some of the first major towns in North America were built by the people who lived in the eastern woodlands. They settled down there about 3000 years ago. What were these towns like? They had large flat-topped mounds built out of earth in the middle of them. These were surrounded by lots of houses and fields where crops were grown. a me The biggest of these settlements weaving was a city called Cahokia. It had ‘over one hundred earth mounds. This picture shows what one of the first towns would have looked lke. These men are ‘A farmer's busy weeding house eS Fields of maize ayak What was on top of the mounds? Lots of different important buildings. There were temples, where religious ceremonies took place, and houses, where chiefs and religious leaders lived. 6 here, away from ‘mice and rats. These men are complaining ‘about the hot This dog wants the bird for his The chiefs being, carried by his This man has: hurt his leg and is begging for food. This man is carrying a very,Internet fink: fora lnk to 0 website where you can see photos ofthe Cahokia ‘mounds as they look today, go to www.usborne-quicklinks.com A religious ceremony is taking place in the temple on top of this mound. fe Abode ome Wl How do we know about the towns? Because you can still see the mounds of earth today. Archeologists have uncovered tombs inside some of them. They found people buried with F necklaces, bracelets and pipes. This helped them learn more about what people used to wear. \ All these objects were found in the tombs. A Who was in charge? A chief. The Natchez tribe named their chief “the Great Sun”. He was very a powerful and was carried around the city AAA. by his servants. When he died, his wife 2” Kidise cit vay'so and servants were killed and buried con see inside. with him. They must have been i y worried when he felt ill! | d) aA What is this? 0 ee It’s a mound of earth “ | 7B) called the Serpent Mound. A Dog. Food Horse Tepee Buffalo ‘the truth Could they read and write? No. But some tribes used a kind of picture writing to record great battles and successful hunting expeditions. They drew this picture writing on animal skins. The symbols below are picture writing. This tepee with This picture This picture two arrows tells appears ina shows a chief of a vilage story ofaman wearing a where everyone who stole 30 _feather and was killed. spotted ponies. holding a pipe. ‘What were smoke signals? People used the smoke from fires to send warnings over long distances. They made patterns in the smoke by covering the fire with a blanket and then removing it. They could also send messages by flashing shiny pieces of metal in the sunlight. By arranging sticks and stones in patterns on the ground, hunters. on the move could leave messages for anyone following them. These people are following a hunting party. They are guided by signals that have been left for them. This dog is ‘coger to get going. This woman thinks that This shows she knows the direction the wy. the hunters have taken.Internet ink: foro ink to © website where you can find ‘out more about canoes and kayaks and how they were ‘mode, go to www.usborne-quicklinks.com How did they get around? \ Mostly on foot. They only had horses after A ove people brought them from Europe. The _Pilled by Native North Americans soon became great riders. The Sioux called horses “shunka wakan”, which means “sacred dogs”. Some tribes used horses and dogs to pull a type of sled called a “travois”, These were made from two tepee poles tied together. These Inuit have put . their heavy packs on Did they have wagons? No. Wagons have wheels { and the Native North This dog wishes Americans never invented thathe had wheels. Most tribes carried ‘ snow shoes. things in packs on their Apair of | backs. In the far north, the ‘snow shoes ‘Asmat chid wih big gow | Init used sleds pulled by Aer ey be : “Speer to cross the snow. sinking into the snow. ~ What about ships? They didn’t have anything as big as a ship. But they did have canoes. They made them out of wood and bark and decorated them with carvings or pictures of animals. really say “How”? : Sort of. Some Plains }| Indians greeted people SSI. with the words "Hau = Wi] kolt” which means “Hello friend”. The Europeans who went to North ‘America may have this to “Hau”. It’s this man’s __ turn to pull the canoe ashore, These canoes are made of animal skins and have been painted,What did they hunt? That depended on where they lived. The tribes who lived on the Great Plains mostly hunted buffalo (also called bison). The hunters had to make special preparations before going on a buffalo hunt. What did they do? They performed a Buffalo Dance. Some dancers put on large animal masks, while others pretended to try to kill them. It was their way of asking _ for good luck ona hunting trip. They use spears to kill the buffalo. This man is famous for being a fast runner ‘and a good shot. The buffalo are faling over the cliff It's a / long way down! How did they kill the buffalo? With spears or bows and arrows. The hunters followed the buffalo, creeping up on them disguised as wolves. Sometimes hunters drove whole herds over clifftops so that the animals were killed by the fal. Internet nk: fr 0 ink o 0 website to see diferent things Note Amercans made fom a bul go to www.usborme-quieklinks.com_ Was all the meat eaten at once? . Most of it, but some had to This man would be saved for winter. Women 4, father be hunting. cut the meat into strips and Ae hung it up in the sun to dry, or smoked it over a fire. The Sometimes they mixed it ese men are. >O duttng up the With dried fruit to make a This man is lazy. dead buffalo. tasty food called “pemmican”. L What did other tribes hunt? "Fis man is collecting dead buffalo. Woodland tribes hunted to an animal drinking from a A lacy tout moose, deer, beavers and lake or stream and spear it. his harpoon bears. If he was quiet Inuits in the north hunted enough, a hunter could —_seals and whales and caught “4 paddle his canoe right up __fish through holes in the ice. A hungry iB, hunter ‘An unlucky seal "nee ame What else did they eat? Tribes who settled in one Hunting tribes, that moved place grew crops suchas. __ from one place to another, pumpkins and artichokes. also picked wild plants, like Most important was turnips, onions, cherries, Indian corn and maize. plums, berries and herbs. Did you know? Before European settlers brought metal pots to America, the Sioux tribe cooked their stews in buffalo stomachs. Rosehips Berries ey alle A buffalo - si A gourd A prickly pearWhere did they buy things? Not from shops or stores. They didn’t have any. People would travel from miles around to buy and sell things at a regular meeting place. Some Woodland tribes had a kind of shell money called “wampum”. But most tribes swapped their goods for things that they wanted. Did they trade with white people? Yes. When Europeans came to North America (see page 26), many tribes traded with them. The Europeans brought guns, knives, cloth and blankets, which they swapped in return for furs. These Native North Americans have come to see what the Ss French traders are selling. they make things to trade? Yes. Lots of different things. Baskets decorated with shells and feathers were made from brightly dyed grasses. They used flattened porcupine quills and glass beads from the white traders, to sew ) This hairstyle is onto clothes and bags. Many Pueblo wom by many Ee tribes made beautiful clay pots which they Pueblo women, To keep out enemies, _ : ere are no doors on painted with red, yellow and black dyes. the round foc, A selection of clay pots and leather bags This bird carved from This bog, made for carrying made by Native North Americans wood is used for hunting. —_ food, is decorated with porcupine quillspots in the sun, they decorated them. Finally, the pots were baked in a fire to make them hard. These Pueblo pots are painted with bold patterns. How did they make pots? They coiled around thin rolls of clay and then smoothed out the bumpy sides. After drying the Internet ink: fora link toa website where you can click ‘on a totem pole and find out wat the carvings mean, {0 to wwwcusborne-quicklinks.com The side ofthis house has been This isa raven totem, cut away s0 you can see inside. carved on the top of. the totem pole. This man thinks that he’s waving to his brother. This carving shows a ‘monster, called the clam. ft was said to live underwater and sucked nail the canoes passing over it. This is an eagle totem. Many tribes tell of ‘man who fed eogles. In return, they helped him This is an ow totem. There isa folk tale of ‘a. woman who was tured into an ow! as « punishment for her selfishness. This beaver totem is holding o stick in its font paws dA man taking a nap, in ‘and gnawing it. the hot afternoon sun What were totem poles? Tall wooden poles with carvings of animals and birds. Each creature, called a totem, by tribes on the northwest A coast. The poles usually stood outside houses, telling the history of the family inside. ‘A wolf totem is carved at the bottom of this pole. when he was in trouble.What did they do for fun? The same kinds of things we still do today, such as playing sports and games, singing, dancing and telling stories. Life was hard, but the Native North Americans always found time to enjoy themselves. This isa ball game called lacrosse. Sometimes hundreds of people joined in. 5% is sure his team will win, These players disagree on the rules. This man has forgotten itis a game, What kind of sports did they play? All sorts, including horse racing, archery contests and ball games. Woodland tribes played a game now known as “lacrosse”. Using sticks with baskets attached to them, the players hurled a ball, made from the skin of a deer, through high goal posts. enjoying the game. Did they gamble? Yes. They placed bets on almost anything. They gambled on the outcome of horse races, team games and even spear throwing ‘competitions. These men are hitting each other, This man is not not the bal taking a rest. What games did children play? Mostly games that taught them how to hunt and fight. Boys learned to ride ‘on wooden horses. In Se winter, children made toboggans and went for rides in the snow. These ducks are carved from walrus tusks. This hoop game helps the boys learn to throw spears.Did they have story books? Not books, but people loved to tell stories. It was an important way of passing on information about a tribe’s children to respect animals and nature. Why is this ‘man going the wrong way? Goal posts \ |. This man is doing the Eagle Dance. He runs in. What about dancing? They loved it. Many religious ceremonies included dances. Pueblo tribes danced with rattles tied to their legs. The Plain Indians did dances to worship spirits. 4. Finally, the dancer falls down like a dying eagle = history and customs. Many stories taught 2. He circles around and a Did you know? Did they like music? Yes, but they didn’t have CDs and cassettes. They made their own music, beating out rhythms on drums or shaking rattles. Some rattles were made from the dried shells of fruit, filled with pebbles or seeds. Others were made from tortoise shells. Some tribes played flutes and whistles made of wood Instead of fighting, two angry Inuit would insult each other in songs. It was up to their audience to judge which of them was rudest. The rudest one was the winner. This man is so insulting, A blush