Native American Culture

Native Americans seem to be lumped into one category when people speak about this culture, however, the truth is far from this. There are an extremely large number of Native American tribes that each have their own set of beliefs and cultural practices, some resembling each other and others that are extremely unique. Many tribes have cultural practices that stem from the area of the country in which they were located. For example, the tribes in the North East greatly varied from the tribes in the South West. While some characteristics remain similar, other characteristics differ drastically and are a direct result of the climate in which the tribe originated from. Here are examples of the different cultural practices and lifestyles of Native Americans originating from different sides of the United States.

One culture of Native Americans is the culture named the League of the Iroquois is 1570. This league was formed in the North East by five tribes. These tribes were the Mohawk, the Oneida, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, and the Seneca. This group was later expanded to include the Tuscarora tribe. These people tended to live in homes called longhouses that they shared with their extended family. These homes were built from small, bendy trees and tree bark.

Another culture of Native Americans are the Native Americans that lived in the South Western part of the country, in the plateau area. Some of the tribes that lived in this area include the Nez Perce, the Ute, and the Umatilla. The homes of these types of people were tepee like in shape, but instead of being covered in the traditional animal hides like the eastern tribes, they were covered in plates and reeds. Other traditional homes for people of the West were called Wickiups. These homes were long like longhouses and housed many families at once. These Wickiups were covered with grass mats and animal skins.

While Native Americans have shared some of the same struggles in the past centuries, it is important to remember that each tribe has its own culture and unique traditions that help shape their self identity.

Reference: www.indians.org
Writer: Sarah Joyce