The people who lived in the central and southern regions hunted and followed the herds of animals. They hunted with spears and later with bows and arrows. Buffalo and Elk became their main sources of food for the Indian nations who lived on the Great Plains.
The Woodland people are noted for their use of cultivated plants. The Indians grew corn, beans, squash, sunflowers, tobacco, marsh elder, goosefoot, and other crops to supplement their diet of wild game and plants.The animals' hides were used for clothing and shelter, and their bones served as tools. During the Woodland period, people used bows and arrows, made a variety of styles of pottery, and traded with other Indians across the Midwest.
Adaptation is a human response to changes in the environments in which they live. Aboriginal society has never been static but it has been essentially non-materialist and extremely conservative of the environment.
Aboriginals, have been robbed of their integrity and viability by implying that they are not as advanced as that of the colonising power. more...
While maize (corn) was heavily relied upon, squash, beans, and some plants now considered as weeds, such as amaranth (pigweed) and chenopodium (goosefoot), were also important dietary items. The two main sources of meat include bison and deer, with elk, many varieties of birds and fish, and sometimes even dogs, also being eaten. Evidence suggests that some villages were abandoned for seasonal bison hunts which may have taken place once or twice a year. more...
American Indian life centered around the seasons and the natural world. While there are differences among the tribes and clans, traditional American Indian value and belief systems were and still are based on a uniquely Indian way of life. It's all an intertwined way of life and way of looking at the world and can only be taught by example and some examination of it." Simply put, American Indian tradition is alive in Indian people. It is not codified in a set body of knowledge that can be learned from a book.
American Indians pass down the traditional ways. They learn and grow from each other through everyday practice and oral tradition. It is a way of life that is not explained, but that is lived. Everything in living is a lesson." For this reason, the traditional ways of life have a dynamic quality. This is one of the reasons many elders do not want their interviews taped for it does not allow for an interactive learning process, a living learning process, between people. Learning about American Indian life starts before the child is born. Learning about the traditional ways began in the womb of the mother. She took care of herself in a spiritual way. She participated in spiritual ceremonies that have to do with pregnant women. The ceremonies are for the women and the unborn child. So, I began participating in Ojibwe spiritual nurturing before I came into the world. When I was in the womb, my father sang to me at certain times of the day or when he desired. These songs were to help the child grow and be healthy. The man is supposed to treat the pregnant woman well. He sees that she eats strong food and he doesn't yell at her or say anything that could scare the baby. Then, when the baby is born it has an easy time. Children are raised and learn these things as they go along in life." More...