Native American Nations and Regions
Native nations lived in every part of North America, and the land shaped their homes, food, clothing, and art. Use the map to find the six culture regions, then choose a nation to explore. Each page has an "at a glance" card, a picture study, a word match, and a quiz.
Eastern Woodlands
Forests from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River, and from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
Cherokee
Mountain farmers who built council houses, created a written language, and survived the Trail of Tears.
Explore
Haudenosaunee (Iroquois)
People of the Longhouse, united by the Great Law of Peace and led by Clan Mothers' choices.
Explore
Algonquian and Great Lakes
Wampanoag, Powhatan, Lenape, Ojibwe, Cree, and other nations who built wigwams and birchbark canoes.
ExplorePlains
Grasslands from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, and from Canada to Texas.
Plains Nations
Lakota, Cheyenne, Crow, Comanche, Mandan, and others who lived in tipis and earth lodges and depended on bison.
ExploreSouthwest
Deserts, mesas, and canyons from Utah and Colorado through Arizona and New Mexico into Texas, California, and northern Mexico.
Pueblo Peoples
Hopi, Zuni, Acoma, Taos, and other Pueblos, living in adobe towns for a thousand years.
Explore
Navajo (Diné)
Weavers, silversmiths, and shepherds of the largest reservation in the United States.
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Northwest Coast
The rainy Pacific coast from southern Alaska to northern California.
Northwest Coast
Tlingit, Haida, Makah, Chinook, and others: salmon, cedar plank houses, potlatches, and crest poles.
ExploreArctic
Treeless tundra and sea ice across Alaska, northern Canada, and Greenland.
California and Great Basin
California's coast and valleys, and the desert basin between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains.
California and Great Basin
Pomo, Yurok, Chumash, Paiute, Shoshone, and Ute: acorns, pine nuts, and world-famous baskets.
ExploreArt and Trade
Compare the art of many nations, and see how materials traveled across the continent.
Native American Art and Trade
Beadwork, baskets, pottery, weaving, and carving, and the trade routes that carried shells, turquoise, and beads.
ExploreNative American Chart
Use this chart to begin your research for the lapbook organizers. Click a name to read more. On a phone, slide the chart sideways to see every column.
| Nation or Group | Region | Traditional Homes | Food | Clothing | Art |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee | Eastern Woodlands (Southeast) | wattle-and-daub houses of woven saplings and clay; later log cabins | corn, beans, squash; deer | deerskin; turkey-feather capes | rivercane baskets; stamped pottery |
| Algonquian and Great Lakes | Eastern Woodlands (Northeast) | wigwams of bent saplings covered with bark or mats | corn, beans, squash; deer; wild rice; maple sugar; shellfish | deerskin; fur robes; floral beadwork | birchbark containers; quillwork; wampum |
| Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) | Eastern Woodlands (Northeast) | longhouses of poles covered with elm bark | the Three Sisters: corn, beans, squash; deer | deerskin; gustoweh caps | wampum belts; raised beadwork; corn husk dolls |
| Seminole | Eastern Woodlands (Southeast) | chickees of cypress posts with palmetto-thatch roofs | corn, pumpkins, sweet potatoes; coontie flour; fish, deer, alligator | patchwork clothing; glass bead necklaces | patchwork; sweetgrass baskets; palmetto dolls |
| Navajo (Diné) | Southwest | hogans of logs covered with earth | corn, beans, squash; mutton (sheep) | wool blanket dresses; velvet blouses; concho belts | weaving; silver and turquoise jewelry |
| Apache | Southwest | wickiups of bent poles covered with grass or brush | agave (mescal); piñon nuts; mesquite beans; deer | deerskin; knee-high moccasins; camp dresses | coiled baskets; burden baskets |
| Pueblo | Southwest | pueblos of adobe (sun-dried clay bricks) and stone | corn, beans, squash | woven cotton; manta dresses | coiled pottery; weaving |
| Northwest Coast | Northwest Coast | plank houses of cedar planks and beams | salmon; shellfish; seals; whales | cedar-bark capes; woven hats; Chilkat robes | crest poles; bentwood boxes; formline carving |
| Plains | Plains | tipis of poles covered with bison hides; earth lodges | bison; elk; antelope; corn in river villages | bison robes; deerskin dresses | quillwork; beadwork; painted parfleches; winter counts |
| Inuit | Arctic | sod houses; iglus (snow houses) on winter hunts | seal; whale; walrus; caribou; fish | caribou-skin parkas; sealskin boots | ivory and soapstone carving; prints |
| California and Great Basin | California and Great Basin | tule and bark houses; plank houses; wickiups | acorns; pine nuts; seeds; salmon; rabbits | bark and tule skirts; rabbit-skin blankets | baskets; shell beads |