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      The Woodland Culture depended on the forest for most of their basic needs.  This culture was located in Northeastern and Southeastern part of the United States.  Part of this area is known to have been the home of the five civilized tribes.  Some of those tribes were the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Mohawk and Oneida.  In the Southeast, the Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole tribes,  and many others could be found. They lived in permanent villages, grew their own food, and hunted for their own meat. 

     The Native American tribes of these areas made their homes out of the materials that they could find in their areas.

     Some of these native people made their homes out of young green trees that could be bent into a curved shape.  The shape helped make the wigwam strong and could survive even the worst weather.  Many experts believe that is was one of the best kind of shelters. 

     The Iroquois, a northeastern woodland tribe, built a  house called a long house.  These were made out of logs cut from forests.  Often several related families would live in the long house.  The longhouses were usually surrounded by a picket type fence that could be as high as ten feet tall.      

     The Woodland Culture tribes found their foods in the forest in which they lived, but they also grew some of the own food.  They grew corn, squash, pumpkin and beans probably near streams or rivers so they could carry water to the plants.  They also raised tobacco for smoking. They gathered berries from the forest.  Some of these were raspberries, black berries, wild strawberries, and many other kinds of wild fruits.
     They hunted with bows and arrows for their meat.  The forests were full of deer, bear, fish, rabbits, raccoons, and many other animals.  The hunters would wear a whole animal skin over themselves to hide from the animals as they hunted.

    The clothing worn by the Woodland Culture tribes was made out of animal skins (usually deer skin). They made moccasins for their feet.  The men wore leggings and shirts in the Winter.  The women wore dresses made of woven grasses and also animal furs and skins.  Some moccasins were even woven from grasses. 

     The Woodland Cultures made their tools out of those things that were near them or for which they could trade for from other tribes.  They chipped arrowheads, knives, and hatchet heads out of different kinds of rocks.  They carved bowls out of wood, made spoons out of bones, or wood.  They used sticks to help plant corn.  They used sharpened bones to punch holes into animal skins so they could sew pieces together.
 

Beliefs     Back to top

     Many of the Woodland Culture Northeastern tribes believed that a historical person (person who lived long ago) named Manitou would make their world as it was before the "white men" came.  They believed that bad rains would come just before he would return.  The Southeast Cultures worshiped the sun in temples (a bit like a church).  They held ceremonies that had an altar of fire.  This was put out and then re-lighted in a special ceremony every year.

The information on beliefs came from the following website: http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h922.html .