Powhatans
|
|
Where Did They Live?
|
 |
|
The Powhatan Indians originally lived in Virginia, the
Jamestown Colony, but due to British attacks many years
ago, many Powhatan Indians have moved north and now settle
in parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The Powhatan Indians
are also known as one of the Eastern Woodlands tribes.
|
|
|
|
|
What kind of shelter
(homes) did they have?
|
|
The Powhatan Indians lived in longhouses. A longhouse is
very similar to an apartment building. The longhouse is made
of bark and wood from elm trees. Each longhouse could change
in size but usually was about 25 feet by 80 feet. Each longhouse
was separated into many sections so more than one family could
live in one longhouse; much like an apartment building. Each
section had a cooking fire and raised platform covered with
reed mats or furs for sleeping or sitting.
|
|
|
|
Clothing
|
Powhatans usually wore a beaded headband with a feather
in it. They painted their faces and bodies with different
colors and designs for different occasions, and both men and
women often wore tattooes. Powhatan women wore knee-length
skirts and the men wore breechcloths with leather pant legs
tied on if the weather was cool. Traditionally the Powhatans
did not wear shirts, although they did wear cloaks made of
turkey feathers or furs in the winter. Both genders wore earrings
and moccasins on their feet. Today, some Powhatan people still
have traditional headbands or moccasins, but they wear clothes
from today like jeans instead of breechcloths and they only
wear feathers in their hair on special occasions.
|
|
|
Food
|
The Powhatan Indians were farmers and hunters. The women
did the farming and harvesting and the men did the hunting
and fishing. They ate corn, squash, berries, nuts, fish, turkeys,
deer, soups, stews, and cornbread.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Art
|
|
The Powhatan Indians are known for their beadwork and basketry.
The Powhatans crafted wampum out of white and purple seashells
or shell beads. Wampum beads were strung together in many
different patterns. The designs usually told stories about
important events or a family. Wampum was used like money.
The Powhatans would trade the white man wampum for goods.
Wampum belts would be made into pictures showing the reason
it was made. All Indian messengers carried wampum belts when
going to other tribes because they were used as a form of
communication between Indian tribes. The baskets that the
Powhatan Indians would weave, were made from the bark of trees.
They coated the baskets with pine pitch to make them waterproof.
They were very light in weight. The Powhatans used these baskets
for gathering berries, nuts, water, corn, beans, and squash.
|
|
|
|
Transportation
|
The Powhatan Indians made dugout canoes by hollowing
out large trees. When they were on dry land, the Powhatans
usually walked. They did not ride horses because there
were no horses in North America until much later. When
the horses were available, they were not interested
in them because the Powhatans primarily lived in the
forest and the horses lived out on the plains. Today,
Powhatan people use cars.
|
|
|
|
|
Weapons
|
In war, men used tomahawks or heavy
wooden war clubs, and also carried shields.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tools
|
Hunters usually used bow and arrows
as well as traps. Fishermen used nets and pronged spears
to catch fish from their canoes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
