Algonquian People Essay

Kamya Brown
Class 4-334 In this report I will discuss the life of the Native American Algonquian tribe. The Algonquian tribe formed hundreds of years ago in the region of California, Maine and most of Canada. There are still many Algonquian people living in the United States today. In this report I will discuss the culture, values and beliefs of this tribe. I will also discuss the life of the Algonquian people and what they did to survive. The Algonquian people had many beliefs and values. They believed that a great spirit called Manitou lived in all living and natural things, such as animals, plants, water, the sun, the moon and everything in nature. They had spirit leaders called Shamans who prayed for all living things and protected the people. Each Algonquian tribe also had a chief called an Ogima. The chief led the tribe in hunting, storytelling, dancing and other activities. In the past the Indian chiefs were always men but today a woman can be chief. The Algonquian men believed that the women had to stay home and take care of the children, cook all the foods and gather plants. The men fought in wars, hunted, trapped and fished for food. The men also made the tools they used during war, building homes and supplies they needed. The Algonquian homes were called Wigwams. Traditionally the men built the wigwam frames then the women would finish it up with the coverings. The Wigwams frames were made out of small trees that were bent and tied together in an oval-like shape. Then it was covered with strips of birch bark that were sewn together. If the Algonquians could not find birch bark they would use another tree bark like elm to cover the houses. Sometimes they would use other plants and animal skin to cover the top of the Wigwams. This covering would keep out the wind, rain and snow. They also stuffed the inside of the Wigwams with animal fur to keep inside warm. The floors and beds were made out branches, hides and animal fur. The Algonquian people used animals for many different things. Everything the Algonquian people hunted and trapped was used as food to eat or materials to make clothing and homes. All the Algonquian people hunted deer, rabbit, squirrel, beavers and birds. However, different tribes in different climate did not eat the same things. Algonquians in the south were farmers who grew corn, beans and squash. The northern Algonquians were mostly hunters; the men hunted elk and moose while the women collected vegetables and nuts. They also fished the rivers, lakes, ponds and streams that were on their land. Most of the tools that they used for hunting and fishing were made from the animals and fish bones that they collected. As you can see, the animals that they hunted weren’t used just for food alone. They ate the meat but the animal skin and bones were used to make

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