Vocabulary Related to Native American Life
Burrows
Underground hiding places.
Century
Which region includes the Paiute and Shoshone cultures?
The Great Basin Cultures
Which region had abundant food? They fished for salmon, gathered shellfish, and used Cedar trees.
The Northwestern Culture
What type of trees do acorns come from?
Oak Trees
Buckskin
The skin of a male deer.
Continent
One of seven large areas of land on the globe.
What region includes the Chumash, Serrano, and Cahuilla cultures?
The Southern Cultures
Which region had extreme heat and little rain? Life was difficult because of these conditions.
The Colorado River Cultures
What were sweat lodges?
A place where men could cleanse themselves by sweating. They were also used for celebrating religious ceremonies.
Hearth
The floor of a fireplace that is covered with brick or cement and usually stretches into a room.
Domesticated
Wild Animals that are tamed and used by humans.
Which region includes the Hupa, Shasta, and Yurok cultures?
The Northwestern Cultures
Which region had a hot and dry summer climate?
The Great Basin Cultures.
What was the First Fruits Ceremony?
The Great Basin Culture would give thanks for pine nuts which was an important part of their diet.
Shamans
tribal healers who use magic to cure illnesses.
Archaeologists
scientists who study past human life by looking at prehistoric fossils and tools.
What region includes the Pomo, Maidu, Miwok, and Yokut cultures?
The Central Cultures
The Southern Cultures
How did the Mojave tribe pick a chief?
They would elect a leader to become the chief.
Tule
This is a large plant that grows in the swampy areas of California with long flat leaves that are used for making mats.
A period in history when giant sheets of ice up to two miles thick covered a large part of the Earth.
What regions include the Mojave and Yuma and the Modoc and Achumawi?
Colorado River Cultures and Northeastern Culture
Which tribe used acorns from trees to make food?
The Central Cultures
What is the Bering Land Bridge?
A strip of ice that was 1,000s of miles wide. It connected Northeast Asia and Northwestern Alaska. The first people to enter the Americas used this as a way to travel.