Greatbritannia Blog

American Indians (Amerindians / Indians / Amerind / Native Americans) are the aboriginal (=native) people in the USA. Their ancestors lived nomadic lives. Today, most of the Amerindians live a civilized lifestyle and live together with the other nationalities in communities. However, some tribes still keep their nomadc lifestyle and live on reservations.

NOMADIC vs SETTLED

Nomadic lifestlye:

• hunting
• fishing
• wandering (usually following the buffalo)
• gathering edible fruits, roots and berries
• housing: tents (tepee, wigwam…)
• tools used: knives, axes (or clubs), bows and arrows, spears
• mostly warrior people

Settled lifestyle:

• building houses –> villages (settlements) –> towns / cities (with schools, stores etc.)
• farming (maize = corn, beans, squash, pumpkin, berries; cotton plantations)
• tools used: knives, axes (or clubs), bows and arrows, spears
• some were warriors, some not

The regions the tribes lived in were the following:

• Eastern woodlands;
• the Southeast;
• the Great Plains;
• the Northwest;
• the Southwest