Powhatan of the Eastern Woodlands
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Powhatan of the Eastern Woodlands |
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United States map highlighting the Eastern Woodlands area were
the Powhatan Indians lived.
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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. The land of the Eastern Woodlands contains many rivers, hills, mountains and also coastlines. There are forests and a variety of plant life. This region usually has mild winters and hot, humid summers. |
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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. |
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The Powhatan Indians were
farmers hunters and fishermen. 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. |
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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. |
These are from Mrs. Sauerwine's Native American site in Loudoun County, VA.
If you would like to read more about the Eastern Woodlands Culture, try Germantown's site.
