Native America

How did the Native American Tribes live?

Native Americans built their homes very creatively. They simply brought together the construction materials that were available to them and then constructed their houses in such a way that they were safe from harsh winters and summers, and also safe from attackers.

So the Native Americans in Great Lakes region, for example, built cone-shaped houses called wigwams using wood and other materials from the forest.

Native Americans in the southwest of America built their houses inside cliffs which made their houses very safe.

Those in the Southern Plains built grass houses which were cone-shaped and were sometimes up to 4 story tall.

Living as Native American Tribes

So the Native Americans lived as tribes. Each tribes had its own geographical area in which it lived, grew crops, built houses, hunted and performed other activities.

So many such tribes lived in different parts of America. Some of these tribes included the Apache, the Cherokee, the Dakota, the Omaha Indians, the Powhatan, the Wichita and the Yavapai.

But there were a large number of these tribes in total. Today, America officially recognized 566 Native American tribes.

When the Europeans started arriving on the eastern coastline of North America, some of these tribes helped them while others considered them enemies.

Relationships with the arriving Europeans

Europeans discovered America in the 15th century and then started arriving on the continent to establish colonies.

At first, the Native Americans helped them with foods and often traded different things with them.

But then the populations of the colonies began to grow and colonies started to take over more and more land.

The Native Americans felt that these newcomers were taking over their land and this often brought them into conflict with the Europeans.

As a result, many wars were fought between European colonies and the Native Americans.

What was the Native Americans food?

Native Americans lived in a natural environment and so, they gathered most of their food directly from nature.

The Native American tribes were of two types – those who moved around often and those who had permanently settled at one place.

Those tribes who moved around usually found their food through hunting and fishing.

They hunted buffaloes, caribou, rabbits and other animals. The tribes who had settled down in one place also hunted but they mostly grew their food through agriculture.

The main crops grown by these tribes included corn, squash and beans. Of these, corn was the most important crop for most Native American tribes.

Native America Fast Facts

• Native Americans built different types of homes such as Wigwams and Teepees.
• Native Americans are the original Indigenous peoples who lived in American before the European Settlers arrived.
• Native Americans led a life that was close to nature and enjoyed living in a natural way among nature.
• Incredibly there were believed to be as many as 566  tribes living in America at their peak.
• Native Americans survived by forming bonds and living in tribes.
• Examples of American Tribes are Apache, Cherokee and Dakota.
• American Indians Traded with the early establish colonies.
• Disputes over land would eventually lead to conflict with the different European Settlers.
• Native Americans were eventually conquered by the European settlers that would go on to colonize the country.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article about Native America and the Native American people who lived in America long before the European settlers arrived on the continent. You can learn more about these Native American People and their lives in the many articles written about them by clicking any of the links at the bottom of this page.