All Abenaki Info
By James Giarrusso
Abanaki the Big Idea
Table Of Contents
- All about the Abenaki
- Spiritual connections
- Hunting focused topic
- Hunting essay
- My luck hunting story
- How to build a wigwam
- All about the Abenaki women
Chapter 1:All about the Abenaki
Life with the Abenaki tribe wasn't so different from our daily life. Some similarities are that we live in houses as the Abenaki's lived in Wigwams or Longhouses. Some of us live in groups or with our families.The Abenaki's all had jobs all had jobs and had to work together to better their lives.The Abenaki invented lacrosse that is still played today.Still today we have ceremonies like birthdays ,weddings ,and many others.
Men
Do you think the men are important? The men had many jobs in the tribe. They taught boys to hunt and make wigwams and longhouses. The men and boys protect the village. Hunting was the men's main priority.This is another way how the men provided food. They also fished.This is why the men were so important.
Homes
The homes of the Abenaki Tribe were different for different seasons. In the hunting season ( Spring-Summer) families lived in homes called wigwams. Wigwams were upside down bowl shaped structures. They were made of bark mulch mats, saplings and twine. In the winter multiple families lived in homes called long houses. These homes were longer versions of the wigwam made out of the same materials. These were the two different types of homes of the Abenaki Tribe.
Hunting
Hunting was very important to the Abenaki. Men went hunting in groups. They used traps, bows,arrows and spears. The Abenaki had hunting camps. The men brought with them hunting their hunting dogs. The dogs helped alert the men to animals that were close by. The Abenaki Tribe depended on the men to have a successful hunting season because they needed the animals for not only food but for clothes and tools made out of animal bones. This is why hunting is so important.
Chapter 2:Spiritual conections
Shamans
Shamans are the spiritual leaders of the tribe. Shamans gave guidance and protection to their tribe. Shamans also contacted spirits , made medicine , ran ceremonies , told stories ,and used magic. The tribe depended on the Shamans for help or advice. For example children could go to the Shaman about problems with their siblings or other tribe children. Adults could seek Shamans advice for maybe problems they are having.
Ceremonies
Ceremonies were for many different reasons. A couple ceremonies are based on hunting. Others are based on gardening or tribal members.Some hunting ceremonies are about animals ,hunting season , and hunters. Gardening ceremony's are about crops , sun ,and rain.
Vision Quest
A vision quest is a time when boys leave the village to find their manatu. They would build a wigwam and wait they would know when they saw it. It could be anything. Maybe a aniamal, maybe a plant.
Stories
Stories were always spiritual. They would consist of problems, spirits, and lessons everyone tried to memorize the because the stories were not written down. This is how parents taught their children to behave.
Men's Jobs
Chapter 3:Hunting focused topic
Fishing in the Abenaki Tribe was very important. When fishing in lakes and rivers the Abenaki used wiers. When the tribe went ocean fishing the brought with them really strong dog bane. These nets could hold over 100 pounds! They used canoes which made it much easier to fish. The Abenaki used fish that they caught like they used the animals they caught. They used all parts of the fish for not only food to eat but also used the bones for sewing needles and fertilizer for the ground where they planted the seeds to grow crops. This is why fishing was so important to the Abenaki Tribe.
Tools and Supplies
It was important to make sure that you had the Abenaki had the right supplies with them while out hunting. Without the right supplies the hunt would not turn out successful. For instance if you forgot your wigwam you could not stay over night. You would have no shelter. If you forgot your weapons such as bows, arrows, knives or spears you would have no way of taking down a big animal such as a moose or bear. If you forgot your weir you wouldn't be able to fish successfully. If you forgot your canoe , you wouldn't be able to check your weirs to see if you caught any fish. This is why it was important to remember to take all your supplies .
Animals
The animals the Abenaki hunted were very important for different reasons . For example furs meat and bones are all important. Furs for clothes, meat was food ,and bones were tools .Bears ,birds, rabbits ,and moose are all hunted they can each feed a few Abenaki. Some rabbits can feed about 4 Abenaki , Some bears can feed about 35 Abenaki, birds depending on size 2-5 Abenaki, and moose can feed about 40 Abenaki . this is why animals are so important.
Groups
Hunting in groups is very important to protect each other.Men were the only people in the groups. The men could help each other out.The groups would carry big animals.The group could team up on bigger animals. did you know that men hunted in groups so if a animal attacked one of the men they would have back up? This is why hunting in grous is so important.
Chapter 4:Hunting essay
Have you ever wondered why hunting was so important to the men of the tribe ? Hunting was very important to the abenaki tribe because it was the main source of food, it provided resources for tools, clothes, and most of all , taught new leaders.
One reason hunting is so important to the Abenaki is because it is the main source of food. For example crops took time and they need food quickly. Hunting was quicker. Hunting provided deer ,moose ,bird , and bear meat. This is why hunting is so important.
Another reason hunting is so important is it provides resources. It provides skins for clothes , bones for tools, and more explored land. The land will have more materials than home.They may follow animals for long distances.
Hunting is so important to the survival of the tribe because hunting is the main source of food and because it provides resources . Hunting is very important to the abenaki because it taught future leaders.For example it taught the men responsibility from mistakes ,how to hunt , and how to instruct.
In the end hunting was very important to the tribe.Hunting taught the tribe many things.
Chapter5:My luck hunting story
Chapter6:How to build a wigwam
Step 1
The first step in building a wigwam is to gather materials. You will need birch bark mats ,saplings, and twine.These are all key items.
Step 2
The second step is to carefully put the saplings into position. You will
Women's Jobs
Chapter7:All about the Abenaki women
Chapter 8:Sign of the beaver
The sign of the beaver taught me many facts .The main characters are Matt and Attean. In the beginning Matt goes through rough times. His rifle got stolen by stranger who invited himself into Matt's cabin for the night. Some other bad things that happened to Matt were, Matt got chased by a swarm of bees into a river. Matt 's foot got tangled in the river and he almost drowned, Matt's foot got sprained during the indecent. Then Attean and his grandfather Saknis came along and saved Matt from drowning They took Matt back to his cabin when Matt woke up Attean and Saknis were there in the cabin with Matt. Saknis has Attean bring Matt food and medicine everyday until Matt was almost all better. Saknis then asked Matt to teach Attean how to read. In the middle of Matt teaching Attean how to read the boys got a bit side tracked, they would go out hunting or fishing and Attean taught Matt basicly how to survive by showing Matt how to be self sufficient. This means Attean tauht Matt how to make his own fishing hooks, fishing poles, bows, arrows, snares and weirs. Without learning how to make these things on his own Matt would have never survived, because he had no way of catching his food. Matt on a journey through friendship in Sign Of The Beaver by Elizabeth Gorge Speare
Glossary
- Ceremonies:A celebration
- Dog Bane: A strong type of plant
- Moarters: Rocks used to grind food
- Roles:Jobs
- Saplings: Young trees
- Shamans: Spiritual leaders
- Snow Snake:A game to see who could get a snake farther down a path
- Vision Quest: When boys leave the village without eating to find their guardian spirit
- Wampum:shells used to make beads
- Wier : A strong type of net
- Wigwam and Long house: Homes
- Manatu: a symbol found on vision quest to show you are a man.