Name the three languages spoken by American Indians in Virginia:
Algonquian, Siouan, and Iroquoian
In what Virginia regions did the American Indians who spoke each language live?
Algonquian - Coastal Plain; Siouan - Piedmont; Iroquoian - southern area of Coastal Plain and in the mountains of Virginia.
Why are most of the words in native languages unknown?
They were not written down by the people who spoke them, and they are not used much today.
What are mockasins?
soft, leather shoes, like slippers
What is a tomahack?
A kind of ax.
How were American Indian traditions and ways of life passed on?
They were passed down from generation to generation.
What were some European explorers looking for when they crossed the Atlantic Ocean?
A shorter route to Asia.
Why did Christopher Columbus call the Caribbean natives "Indians"?
because he thought he had landed in the Indies
What are artifacts?
objects made by humans that tell you about the people who made them and how they lived.
About how many tribes spoke the Algonquian language?
about 40
What was the name for the 32 tribes that joined together?
Powhatan
About how many Powhatan lived in the Coastal Plain of Virginia?
about 20,000
Name two Powhatan artifacts that have been found.
bone fish hooks, pieces of pottery
What else have archeologists found that tells us something about the food eaten by the Powhatan?
piles of oyster shells
What crops did the Siouan Indians grow?
corn, beans, and squash
What did the Monocan build? Why?
The Monacan built mounds that they used for burying the dead.
