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WHo are Native Americans, and what are traditions?

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WHo are Native Americans, and what are traditions?

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What does it mean to have locations change?

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What does it mean to have locations change?

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Natural Resources for Kids | Teach your kids and students about Earths Natural Resources

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Environmental Conservation, The 4 R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Respond

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Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail: Thoreau and His Indian Guides

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HIDDEN Backwater Pond is LOADED w/ Fish!!

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DIY Paper Weaving Basket - Best Paper Craft

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HIDDEN Backwater Pond is LOADED w/ Fish!!

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#EUArchives – What does it mean to be European?

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What is Environment And How To Keep It Clean? | Environmental Studies For Kids | Vid #1

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"GO means a change of location" - Loren Cunningham

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What is INTERACTION? What does INTERACTION mean? INTERACTION meaning, definition & explanation

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What is SCARCITY? What does SCARCITY mean? SCARCITY meaning - SCARCITY definition & pronunciation

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What is CULTURAL PRACTICE? What does CULTURAL PRACTICE mean? CULTURAL PRACTICE meaning & explanation

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The Importance of Drums to Native American CultureIt is a Voice. It is a Heartbeat. It is a Prayer to The Great Spirit. The Native American Drum is all of these things, and more. Round in design, the drum speaks of Earth, Life, and is the conduit which binds the People to their Creator. Drawing on the spirit of the animal whose hide covers the drum, the Drummer brings forth the drum’s vibrational voice through coaxing out, never beating, the sound. The voice is the beating of one’s own heart connecting to the heartbeat of the Earth. The Native drummer often places a personal item, or token, inside the drum to further enhance this spiritual connection between Sacred Instrument, Creator, and Self.Drumming has always played a significant role in education, healing, history and ceremonies of Native American peoples. Oral histories and stories, accompanied by drumming, play a vital role in passing on ancestral traditions and customs to new generations. Costuming, song, dance and drumming shape each aspect of ritual, providing important information about local culture and Native American beliefs and can play a significant role in Tribal identity. Shamanic (or healing) drumming provides a pathway for negative (harmful Spirit) energies to exit the body, simultaneously providing a path for positive (healing Spirit) to enter.Through music and stories, a Tribe’s history is told and re-told, over and over again, maintaining the importance of Tribal identity. Though tradition varies from tribe to tribe, archeological evidence suggests music and dance have been an integral part of Tribal history since as early as the 7th century.Gender frequently plays a role in Tribal drumming. Most restrict drumming to use by males. The females of a tribe will have their own, usually less flamboyant or obvious, songs, dances, and drum use. Yet, in some tribes, women play a more important role than do men.

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The Importance of Drums to Native American CultureIt is a Voice. It is a Heartbeat. It is a Prayer to The Great Spirit. The Native American Drum is all of these things, and more. Round in design, the drum speaks of Earth, Life, and is the conduit which binds the People to their Creator. Drawing on the spirit of the animal whose hide covers the drum, the Drummer brings forth the drum’s vibrational voice through coaxing out, never beating, the sound. The voice is the beating of one’s own heart connecting to the heartbeat of the Earth. The Native drummer often places a personal item, or token, inside the drum to further enhance this spiritual connection between Sacred Instrument, Creator, and Self.Drumming has always played a significant role in education, healing, history and ceremonies of Native American peoples. Oral histories and stories, accompanied by drumming, play a vital role in passing on ancestral traditions and customs to new generations. Costuming, song, dance and drumming shape each aspect of ritual, providing important information about local culture and Native American beliefs and can play a significant role in Tribal identity. Shamanic (or healing) drumming provides a pathway for negative (harmful Spirit) energies to exit the body, simultaneously providing a path for positive (healing Spirit) to enter.Through music and stories, a Tribe’s history is told and re-told, over and over again, maintaining the importance of Tribal identity. Though tradition varies from tribe to tribe, archeological evidence suggests music and dance have been an integral part of Tribal history since as early as the 7th century.Gender frequently plays a role in Tribal drumming. Most restrict drumming to use by males. The females of a tribe will have their own, usually less flamboyant or obvious, songs, dances, and drum use. Yet, in some tribes, women play a more important role than do men.

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Waban-Aki: People from Where the Sun Rises

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Grand Chief Henri Membertous: The Mi'Kmaq People & Wabanaki Confederacy

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Wabanaki, Native American, traditions, tribe, worldview, culture, natural resources, geographic features, conservation, interdependency, Micmac, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, drumming, dance, language, basket making, sustenance activities, hunting, fishing, locations, Europeans, environmental change, interaction, scarcity, cultural practices, dress, physical features

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Wabanaki, Native American, traditions, tribe, worldview, culture, natural resources, geographic features, conservation, interdependency, Micmac, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, drumming, dance, language, basket making, sustenance activities, hunting, fishing, locations, Europeans, environmental change, interaction, scarcity, cultural practices, dress, physical features

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Facts for Kids: Micmac Indians (Micmacs, Mi'kmaq)

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Information about the Micmacs for students and teachers. Covers Mi'kmaq culture, clothing, shelter, legends, and the history of the Micmac tribe.

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Facts for Kids: The Maliseet Indians (Maliseets, Malecite)

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Information about the Maliseet Indians (Malecite) for students and teachers.

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Facts for Kids: Passamaquoddy Indians (Passamaquoddys)

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Information about the Passamaquoddy Indians for students and teachers. Covers history, culture, clothing,
wigwam-building, and legends of the Passamaquoddy tribe.

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Native American languages Native American tribes Learn about American Indian craft
Native American Facts For Kids was written for young people in search of Penobscot information for school or home-schooling reports. We encourage students and teachers to visit our main Penobscotlanguage andculture pages for in-depth information about the tribe, but here are our answers to the questions we are most often asked by children, with Penobscot pictures and links we believe are suitable for all ages. Photographs are the property of the sources we have credited.

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Penobscot Tribe

Penobscot children past and present

Penobscot is pronounced Puh-NOB-scott. ("NOB" rhymes with "sob.") It comes from Panawahpskek, which means "the place where the rocks open out." This was the name of an important Penobscot village.

The Penobscot nation is a member of theWabanaki Confederacy that controlled much of New England and the Canadian Maritimes. The Penobscots are original natives of Maine. Here is amap of Penobscot and other Wabanaki land in Maine. The Penobscots still live there today, on a reservation at Indian Island (near Old Town.)

The Penobscots live on areservation, which is land that belongs to them and is under their control. The Penobscot Nation has its own government, laws, police, and services, just like a small country. However, the Penobscots are also US citizens and must obey American law. The leader of the tribe is calledsagama in the Penobscot language, which is translated "governor" or "chief" in English. In the past the sagama was chosen by tribal councilmembers, but today he or she is elected by all the people. The Penobscots also have a representative in the Maine legislature, but she cannot vote.

Penobscot people speak English. In the past, they spoke their nativeAbenaki-Penobscot language. It has this long name because two tribes, theAbenakis and the Penobscots, speak the same language with different accents--just like Americans and Canadians both speak English. Unfortunately, no Penobscot Indian people are fluent in this language anymore. However, the Penobscot Nation is dedicated to teaching young people their ancestral language again.

Penobscot is a musical language with complicated verbs. If you'd like to know a few easy Penobscot words,kwai kwai is a friendly greeting and woliwoni means "thank you." You can listen to a Penobscot elder talk in her languagehere and see a Penobscot picture glossaryhere.

Here's a brief history of the Penobscot tribe by children at the tribal school. You could also visit the tribal homepage to learn about Penobscot life in Maine today.

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They do the same things all children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Penobscot children go hunting and fishing with their fathers, and some like to paddle canoes. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play, like early colonial children. But they did have toys and games like this one, corn husk dolls, and child-sized bows and arrows. Here's a Penobscot dice game which you can try playing yourself! Like many Native Americans, Penobscot mothers carried their babies in cradle-boards on their backs--a custom which many American parents have adopted now.

Penobscot Indian men were hunters and sometimes went to war to protect their families. Penobscot women were farmers and also did most of the child care and cooking. Both genders took part in storytelling, artwork and music, and traditional medicine. In the past, Penobscot chiefs were always men, but today a woman can be chief too.

The Penobscot Indians didn't live in tepees. They lived in small birchbark houses called wigwams. Here is some more information about the wigwam. In the winter, each Penobscot family would leave their village to go to their own winter hunting grounds. In the springtime, all the Penobscot families returned to their villages again.

Today, American Indians only build a wigwam for fun or to connect with their heritage. Most Penobscot Indian people live in a modern house or apartment building, just like you.

Penobscot girl

Moccasins

Penobscot women wore long dresses with removable sleeves, and men wore breechcloths with leggings. Here is a website with pictures of Native American leggings. In colonial times, the Penobscots adapted European costume such as cloth blouses and jackets, decorating them with fancy beadwork. Penobscot Indians also wore cloaks with pointed hoods, beaded moccasins, and nose rings. Here are more pictures of Penobscot clothing styles, and some photographs and links about traditional Indian fashion in general.

The Penobscots didn't wear Indian warbonnets like the Sioux. Some Penobscot chiefs wore a tall headdress, but most Penobscots wore pointed caps or headbands with a few feathers standing up in the back. They did not paint their faces. Penobscot women wore their hair loose or braided on top of their heads, and men sometimes put their long hair in topknots. Here is a website with pictures of American Indian hair style.

Some Penobscot people today have a traditional cloak or moccasins, but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of breechcloths... and they only wear feathers in their h air on special occasions like a dance.

Yes--the Penobscot tribe was well-known for their birchbark canoes. Here's a website of traditional birch bark boat pictures. Penobscots still enjoy canoeing, though few people handcraft a canoe from birch bark anymore. Over land, the Penobscots used dogs as pack animals. (There were no horses in North America until colonists brought them over from Europe.) The Penobscots used sleds and snowshoes to help them travel in the winter--they learned to make those tools from northern neighbors like the Cree Indians.

Today, of course, Penobscot people also use cars... and non-native people also use canoes.

Penobscot war club

What kind of food did the Penobscot Indians eat in the days before supermarkets?
They fished in the Penobscot River and hunted deer and moose. Penobscots still cherish these activities today (though most hunters use guns now instead of arrows and spears.) Penobscot Indians also planted corn and beans, picked berries, and made maple syrup from tree sap just as Maine people do today. Here is a website with more information about traditional Native American food.

What kinds of weapons did the Penobscots use?
Penobscot hunters and warriors used bows and arrows, spears, and heavy wooden clubs. Here is a replica of a Penobscot style double bow. Penobscot fishermen used special pronged fishing spears and nets, not fishhooks. Here is a website with pictures and information about American Indian weapons and tools.

Penobscot Indian artists are best known for their quill boxes and basket-weaving. Penobscot baskets were originally made from birchbark, but over the past 200 years ash splint basketry has become more popular with Penobscot artists. Here is a museum exhibit of Penobscot basket photographs.

Like other eastern American Indians, Penobscots also crafted wampum out of white and purple shell beads. Wampum beads were traded as a kind of currency, but they were more culturally important as an art material. The designs and pictures on a wampum belt often told a story or represented a person's family or great deeds.

What other Native Americans did the Penobscot tribe interact with?

The Penobscot traded with all the other New England Indians, and they often fought with the powerfulIroquois tribes to the west. But their most important neighbors were theAbenaki,Passamaquoddy,Maliseet, andMicmac tribes. These five tribes formed an alliance called the Wabanaki Confederacy. Before this alliance, the Penobscot were not always friends with these other tribes--in fact, they sometimes fought wars against each other. But once they joined the Confederacy, the Wabanaki tribes never fought each other again, and are still allies today. Clickhere to learn more about the Wabanaki Confederacy.

What kinds of stories do the Penobscot Indians tell?
There are lots of traditional Penobscot legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to Penobscot Indian culture. Here's onelegend about why humans need the wind.

Who are some famous Penobscot Indians?

Sockalexis

Molly Molasses

One famous Penobscot Indian was Louis Sockalexis, the first American Indian major league baseball player. He was so strong he could throw a baseball across the Penobscot River. He had a remarkable season for the Cleveland Spiders in 1897. Unfortunately, his career was short. The fans and other ballplayers teased Sockalexis all the time because of his race. They would spit at him, call him names, and make fun of him with war whoops and tomahawk chops. This was 50 years before Jackie Robinson became the first black player in the major leagues. Sockalexis got very depressed from all the teasing and began to drink too much, destroying a promising career. The Cleveland Spiders changed their name to the Cleveland Indians after a while. Their red cartoon mascot is supposedly a tribute to Louis Sockalexis, but it doesn't look like him. His family, and the Penobscot Nation, don't like that mascot. They think it is racist and insulting.

Another interesting figure from Penobscot history wasMolly Molasses, a 19th century medicine woman. Here's a story and a painting about her.

What problems does the Penobscot Indian Nation face today?
The Penobscot River is contaminated with mercury and dioxin pollution from the logging and industrial plants of the Penobscots' white neighbors. This is a problem for everybody in Maine, but especially for the Penobscot tribe, because they rely on the river for their traditional way of life. If Penobscot people continue fishing in the river, they can become very sick. But if they stop fishing, they will lose an important part of their culture. The Penobscot tribe really wants the river to be cleaned up, but it is controlled by the state, so they are frustrated. Here is a
newspaper article about that.What about Penobscot religion?
Spirituality and religion were important parts of Penobscot life, and some people continue to practice traditional beliefs today. It is respectful to avoid imitating religious rituals for school projects since some Penobscot people care about them deeply. You can read and learn about them, however. You can visit this

interesting article about the intertwining of native traditions with Catholicism among the Penobscots, or you can visit this site aboutCan you recommend a good book for me to read?
You may enjoyNative American religions in general.

Crossing the Starlight Bridge by Alice Mead. It's a novel about a contemporary nine-year-old Penobscot girl struggling to maintain her culture after her parents' divorce forces her to leave the reservation. If you prefer historical fiction,Arrow Over The Door is a good book about the lives of two white and Indian boys in New England during the 1700's and the friendship their families forge. Two good biographies of Penobscot ballplayer Louis Sockalexis areLouis Sockalexis, Baseball Pioneer andBaseball's First Indian. If you are looking for historical information for school,Twelve Thousand Years is a good reference book about Native American people in Maine in general. Younger children may likeHow do I cite your website in my bibliography?
You will need to ask your teacher for the format he or she wants you to use. The authors' names are Laura Redish and Orrin Lewis and the title of our site is Native Languages of the Americas. We are a nonprofit educational organization working to preserve and protect Native American languages and culture. You can learn more about our organizationRaccoon's Last Race, a lively picture book telling a traditional Wabanaki story. You can also browse through our recommendations ofNative American books in general. Disclaimer: we are an Amazon affiliate and our website earns a commission if you buy a book through one of these links. Most of them can also be found in a public library, though!

here. Our website was first created in 1998 and last updated in 2020.

Thanks for your interest in the Penobscot people and their language!

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Penobscot Indian Tribe
An overview of the Penobscot people, their language and history.

Abnaki-Penobscot Language Resources
Penobscot language samples, articles, and indexed links.

Penobscot Culture and History Directory
Related links about the Penobscot people past and present.

Penobscot Indian Words

Penobscot Indian vocabulary lists.

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Facts for Kids: Penobscot Indians (Penobscots)

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Native American languages Native American tribes Learn about American Indian craft Native American Facts For Kids was written for young people in search of Penobscot information for school or home-schooling reports.

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Creation and other cultural tales are important to framing a culture's beliefs and values -- and passing those on.

The Wabanaki -- Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot -- Indians of Maine and Nova Scotia tell stories of a cultural hero/creator, a giant who lived among them and who promised to return.

Gluskap, also known as Glooskap, Gluskabe, Gluscabi, Koluscap, among other spellings, created the Indians and animals and taught them skills they need to learn to survive.

The stories or legends have been passed down orally through uncountable generations, changed somewhat with each telling.

In the nineteenth century, Euro-Americans sought to record some of these stories and, in some cases, influenced the content and the way the stories were told. Charles Leland, one of the early publishers of Gluskap stories, even drew his own versions of illustrations based on those by Passamaquoddy artist Tomah Joseph.

Regardless of the changes and the Euro-American and Christian influences, the stories retain the same message: humans and animals are related and are responsible to one another and to the earth around them. Gluskap's people should treat every living thing and the earth with respect.

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Creation and other cultural tales are important to framing a culture's beliefs and values -- and passing those on. The Wabanaki -- Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot -- Indians of Maine and Nova Scotia tell stories of a cultural hero/creator, a giant who lived among them and who promised to return.

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"We Welcome You"
Kulasihkulpon (Passamaquoddy/Maliseet)
Pjila'si (Mi'kmaq)
Kolάsihkawələpəna (Penobscot)

In historic times, we, the ckuwaponahkiyik, used this island as a central meeting place to trade, hunt, and fish with one another during the summers. We called the island Pesamkuk, and Bar Harbor itself was known as moneskatik-the Clam Digging Place. The central meeting place on the island was called astuwiku-"it comes together"-and located near modern day Northeast Harbor.

One summer, visitors arrived that would change our way of life forever. They brought with them different technologies and philosophies, and we were forced to make a choice: adapt and survive, or resist and perish. We chose to learn from our surroundings and incorporate these new teachings, in order to keep our traditions alive for future generations.

We succeeded. We are still here. Our cultures and languages are alive and well. This birchbark canoe represents thousands of years of traditional knowledge handed down from generation to generation. While it was constructed in 2013, this canoe is nearly identical to the ones used to greet French visitors to Pesamkuk over four-hundred years ago. Pesamkuk has undergone many changes since that time, as has the land now called Maine. But just as our ancestors did with Samuel Champlain in 1604, kulasihkulpon: we welcome you.

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About the Wabanaki Nations - Abbe Museum

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In historic times, we, the ckuwaponahkiyik, used this island as a central meeting place to trade, hunt, and fish with one another during the summers. We called the island Pesamkuk, and Bar Harbor itself was known as moneskatik-the Clam Digging Place. The central meeting place on the island was called astuwiku-"it comes together"-and located near modern day Northeast Harbor.

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Tribes

Have you ever heard someone ask something like, 'Where's my tribe?' It just means they are looking for their group of friends. Although the word tribe can be used in this way, it means so much more.

A common definition for a tribe is a group of people that all have common ancestry, or a common ancestor, a common culture, and live in their own enclosed society. Other names for a tribe are a clan, which is used in some European countries, and family. The idea of a tribe goes back to ancient times when Rome would create divisions within society due to class, family, and money. These divisions were tribes. This term has evolved while the people it describes may not have. Many tribes and tribal communities are in areas that lack industry. They live and create homes that do not accept the conveniences and behaviors of the present day, like the Aborigines in Australia who live in the wilderness of the Outback. They choose to be close to the land and follow the rules and lifestyle of their ancestors.

However, other tribes like the Native Americans in the United States do accept some of the modern conveniences while still following and carrying out the beliefs of the past. India is also known for their immense population of tribal communities with over 84 million people that are part of tribal communities. Out of the 84 million, they are divided up over a mere 50 different tribes.

Tribal Characteristics

There are a variety of characteristics that make up a tribe. We're going to go through some of the most common characteristics, but it's important to note that not all of these characteristics are present in all tribes. Each community is unique.

The first characteristic is that of unity. Tribes share a unity with each other, their past, and the land they live on. Many tribal communities are completely self-sufficient and do not depend on the state or government for money or politics. They live off the land, make money by selling their goods that they make, and then use that to keep their community going.

Another characteristic that many tribal communities have is that of a common totemic ancestor. Many tribes have a totem, which is an object that carries an importance for the people. Since tribes may have a shared ancestor, they will create a totem to represent the one person who started their original tribe. There also maybe a faith-based worship of the totem due to its value to the people.

Many tribes live in a specific territory, whether that is a reservation in the U.S. or as a territory that spans divided areas in India. The tribes know their land and stay upon it as much as possible. This keeps industry from encroaching on their way of life. Additionally, even if the tribes are surrounded by other tribes, they still have the common respect to stay within their own space, unless there are warring factions.

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what is a tribe? - definition & examples - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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What is a Tribe? - Definition & Examples - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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Have you ever heard someone ask something like, 'Where's my tribe?' It just means they are looking for their group of friends. Although the word tribe can be used in this way, it means so much more.