Historic Tribes
Learning Targets
I can identify and describe the historic Native
American groups in Indiana.
Arrival in Indiana
Between 1650-1680 new
tribes began to move to
the land that we call
Indiana
Five Major Historic Tribes
Miami
Potawatomi
Shawnee
Delaware
Kickapoo
Why They Came to
Indiana
They came from different areas of North America
Three reasons for coming to Indiana
Farming
Removal by the Iroquois Confederacy
European colonists took over the land they were living
on—forced but sometimes purchased
Buildings
Miami
Kekionga (Fort Wayne)
Two Elected Chiefs
War chief
Civil chief
Wigwams
Men hunted
Women farmed and raised children
Potawatomi
Northwestern Indiana
Lived in clans
Wigwams, longhouses, sweat lodges
During summer they lived in large villages near
rivers
During winter they lived in small hunting camps
Each clan could only provide enough food for their
small clan not the whole tribe
Shawnee
Settled near the White River
Title of Chief was passed down from father to son
Wigwams
Lived in villages during the summer
Lived in camps during the winter
Men hunted, women grew crops, gathered firewood,
cooked meals
Lenape
Lived near the Miami in central Indiana
Also known as the Delaware
Oldest woman in each family led the household
Oldest women in the village could choose the chief,
sachem
Wigwams, longhouses, sweat lodges
Kickapoo
Western Indiana
Wigwams, longhouses
First to use horses for hunting
Didn’t trade with outsiders
Got It?
Why did Native Americans first come to Indiana?
What were the largest and most powerful tribes in
Indiana?
What was the difference between a war chief and a
civil chief?
How did the Lenape sachem get selected?
What was unique about the Kickapoo?