Northeast
These sources combine Haudenosaunee voices with archaeological evidence from earlier Hopewell communities. Together they show the region’s long history of farming, trade, political organization, earthworks, and kinship.
Start with the overview
Use the Khan Academy reading to identify major regional patterns, then use these sources for specific evidence.
Read the OverviewG — Geography
Use the sections on the seasonal cycle, villages, longhouses, and deer to see how people used the land. The territory maps are in the original guide.
Connect local forests, elm bark, and northeast winters to longhouse design and village life.
R — Religion
Explore the Thanksgiving Address and responsibilities to water, plants, animals, and the natural world.
Study ceremonial spaces, burials, gatherings, and sacred objects through archaeological evidence.
See how copper became a sacred material in Hopewell ceremonies and burials.
A — Achievement
Investigate monumental construction, geometry, engineering, and possible astronomical knowledge.
Learn how wampum preserved agreements, titles, history, and political memory.
P — Politics
Study the Peacemaker, the Confederacy, the Tree of Peace, and political unity.
Follow the three-bench process the Haudenosaunee council uses to reach agreement.
A short Native explanation of chiefs, equality among leaders, and political responsibilities.
E — Economics
Trace a wide exchange network involving copper, obsidian, mica, shells, and other materials.
Follow obsidian from Yellowstone to Ohio, more than 1,500 miles away.
Follow copper from Lake Superior and the Appalachians to Ohio.
Explore hunting, fishing, gathering, and the Eastern Agricultural Complex.
S — Social Structure
Investigate matrilineal clans, marriage, mutual responsibilities, and women’s role in clan identity.
See how extended clan families shared living space within longhouses.
Read how clan mothers, clan responsibilities, and longhouses fit together.