Carolinians with Native Americans
Long before Europeans arrived in North Carolina, Native Americans are there. They were farmers who depended primarily on crops. The women of the tribe did most of the farming. They grew beans, corn, and different varieties of squashes. They were considered the “three sisters” of Native American subsistence. For most of the tribes the Green Corn Festival when the first corn of the summer was ripe enough to eat was the most important celebration of the year. They also grew sunflowers and tobacco. The villagers used the sunflower seeds. The tobacco was used as part of their religious observances. Because they were farmers most natives lived in villages along rivers and streams of the region. The smallest structures built were called wigwams. They were made by taking small trees called saplings and burying the thick end in a circle in the ground. The tops were bent into the center where they tied them together. Then the structure was covered with large sheets of bark. A hole was left at the top to let smoke out. They hunted white tailed deer. All parts of the animal would be used. The meat was eaten. The hide was used for clothes. Bones and antlers were used to make tools and needles. They also hunted deer, turkey, bear and many smaller animals. When Europeans entered their land the Native’s welcomed them and help them. They learned soon that it would be difficult to get along with the white settlers and their different sets of beliefs. The Europeans brought diseases that killed most Native American population. The one’s who survived were forced to go to their native land. When they resisted war broke out.