4. Native American culture of the Northeast

• Northeastern region

  • Dominated by the Appalachian Mountains
  • Settled by Native Americans during the Hopewellian period (200 BCE to 500 CE)
• Notable Native American groups in the Northeast


  • Algonquians
  • Iroquois
  • Susquehannocks
  • Mohicans
  • Hurons
• Hopewellian period


  1. Cultural shift from hunting and gathering to agricultural systems

  2. Squash farming in Illinois as early as 5000 BCE

  3. The tradition of mound-building began, which extended to the Southeast into the next century
• "Three sisters"


  Corn, squash, and beans - became cash crops, a trade commodity in high demand
• Indigenous people's lifestyle


  • Lived in villages with a few hundred residents
  • Men planting and harvesting
  • Women working in the home, taking care of children, and processing the crops
• As the Northeast became more agricultural


  The region became more urbanized, leading to intertribal violence
• Iroquois League


  1. Established between 1100 and 1400 CE to end intertribal conflict

  2. Each member group maintained autonomy over local affairs

  3. League united over trade policies and diplomacy issues

  4. Devised a system of republican principles and a dual system of federalism, balancing local and national powers for the first time in North America
• Trade policies and diplomacy

  The Iroquois League united over trade policies and diplomacy issues, cooperating on external matters.
• Autonomy of member groups


  Each member group maintained autonomy over local affairs, managing their own internal matters independently.
• Republican principles and federalism

  The League devised a system of republican principles and a dual system of federalism, balancing local and national powers for the first time in North America.