How to Make a Native American Village for a School Project

Use scrap cloth for re-creating teepees.

Re-create a Native American village for a school project by choosing and thoroughly studying a Native American tribe. Research where the tribe lived, what they did for shelter, food, clothing, entertainment and protection. Include the responsibilities of assorted tribe members if possible, such as Native American men hunting for food and clothing. Use twigs and other natural elements from your backyard or nearby park to make the village look as authentic as possible. This project also makes for educational fun at home.

Collect sticks, leaves, grass, rocks, bark and shells to build your Native American village model. Use a wooden board, cardboard or thick poster board as a base.

Study the housing habits of assorted tribes and select a tribe whose village you would like to re-create in you diorama. For example, the Algonquin tribe erected wigwams, or dome-shaped wooden houses, for lodging. Longhouses were made by the neighboring Iroquois tribe, which were essentially longer versions of wigwams.

Show the division of labor within the tribe you are representing. For example, Algonquin Indian men hunted, fished and went to war to protect their families; Algonquin women collected plants, berries and nuts for food, cooked and cared for the children, according to Canada's First Peoples. Animals hunted by tribes of the Eastern Woodlands, which can be included in your diorama if desired, include bear, squirrel, raccoon, moose and beaver.

Display other aspects of your chosen tribe if applicable, such as transportation methods and weapons/tools used. For example, the Algonquins used hooks, weirs and nets made from forest material for fishing, according to Canada's First Peoples. Hunters and warriors used tools and weapons such as lances, traps and bows and arrows.

  • Make your own Native American figurines or purchase some from sites such as The Old Gift Shop.

Kent Page McGroarty has worked as a writer since 2006, contributing numerous articles to various websites. She is a frequent contributor to the health and fitness sections of the online magazine EDGE Publications and holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Saint Joseph's University.

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