by the whole class
The Wampanoag people made wigwams out of trees, bark, and Mother Nature. They bent thin trees called "saplings" to make a frame. They tied them down with strong roots or string made of grasses. Next, they covered the frame with bark (if it was winter) or grasses and cattails (if it was summer). If it was really cold, they lined the inside with furs. In winter, the wigwams were toasty and warm. In summer, the wigwams were cool and breezy. They kept a fire going in the middle of the wigwam, for heating it and for cooking. They made benches around the inside walls of the wigwam so they could sit around, or sleep there. While the poor Pilgrims were freezing in their wooden (but uninsulated) houses, and burning in the summer, the Natives were cozy and comfortable!
The Wampanoags used to make canoes out of birch trees. This is how they did it: First, they cut down the tree. Then they split it into separate sticks. They made a frame with the sticks. Then they covered the outside with pieces of birch bark. When they were done, they had a smooth, fast, light canoe that was all ready to set sail!
The Native people ate different things according to where they lived, and what season it was. Some of their favorite foods were fish, clams, mussels, bear, deer, berries, acorns, squash, corn, beans, and pumpkins.
The Wampanoag fished in different ways than we do now. They used nets made of woven grass, and spears. The really fast ones could catch fish with their hands!
Native people were also very different gardeners than us. First of all, it was the women who did all the gardening. They would plant the seeds and then just leave the garden alone for about three months. In the middle of a mound of dirt, they planted the corn seeds. Corn is a very tall plant. They planted the beans around the corn. Bean plants are vines, and they liked to wrap around the corn. Finally, they planted pumpkins and squash around the beans. Pumpkins and squash like to grow out. They didn't water the gardens or weed them, they just left them and came back when it was time to harvest the food! The Natives did things differently, but they were very smart.
How did the Wampanoag cook their food? I will tell you. They did not have metal pots or pans. Sometimes, they made clay pots and used them for cooking. For stew, they would cut down a tree and hollow part of it out to make a sort of big wooden bowl. Now, you all know that wood burns when it's on a fire, so what they would do is this: They would put the hollowed log close to the fire. Next, they would put some stones in the fire. Then they put water, meat, corn, beans, berries, or anything else they wanted to eat, into the hollowed log. They would wait for the stones to get red hot and then they put the stones into the hollowed log. After the stones got cool, they put more hot stones in, and put the cool ones back in the fire. They used sticks like tongs to move the stones back and forth. Eventually, the food got cooked this way. Maybe there was sand in the stew sometimes, but that just made their teeth nice and white!
The Wampanoag people dressed according to the season. In winter, they wore thick clothes and robes. In the summer, they hardly wore anything at all, just little loincloths or aprons. Their clothes were mostly made of deer or other animal skins. People didn't have pockets, but they carried things in pouches made out of animal skins. Boys up to the age of ten or twelve didn't wear anything at all!
Wampanoags sometimes painted their faces to show how they were feeling! They had different colors for being mad, happy, or sad. They made the colors from plants or certain rocks.
The Native women and girls were good at sewing and making jewelry. First, they took a long piece of grass and some shells. They made sure the shells had holes by taking a bear's tooth or a rock and putting it through the shells. They strung the shells on the grass. When they had enough shells, they tied a knot and they had a Native necklace.
You might be surprised at the discipline of the Wampanoags for their children. They had none at all! The children learned what to do and what not to do from watching their elders. If a child wanted to touch something hot, no one objected. If a child was going to fall or walk into fire, then someone might grab them. When the mother and father were out working, the grandparents took the kids and told them about their ancestors and their religion.
The Wampanoag didn't just eat the meat of bears ... they used the fat too. After they killed a bear, cleaned it, and washed the blood off, they kept the fat and put it in a bowl. They used bear fat as suntan lotion! They also liked to rub bear fat into their hair to make it smooth and shiny. They used bear grease as bug spray to keep mosquitoes away. They also rubbed it on their bodies when it was cold. Bear grease and other animal fat helps keep you warm. So, instead of your mother saying "wrap up in lots of buffalo robes, it's cold," a Wampanoag mother would say, "Smear some bear fat on yourself ... it's cold outside!"