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The Mohicans were woodland Indians and lived in
wigwams
and longhouses, and not in tepees like the plains indians did.
Wigwam means "bark-dwelling" in Mahican and was made of a frame of wood poles covered by bark and rush mattings.
They slept on spruce boughs covered with deerskins and blankets.
Woodland indians used
corn husks, quillwork, feathers, beads and paint to
decorate deer skin clothing, baskets and other ornaments. Common
designs were
plants, flowers, and semicircles depicting walking trails in
the forest using the colors blood-red, white, blueberry and coal
black.
Corn, beans
and squash
"the three
sisters" were
food staples, augmented by hunting in the forest and
maple sugaring
each year in the spring. Women's roles included planting and harvesting
crops, and men spent much of their time away, hunting, fishing and trapping.
Children were never spanked or hit and were allowed considerable autonomy.
Spirituality
prior to missionary contact involved belief in a good Great Spirit and an
evil spirit or trickster. A number of feasts and fasts were
observed, including the harvest feast now known as Thanksgiving.
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Last Modified 3/March/2002
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