The Tuscarora Indians
originally lived in North Carolina.
But in the early 1700's, many Tuscarora
were
killed or enslaved by the British during
the Tuscarora War. Most of
the survivors
moved to New York to live
with
their northern relatives, the powerful Iroquois Confederacy.
Most
Tuscarora Indians today live in New York state or
across
the border
in
Ontario, but there
are some Tuscarora people still living in the
Carolinas.
What Language do the Tuscarora people speak?
Most Tuscarora people speak English today, but some Tuscaroras also speak their native Tuscarora language. Tuscarora is a
complex language with many sounds that are unlike
the
sounds in English. If you'd like to know a few easy Tuscarora words, "chwe'n" (pronounced similar to chweh-n) is a friendly greeting,
and "nyeahweh" (pronounced similar to nyah-winh) means 'thank you.'
Today Tuscarora is an endangered
language because most
children aren't learning
it anymore. However, some Tuscarora
people are working to keep their language alive.
Selection adapted from
http://www.bigorrin.org/tuscarora_kids.htm
What were Tuscarora homes like in
the past?
The Tuscarora people lived in villages of longhouses, which were large
wood-frame buildings covered with sheets
of elm bark. Tuscarora longhouses were up to a hundred feet long,
and each
one housed an entire
clan
(as many as 60 people.) Today, longhouses are only used for
ceremonial purposes. The Tuscaroras live in modern houses and apartment buildings, just like you.
How do Tuscarora Indian children live, and what did they do in the past?
They do the same things any children do--play with each other,
go to school and help around the house. Many Tuscarora children like to go hunting and
fishing with their fathers. In the past,
Indian kids had more chores and less time to play, just like early
colonial children. But
they did have cornhusk dolls, toys,
and games, such as one
game where
kids tried to throw
a
dart
through a moving hoop. Lacrosse was a popular
sport among Tuscarora boys as it was among adult men.
What are Tuscarora arts and crafts like?
Beadwork,
basketry and wood-carving are the
most common Tuscarora crafts.
The Tuscarora also crafted
wampum out of white and purple shell beads. Wampum beads were
traded as a kind of
currency, but they were more
culturally important as an art material. The
designs and pictures on wampum belts often told a story or represented a
person's family.
What
was Tuscarora
clothing like? Did they wear
feather headdresses and face paint?
Tuscarora men wore breechcloths with leggings. Tuscarora women wore wraparound skirts with shorter leggings. Unlike other Iroquois tribes, Tuscarora Indian men wore shirts, which were traditionally made from hemp. Tuscarora women often wore a long tunic called an overdress. The Tuscaroras usually wore moccasins on their feet. In colonial
times, the Tuscarora tribe adapted European
costume like cloth shirts and blouses,
decorating them with beadwork and ribbon applique. The Tuscaroras didn't wear long headdresses like the Sioux. Men wore traditional Iroquois
headdresses, which were feathered caps with a different insignia for each tribe. (The Tuscarora headdress is made of turkey feathers with no eagle feathers sticking up from
it.)
Women sometimes wore
special beaded tiaras. In times of war, Tuscarora men often
shaved their heads except for a scalplock
or a
crest down the center of their head--the style known as a roach, or a "Mohawk."
Sometimes they would augment this hairstyle
with
splayed feathers or artificial roaches made of brightly dyed porcupine and deer hair. Otherwise they wore
it long
and loose
or
plaited into a long
braid. The Tuscaroras
sometimes painted their faces and bodies with red, black and white designs. After moving to New York, Tuscarora men began to wear tattooslike other Iroquoians.
Today, some Tuscarora people still wear moccasins or a beaded shirt,
hair on special occasions like a dance.
Selection adapted from
http://www.bigorrin.org/tuscarora_kids.ht
No comments:
Post a Comment