Native American Worksheets

Printable Native American Worksheets

Prior to Christopher Columbus exploration it is estimated that the population of what is now the United States of America ranged from five to ten million people. Native Americans have a rich culture and are often overlooked for their contributions to the world at large. This set of worksheets will help students better understand their influence.

Book Marks
Bulletin Board Border Set
Characteristics of Native American Tribes and Settlers
Comparing Native Americans, Pilgrims, and Me
Comparing Tribes VENN Diagram
Cryptogram
Group Creative Writing
Maze
My Totem Pole - Native Americans used totem poles to tell a story of the history of a family. Draw a totem pole that describes your family. Include pictures and words that tell the story of family history.
Our Tribe
Poem (Acrostic)
Reading Comprehension
VENN Diagram
Vocabulary List & Definitions
Vocabulary Quiz
Word Search
Writing Paper
Writing Paper v 2.0

Native American Related Teacher Resources

Native American Bulletin Board Characters

Understanding Who the Native Americans Are

Long before the famous explorer Christopher Columbus and the Europeans arrived in America, there were groups of people who were already living here. These were the indigenous people, also commonly referred to as the Native Americans or American Indians.

Culturally, the indigenous people of America fall into two open groups - the American Indians and the Arctic people. They are further divided by the areas they were residing in: Northern America (today known as the United States and Canada), Middle America (Mexico and Central America), and South America.

Thus, one can believe that the Native Americans were not just of varying tribes and cultures but also that they were the first people to be living across America. In a way, they dominated the land of America, rightfully making them the First Americans or Native Americans.

The Advent of Human Habitat on the American Continent

The first Americans were not one single group of people, and they arrived in America in different ways. There is still a constant mystery surrounding their first arrivals. Tthe general belief is that they first came to America 15,000 years ago, or possibly earlier than that even. This date is based on the sites with evidence of fire pits, burned bones, and work stones.

Origins of Native Americans

The understanding and history of the migration of Native Americans to America are not simple; instead, it was an overly complex process. They did not march across the land in one smooth path. As far as their origins are concerned, there is also a common understanding that the ancestors of the Native Americans were nomadic hunters from northeast Asia. The earliest ancestors of Native Americans were the paleo-Indians. They share some cultural traits with natives from other regions such as Asia.

It is known to have said that these Paleo-Indians entered America via the Bering Land Bridge and went along the coast. And gradually, paleo-Indians spread massively throughout North and South America after crossing the bridge.

Native Americans tended to use fire and domesticated dogs but did not utilize old-world technologies like the grazing animals or the wheel. Instead, smaller groups of hunters and gatherers wandered through the region for food, clothing, and socializing.

About the Population

Like other information on the Native Americans, their population is also discussed greatly. The least believable number some people suggest is 900,000 people, and the highest possible number is 18,000,000. Some scientists argue that approximately 1,115,000 native Americans lived in North America at the Columbian landfall.

Misconceptions About the Culture

These people had otherwise rich traditions regarding their origins.

Some people believed that the first Americans were members of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. It was believed that they came as refugees from the lost island of Atlantis and their descendants had built the Mound Builder culture. These people believed that the Native Americans had overtaken and eventually destroyed the Mound Builder civilization. These beliefs were not only false but also racist, and people only spread these beliefs to justify the destruction and displacement of North Americans.

Caught up in the misconceptions and negative stereotypes, people failed to realize the contributions of Native Americans to America. Whether that is through building temple mounds in the northeast or the numerous southeast culture areas, among some other things, it was the Native Americans who built all of this in America.

While they have seen tough times in the form of their executions and the prejudice against them, in 1924, through the Indian Citizenship Act, all Native Americans born in the United States were granted US citizenship, and soon enough, according to the Constitution of America, now Natives were allowed to vote in state and federal elections. There were some states who continued to deny them any rights for a few decades.

3 Prominent Native American Tribes Today

Ever since the beginning, there have been not one but many different tribes of Native Americans. Approximately there are 574 federally recognized Native American tribes in America currently. While not each of them is widely recognized, there are few that are more prominent today.

Cherokee

This is the largest Native American tribe. They resided in an area of the southeastern United States (North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennesse).

Navajo

This tribe is a close relative of the Apache tribes. They are also natives of the four corners region. This Navjo tribe is also famous for its jewelry, artistry, and contributions it has made to the military.

Choctaw

The Choctaw tribe is made of 200,000 people, making it one of the three largest tribes. Choctaw covers 12 tribal districts and eight counties in Oklahoma. This tribe, in its early days, was famous for building mounds and lived in a matriarchal society.

Concluding Thoughts

The land of America prior to European occuptaion and arrival of Christopher Columbus were densely populated by Native American communities. Hundreds of thousands of people lived in different environments, and every community of Native Americans was different in its culture. he arrival of Europeans brought immense disruption in their lives. Suddenly they were the victims of the territorial expansions of the Europeans and Britishers. Many communities were moved, dispersed, or destroyed.

Today about 30% of the original American Indians live on reservations. This land is preserved for them to help them protect their heritage and rich culture. Others live outside reservations just like any regular American