Journal #1

I do not know a lot about Indians, but I vaguely remember my fifth grade field trip to Dickson Mounds. I know that there culture was very interesting and complex. They were very good at growing crops and bringing in a good amount of harvest. I remember that the men in the tribe would go hunt while the women would stay back in the village to mend clothing or tend to children. I think Indian American Culture is very interesting because their culture is so diverse. They lived in tepees that they would make themselves from large sticks of wood and big sheets of cloth. I really like looking at Indian artifacts in museums because they out a lot of detail into everything they make. They used berry ink to dye or decorate clothing or belongings. I think they made beads out of fish bones, if I remember correctly. I always find those interesting to look at. The Native Americans were very resourceful when it came to growing crops, making clothes, and other things like that. Their clothing was usually made out of animal skin that had been dried and skinned of the meat. Native Americans also usually have very unique names, such as the famous Indian Sitting Bull. I read somewhere that some Indian tribes would name their child after the first thing they saw after the child was born, but I am not sure if that is right or not. Native Americans passed down their stories and memories to their children, and their children would pass it down to their children. Many Native American stories are still around today, but a large portion of the original stories have been lost over time. Most Native American stories would be about spiritual creatures who would bring luck, good crops, or anything else of that nature. I like Native American Culture because of their religious beliefs, too. I like how they would imagine their gods as animals. I also remember how important totem poles were to their culture because it showed different spiritual forms of animals. I think I am going to enjoy learning more about Native American culture because I don't know very much about them, obviously.