The Indians of Iowa

A Closer Look: Traditional Ways of Life

A CLOSER LOOK Traditional Ways of Life The native nations of Iowa developed their ways of life in response to Iowa’s natural environment: its weather, seasons, animals, plants, and minerals. Iowa is in a transitional zone between the open plains of the west and the eastern woodlands; it is a mosaic of hardwood forests , tallgrass prairies, and wetlands. This resulted in tribal lifestyles that were similarly mosaic and transitional, with characteristics belonging to both the Eastern Woodlands (such as bark lodges) and the Plains-culture areas (such as tipis). Although there were differences in the cultures, histories, and traditions of the different tribes, there were also similarities. All the historic tribes within Iowa tended to settle in villages in river valleys and were dependent on a combination of hunting and farming. The cycle of activities followed throughout the year was intricately bound to the cycle of seasons. The following annual cycle was typical for most of Iowa’s tribes from 1700 to 1850. Spring The yearly cycle began in April, when the tribe returned from smaller, dispersed winter camps to the riverside villages where they grew their crops. The large summer houses, oval or square in shape, were covered by bark, preferably elm, which was flexible and waterproof . They settled up their accounts with the white traders, selling the last of their furs. Some tribes would rebury those who had died during the winter, in the graveyards near the villages. They opened underground pits or caches where they had stored crops, including corn, from the previous fall harvest, holding a big feast to welcome the spring and to bid farewell to the dead. Women began to repair the lodges and crop fences and to clear the fields and prepare them for 18 Traditional Ways of Life planting. Some types of edible greens and medicinal plants were also gathered; other types matured at other times during the year. In May the crops were planted, and the tribe marked this major event with ceremony and prayer. A feast was accompanied by the national dances as well as the war dance, in preparation for the war season. During this time, young men courted young women, and marriages were arranged and made. When the first thunder was heard, the sacred bundles were opened, and the season of storytelling was over. Summer Summer was the season of hunting and of war, generally fought over hunting rights to defined territories. After the corn was planted, in about June, it was time for many to leave the village for about a month. The young men went on long-distance hunts for deer and buffalo and on war parties. Some of the older men and women went to mine lead. Others went to fish and to gather bulrushes for making mats. Only a few elderly men and women, as well as children, stayed to watch the crops. In late July, everyone returned to the village. Some brought back dried meat and fish, and some brought completed mats. When the corn was about knee-high, it was time to hoe and dig up weeds. By this time, some of the beans and squash were ready, so people exchanged goods and had feasts until the corn was ripe. The young men were always restless, so they frequently headed out in small war parties to avenge the deaths of relatives or to guard claimed hunting grounds. The summer buffalo hunt occurred in July, with the people moving as a great group out onto the plains to camp in buffalo-hide tipis. When the green corn was ready for roasting there was a great feast. This was a celebration accompanied by gambling, horse racing, and the great tribal ball games of lacrosse. In August, the women gathered cattails to make coarse mats used for floors and winter lodge cover- Traditional Ways of Life 19 ings, while finely made bulrush mats were used for sleeping mats or storage. Some men fished for sturgeon. Fall September was the time of harvest. The best of the harvest was saved for seed, and the rest was either dried and prepared for storage in the cache pits or eaten in a great celebratory feast. The people then prepared to leave the summer villages for the winter hunting grounds. Traders arrived at the summer villages and were told where they could build their houses; they provided credit for needed items like firearms, ammunition, blankets, cloth, kettles, and the like against the furs that would be trapped that...