Museum Entrance

1
Museum Entrance
Welcome to the Bonilla Museum
People of Trade Room
Fur Trade Room
Native American Economics
Every Day Living
Native American Economic System
2
Room 2
Native American Fur Trade
Add Artifact 6
Add Artifact 8
Add Artifact 5
Add Artifact 7
3
Room 3
Every Day Living
Add Artifact 9
Add Artifact 12
Add Artifact 11
Add Artifact 10
4
Room 4
People of Trade
Add Artifact 16
Add Artifact 14
Add Artifact 13
Add Artifact 15
5
Alcohol Trade

• One item traded with the Native Americans in
  large quantities was alcohol. This one substance
  had a tremendous affect on Native American
  culture. Used in negotiations, it is theorized
  that the Europeans introduced alcohol to cloud
  Native American thought and reasoning. It was
  more likely that intoxicated Native Americans
  could be cheated during trades. This often left
  trading Indian communities in a state of poverty.
  In the early 1800s, attempts were made to limit
  the trade of alcohol with the Native Americans,
  but were for the most part unsuccessful.

Image acquired at http//www.artzooks.com/photos-
images/beer-barrel.html
Return to Room
6
Wampum Belt

• A Wampum belt is made of rows of beads woven
  together. The beads were made out of shells that
  had holes drilled in them so they could be strung
  together. The beads were traded among the Native
  American tribes. They were used in religious and
  ritual ceremonies. In addition, they represented
  validated treaties and were used in their oral
  traditions. One tribe may have received a Wampum
  belt from another tribe as a message because the
  color of the beads had different meanings. After
  meeting the Europeans, the Native Americans
  expanded their bead trade. Eventually, the Wampum
  beads represented a form of money, because they
  could be used in exchange for other types of
  goods.

Image acquired at http//www.nativetech.org/wampu
m/wamppics.htm
Return to Room
7
Native American Copper

• Native Americans were trading copper long before
  they met the Europeans. Copper was used as
  utensils, tools, arrow points, pipes, and in
  jewelry. The tribes living near large copper
  deposits were very familiar with mining and
  working with the copper. As the Native Americans
  came into contact with the Europeans, copper
  became a valuable commodity when trading for
  items made of iron and steel.

Image acquired at http//anthro.amnh.org/anthropo
logy/databases/north_public/north_public.htm
Return to Room
8
Weapons Trade

• The first European explorers introduced firearms
  to the Native Americans. While exchange was
  limited in the beginning, demand rapidly
  increased with the introduction of flintlock in
  the early 1600s. By the end of the 1600s,
  European companies were trading weapons with the
  Native Americans on a large scale. Initially, the
  traded weapons were not guaranteed to fire, as
  many of them exploded in the hands of their
  users. However, as with other manufactured items,
  rigid quality requirements were placed on the
  trading companies. Native Americans fashioned gun
  cases as a way of displaying their weapon.

Image acquired at http//anthro.amnh.org/anthropo
logy/databases/north_public/north_public.htm
Return to Room
9
Beaver Pelt Trade

• Native Americans traded beaver pelts before the
  Europeans arrived, but in limited quantities.
  With the arrival of the Europeans, pelt trade
  expanded to the point of near extinction of
  beavers. In the mid 1600s, thousands of pelts
  were traded with the Europeans in exchange for
  guns, alcohol, blankets, cloth, beads, and food.
  The European demand for beaver pelts was high.
  Not only did they want the pelts to make warm
  clothes, but they also represented a symbol of
  status. The over-hunting of beaver also affected
  the natural eco-system.

Image acquired at http//www.sd4history.com/Unit4
/changelandlesson1.htm
Return to Room
10
Land Rights

• The Native Americans and the Europeans viewed
  land rights differently. It was the philosophy of
  the Europeans that any land discovered became
  property of the sovereign monarch. It could be
  parsed out as they saw fit. They, therefore,
  would claim land ownership. On the other hand,
  the Indians viewed land rights differently. Even
  though the Europeans thought the Indians had no
  formal interest in the land, the Indians had a
  sophisticated trade economy which included land
  use. They had intertribal treaties, rules for
  land rights, and dispute resolution methods. When
  entering trade negotiations with the Europeans,
  the Indians thought they were entering into
  similar land use agreements. The notion of land
  ownership was foreign and resulted in Indians
  giving up their land and being forcibly
  relocated.

Image acquired at http//www.maxdstandley.com/gic
lees/i/the_trail_of_tears.jpg
Return to Room
11
Map Making

• Due mostly as a result of the fur trade, Native
  Americans were employed or forced to scout areas
  and make maps for the Europeans. The Native
  Americans already had extensive trade trails and
  well established routes across the country. The
  Europeans used the knowledge of the Native
  Americans to map out open land for future
  migration and trade routes. Many of the Indian
  trails became horse paths, then wagon trails,
  caravan roads, and eventually highways.

Image acquired at http//www.mtmen.org/mtman/html
/bville/bvillmap2.jpg
Return to Room
12
Deerskin Trade

• Another important trading relationship between
  the Native Americans and Europeans was with
  deerskin trade. Deerskins were exported to Europe
  as it was an important source for the leather
  industry. As with the fur trade, competition was
  fierce. Alliances were formed and broken between
  tribes over hunting grounds, between the
  Europeans and Native Americans over trade
  negotiations, and between the Europeans over
  exporting rights. By the end of the 1600s, over
  100,000 pounds of deerskin were being exported
  annually. As trade relations continued between
  Native Americans and Europe, the Native Americans
  became more dependent upon the European goods.

Image acquired at www.historycooperative.org
Return to Room
13
Cooking Tools and Other Things

• Europeans not only traded weapons and alcohol,
  but a variety of household items. In exchange for
  furs and pelts, European merchants traded
  kettles, spoons, fish hooks, combs, scissors,
  mirrors, needles and thread, clothing, and
  blankets. The Native Americans readily accepted
  the trade items as they made some aspects of
  their lives easier and more comfortable. They
  could incorporate some the European items
  directly into their traditional culture. Over
  time, some of the Native American tribes had more
  European goods in their household than some of
  the Europeans themselves. While this trade seemed
  beneficial for all parties, it eventually led to
  Native Americans becoming dependent on Europeans
  goods of trade.

Image acquired at http//kikipotamus.files.wordpr
ess.com/2007/04/steaming-kettle.jpg
Return to Room
14
Corn

• One of the main crops for Native Americans was
  corn. Over the years, they developed special
  cultivation techniques to produce the best corn
  for human consumption. They could grow corn in
  almost any type of environment. The Native
  Americans would dry and grind corn to be stored
  for later consumption. Corn crops varied from
  different tribes, so it was often used in trade.
  When the Europeans arrived, corn became a
  necessary commodity for them. They were eager to
  trade for corn or corn products.

Image acquired at http//www.inmagine.com/searcht
erms/indian_corn-5.html
Return to Room
15
Herbs and Medicines

• Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, the Native
  Americans had extensive knowledge of local herb
  medicines and treatments. This included knowing
  which plants to use, how to dry or prepare them,
  and how to store and mix them for particular
  ailments. The Indians knew where the plants grew
  or which tribe to trade with if the plant did not
  grow locally. After the arrival of the Europeans,
  the Native American medicines were not a high
  value commodity in the trade circuit. However,
  knowledge and techniques were exchanged. Even
  though European doctors viewed Native American
  healing with a critical eye, many of the herb
  ingredients found a place in European treatments.
  

Image acquired at http//anthro.amnh.org/anthropo
logy/databases/north_public/north_public.htm
Return to Room
16
Horse Trade

• The Plains Indian horses were introduced to North
  America by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 16th
  century. They brought a mixture of breeds and
  varied in size and color. The introduction of
  horses allowed for greater mobility and were a
  sought after commodity by many tribes. When trade
  was limited, horse stealing raids occurred. Horse
  trade was one of the few items that did not leave
  the Indians dependent on the Europeans. In fact,
  some tribes were able to breed the horses to
  improve their economic situation. Unlike other
  items of trade, the horse did not belong to the
  whole tribe. It was the property of individuals,
  which led to increased status within the tribe.

Image acquired at http//www.thefurtrapper.com/in
dian_horse.htm
Return to Room
17
Native American Women

• Before coming into contact with the Europeans,
  Native American tribes were matriarchal. While
  division of labor was equal, the women were in
  charge of land tenure and use. Inheritance and
  family clans were through the mother and the
  women handled the trade transactions and
  distribution of goods. They had a great deal of
  power and authority over their lives. Women were
  responsible for taking care of the family, caring
  for the sick and injured, and maintaining the
  spirituality of the tribe. It was often the women
  who met with other tribes to negotiate treaties
  or to make trade agreements.

Image acquired at http//anthro.amnh.org/anthropo
logy/databases/north_public/north_public.htm
Return to Room
18
European Trade

• Trade relations with the Native Americans varied
  depending on which county the Europeans
  originated from.
• Spain The Spanish explored new lands in search
  of precious metals to increase Spains financial
  status. Successful conquistadors from Mexico
  found the new land to be different. Under the
  guise of religion, Spain established missions for
  political economical purposes. They used Native
  Americans to work in the missions and were paid
  in inexpensive trade goods.
• France The French, like the Spanish, originally
  explored new lands looking for precious metals.
  When the French arrived in North America, they
  found few precious metals, but found something
  more valuable fur. Unlike the English, the
  French were not initially interested in
  establishing permanent colonies. They simply
  wanted to trade for fur from the Native Americans
  and export it back to their homeland.
• England While England eventually got involved in
  the fur trade, they originally came to America
  for different reasons. They were looking to
  establish permanent colonies. With the arrival of
  the English in Jamestown, the Native Americans
  were cautious at first. In time, an offering of
  informal trade began. The Native Americans
  offered food and land use to the English.
  Relationships became strained when the English
  interpreted land use as land ownership.

Image acquired at http//www.gracegalleries.com/i
mages/Repros/REPRO29.jpg
Return to Room
19
Tribal Men

• Traditionally, Native American tribes were
  matriarchal. Any power the men had was given to
  them by the women and could be taken away by the
  women. However, with the arrival of the
  Europeans, this changed. Europe was a patriarchal
  society, where men were in charge. They assumed
  that the Native American society would be the
  same. In meetings with the Indians, the Europeans
  wanted to deal with the men. Trade negotiations,
  treaties, land rights, and diplomatic relations
  went through the men. This led to a change within
  the Native American culture and a power shift
  from the women to the men.

Image acquired at http//nativeamericans.com/Nati
veAmericanImages4.htm
Return to Room
20
Intertribal Trade

• Long before the arrival of the Europeans, the
  Native Americans had an elaborate system of trade
  that networked throughout the country. Not only
  did the hunting tribes trade with the farming
  tribes, but specialty items that originated
  hundreds of miles away could be traded. Examples
  include copper from Lake Superior, pipestone from
  Minnesota, turquoise from New Mexico, and marine
  shells from coastal tribes. Native Americans
  exchanged different varieties of corn, feathers,
  and hides. As Native American tribes began
  trading with the Europeans, some of the new
  products would reach tribes years before the
  people would even meet.

Image acquired at http//kyusa.addr.com/Cherokee/

Return to Room
21
Jennifer Bonilla

• Hi, I am a third grade teacher at Hollingsworth
  Elementary. I have been teaching and working in
  Las Vegas for six years. This picture is from the
  Alaskan cruise that I took this summer. I visited
  a dog sled training camp and this is one of four
  puppies that an Iditarod racer had recently
  birthed.
• If you have any questions about my museum, please
  e-mail me at jbonilla_at_interact.ccsd.net

Return to Room
Note Virtual museums were first introduced by
educators at Keith Valley Middle School in
Horsham, Pennsylvania. This template was designed
by Dr. Christy Keeler based on one of the sample
virtual museums provided by the Keith Valley
staff at ISTEs NECC 2005. Contact Dr. Keeler for
more information on using this template.