Chapter 4
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65
Around the village, the Iroquois built
wooden fences with sharp points. This kept
bears andpanthers fromentering thevillage.
In times of war, the fence served as a fort.
Native Americans took good care of their
homes and themselves. Women liked long
hair. Bothmen and women added bear fat
and dark soot left from the ashes to make
their hair glossy and black. The Algonquin
and Iroquois homes did not have tables,
chairs, or closets. Their beds were made
from deer or bear skins.
Their Money System
N
ative Americans had no money
system. They did not have coins.
Their onlywayof getting a goodor
product they did not have was through
making the item or trading for it. Another
term for trading is
bartering
.
Before the European settlers arrived,
trading was not important to the Native
Americans. However, the tribes saw that
metal tools and guns the European settlers
could offer were far superior to their tools
and weapons. The Europeans had a high
demand for the furs of animals such as
beaver and fox. This resulted in an active
search for these animals. Native Americans
bartered for European goods with furs. As
animal furs became scarcer, tribe members
stretched the distance of land they covered.
This led to much fighting and conflict
among the Iroquois andAlgonquin.
You may have read that tribes used
wampum
for trading. Wampum means
strings of white shell beads. Therewere two
kinds of wampummade from clam shell—
white and black.
Earlier, wampumwas used by the Iroquois
to record stories and events. Later, it became
away of trading for items or to show a peace
treaty. White wampum was a symbol of
peace. Blackwampumwas a sign of sadness.
Their Transportation
I
n Pennsylvania, Native Americans
traveled more by land than water.
However, their villageswere set upnear
a good fresh water supply. Travel by land
was easier. By the time theEuropean settlers
arrived, thereweremanywell-marked trails
crisscrossing the state.
They were excellent trail makers and
chose their paths carefully. Where possible,
they kept their paths on high, well-drained
ground.When they had to cross a stream or
river, they chose the best location todo this.
Native Americans were often kind to
other travelers. They built shelters along
these paths. They often left a piece of
smoked bear meat hanging from the
shelter’s roof for travelers.
Many of our present-day highways in
Pennsylvania follow the trails mapped out
by Native Americans. Most trails were so
well planned that there was little need to
Native Americans used canoes
to travel inwater.
