Native nations were brilliant inventors! With stone, wood, bone, and plants, they made everything they needed.
They carved canoes to travel rivers — some from birch bark, light enough to carry! They wove baskets so tightly they could hold water. They invented snowshoes to walk on top of deep snow, and warm moccasins for their feet.
Plains hunters made bows, arrows, and a carrying frame called a travois that horses or dogs could pull. Many of these inventions were so smart that people STILL use them today — canoes, snowshoes, and moccasins are in stores right now!
1. What materials did nations use to make tools?
2. What were snowshoes for?
3. What is a travois?
4. Which inventions do people still use today?
You need: two sheets of different-colored paper, scissors, a grown-up helper.
Step 1: Fold one sheet in half. Cut slits from the fold toward the edge, stopping about an inch from the end. Unfold — this is your loom.
Step 2: Cut the second sheet into strips.
Step 3: Weave each strip over-under-over-under through the slits. Start the next strip under-over-under-over.
Step 4: Push the strips snug together. You've woven like a basket maker!
Bonus: Try walking with big flat objects (like cardboard) strapped under your shoes on a soft surface — that's the snowshoe idea: spreading your weight so you don't sink!
1. Was weaving easy or tricky? What was the pattern?
2. Why do snowshoes keep you from sinking in snow?
Draw a line or write the letter to match each tool to its job.
| Tool | Job (write A, B, C, or D) |
|---|---|
| Canoe | A. Walking on deep snow |
| Snowshoes | B. Traveling on rivers |
| Basket | C. Carrying loads behind a horse |
| Travois | D. Holding food and even water |
Draw a birch bark canoe and a pair of snowshoes.
| I did it! | Circle one |
|---|---|
| I wove a paper mat | YES / NOT YET |
| I can name four Native inventions | YES / NOT YET |
| I know which are still used today | YES / NOT YET |