Curriculum Materials: Art in America Image 13 Seneca Woodlands region Feast Ladle Key Points Essays: The Seneca Nation The Tradition of Feasting About this Object Technique Questions: Look Questions Think Questions The Seneca Nation Before Europeans arrived in North America, many Native American peoples inhabited lands that stretched from the Atlantic seaboard to the Mississippi River, today known as the Woodlands region. The peoples of this region relied upon the plant and animal resources of vast forests for their survival. Woodlands peoples made almost everything they needed from natural materials and based many of their designs on natural forms. Among the Woodlands peoples were the Seneca, who once inhabited a large area east of the Great Lakes in what is today New York State. The Seneca were one of six Indian nations that formed the Iroquois Confederacy of Nations1. This confederacy's representative form of government significantly influenced the founders of the new American republic. From the time of contact, the Seneca traded with Europeans, supplying them with animal pelts in exchange for a variety of goods. To the Teacher ~ Introduction ~ Timeline ~ Artwork Index ~ Categories for Comparison ~ Glossary ~ How to Order ~ Your Comments 1. The other nations were the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Tuscarora. Top of Page