How to Make an Authentic-Looking Indian Village for a School Project

Use pictures of Indian villages for inspiration.

Indians developed and constructed villages in countless ways. Making an authentic-looking Indian village for a school project is a wise way to display a visual, three-dimensional image of a Native American community. Glue figurines and objects to a poster board mat or construct your project in a vertically standing shoebox to easily transport your project from home to school. Provide a thorough explanation of all facets of your project to teachers and classmates to ensure you communicate your display with success.

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Poster board
Shoebox
Faux grass
Felt
Construction paper
Twigs
Styrofoam
Scissors
Glue
Markers
Paint
Cardboard
Animal hide
Tissue paper
Scotch tape
Indian figurines
Animal figurines

Instructions

- 1
  
  Study all relevant materials. Identify the specific tribe you intend to research. Examine books and journals on Indian history related to that tribe. Take notes of the clothes, entertainment, food and hierarchy of the village. Copy photographs to help you understand the culture as well as possible. Visit the Cherokee Historical Association website, for example, to learn about Indian villages associated with this tribe. Read "In Cherokee, N. C. --- Oconaluftee Indian Village Authentic Re-created Cherokee Village of 200 Years Ago", edited by the Cherokee Historical Association, for additional research.
- 2
  
  Make houses realistic to the tribe you are representing. Use tiny twigs or cylinder pieces of cardboard to act as logs for building large covered dwelling for Pawnee Mandan tribal families, for instance. Divide massive communal Iroquois houses, for example, into equally sized rooms on either side, with a community room at center where fires were set and meals were shared. Shade tissue paper the color orange, grey and/or black colors to represent fire and smoke.
- 3
  
  Finish the details of the project. Glue Indian and animal figurines inside and outside of home structures. Display animals Indians would eat -- hogs and deer, for example -- and show village members in their specific roles in the community. Place mothers and daughters together collecting water and making food. Put fathers and sons together as they prepare for hunts or conduct tribal ceremonies.