cattails
A tall, thin plant with long, brown, furry pods at the top and narrow leaves.


colonists
Someone who lives in a newly settled place.


culture
A way of life shared by a certain group of people.


custom
A way of doing something that is shared by a group, such as shaking hands when saying hello.


fertilize
To put a substance such as manure of fish on land to make it richer and to make crops grow better.


flexible
Able to bend.


frame
A basic structure over which something is built.


kneaded
To press, fold, and stretch something to make it smooth.  For example, you knead bread dough to make it smooth.


moccasins
A soft leather shoe or slipper without a heel.  Native Americans used animal skins to make moccasins.


mouth
The part of a river where it empties into another body of water.


peeled

To remove or pull off.  For example, you pull off the skin of an orange.



pottery
Objects made of baked clay, such as bowls, plates, or vases.  Pottery can be used for decorative or practical purposes.


sacred
Holy, or to do with religion.  Sacred also means very important or deserving of respect.

saplings
A young tree.


settled
To make a home or to live in a new place.  A group of people who make a home or move to a new place create a settlement.  A settlement is a small village or group of houses.


settlers
To make a home or to live in a new place.  For example, the people who came from England to live in America were settlers.


shelter
A place where you can keep covered in bad weather or stay safe and unprotected from danger.


spirals

Winds around in circles.



squash
Fruit that growns on a vine in many shapes, sizes, and colors.  Squash are related to pumpkins and gourds.  They are cooked and eaten as vegetables.


Trading
To exchange one thing for another.  A fair trade is to exchange an item that has the same value as what you are trading for.


unsettled
No one lives there.  It is uninhabited.


waterfowl
A bird that lives on fresh water lakes, streams, or rivers.


weirs
A low dam built in a river to back up or force water through a prepared opening for catching fish.


wigwam
Hut made of poles and covered with bark or hides.  Some American Indian tribes, chiefly in the eastern United States, once lived in wigwams.