Harmony with Nature Most tasks are performed in the open air, by a stream or in the woods, where natural food is abundant. But Indians also know how to grow their own food, and are skilled hunters with bow-and-arrow. Roomy homes are made of lashed saplings, covered with bark, which are often clustered inside a stockade fence for protection from intruders.

	Building Without Lumber Indian dwellings in the eastern woodlands are simple and snug. Woven mats line the inside walls to block drafts, while the firepit in the center allows cooking in bad weather, and heating in cool seasons. Like western teepees, these huts have openings at the top to draw smoke up and out.
	Hunting Wild Game Hunting on open grasslands with only a bow-and-arrow requires skill and cunning. Until Indians are able to capture and tame horses that escape from the Spanish, bringing down a buffalo is a tricky business. Indian hunters sometimes cover their bodies in animal skins, to allow a closer approach.