acclimate to adapt to a new temperature, altitude, climate, environment, or situation.
bilateral having two sides.
breechcloth a cloth worn about the loins or hip area.
cassava a type of melon.
caste a division of society based on differences of wealth, inherited rank or privilege, profession, or occupation.
char a small-scaled trout with light-colored spots.
clan a group of people tracing descent from a common ancestor.
erosion the wearing away of soil, usually by wind or water.
fast to go without food for a period of time.
kiva a ceremonial structure that is usually round and partly underground.
lineage descent in a line from a common progenitor.
longhouse a long communal dwelling.
matrilineal relating to, based on, or tracing descent through the maternal line.
moiety one of two basic complementary tribal subdivisions.
oratorical relating to speaking in public eloquently or effectively.
palisade a fence of stakes designed for defense.
paternal of or relating to the father.
patriarchal characteristic of a social organization marked by the supremacy of the father in the clan or family.
patrilineal relating to, based on, or tracing descent through the paternal line.
pemmican a concentrated food consisting of lean meat dried, pounded fine, and mixed with melted fat.
sagamore a subordinate chief of the Algonquian Indians of the North Atlantic coast.
totem an object serving as the emblem of a family or clan and often as a reminder of its ancestry.
vision quest a personal spiritual search undertaken by an adolescent Native American boy in order to learn the identity of his guardian spirit.
wickiup a hut with a usually oval base and a rough frame covered with reed mats, grass, or brushwood.
wigwam a hut having typically an arched framework of poles overlaid with bark, rush mats, or hides.