Native american tribes map for kids

Check out this detailed map created by Aaron Carapella who is a cartographer of Cherokee and European ancestry. He has heavily researched indigenous history and lands to create many beautiful maps featuring native people and tribes.

We invite you to zoom in, scroll around, and explore this map of tribal nations and indigenous names in what is also known today as North America. Link to PDF of map here. Please be patient as this map loads - it is large and very detailed. 

Save the Boundary Waters strives to keep diversity, equity, and inclusion at the forefront of our work and when our DEI team came across this map, we wanted to share it with you (with the artist's permission)!

This is also an opportunity to share a bit about tribal nations in northeastern Minnesota where our organization is based, and how tribes have interacted with the Boundary Waters sulfide-ore copper mining issue.

Indigenous people have lived in the Boundary Waters region for countless generations. Much of Minnesota’s “Arrowhead” region, including the Boundary Waters, is within the 1854 Ceded Territory, where Anishinaabe people (also known as Ojibwe or Chippewa) retain hunting, fishing, and gathering rights. Hunting, fishing, and gathering activities of two northern Bands are coordinated by the tribal government-run 1854 Treaty Authority - read more about the Treaty Authority here.

On the east side of the Boundary Waters lies Grand Portage Indian Reservation which contains Grand Portage National Monument, and to the west of the Wilderness are the three sections of the Bois Forte Reservation.

In 2016, three Chippewa Bands (Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, and White Earth) and one Canadian First Nation Community (Lac La Croix) requested that the U.S. federal government ban sulfide-ore copper mining on federal public lands on the U.S. side of the Rainy River Drainage Basin. The decision by the U.S. Forest Service Chief in December 20

You’ve heard the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Well, when teaching history, a high-quality map is worth even more!

Maps are a simple but powerful tool that can help your students learn key historical concepts visually. If you are looking for clear and informative maps about Native American Regions, you’ve come to the right place. 

Before you download the 5 free Native American Regions map worksheets at the bottom of the post, here are some tips for success.

Tips for Analyzing Native American Regions Maps with Students

First, use online maps.

Many maps have tiny details. Analyzing maps online allows students to zoom in. I recommend having a mini-lesson showing students exactly how to make the map take up the entire screen, zoom in, zoom out, and move around. 

Since your students will be using a computer or tablet to view the maps, I’ve formatted the worksheets using Google Slides. 

Second, teach your students basic map skills. 

The student worksheets expect students to know some map terms. 

Before analyzing the maps, teach students about compass roses, legends, and scales. If you need help, these short videos are great: 

Third, analyze the maps in a step-by-step way.  

Students can easily get overwhelmed if you put a map in front of them and ask something like, “What does this map tell you about Native American Regions?” 

I’ve found it’s better to have students: 

1. first, observe the map, 
2. then, try to make sense of it, 
3. and finally, use it as historical evidence. 

I’ve paired all 5 maps with the “Analyze a Map” worksheet from the National Archives. I like this worksheet because it breaks the analysis down into bite-sized pieces.

Finally, please don’t ask students to analyze ALL the maps in one lesson. 

In the Google Slides I’ve created, I do have all the maps in one presentation. This is just to make it easier for you to see all the maps and worksheets

This is a brief overview of Native Americans in Wisconsin. It is not meant to be comprehensive, rather it is a snapshot to provide some basic information on Native American history in Wisconsin and the status of tribes in Wisconsin. While this covers some information about tribal nations’ relationships with the United States, it focuses mostly on tribal nations and Native Americans in the state of Wisconsin.

GOVERNANCE

Number of Tribal Communities in Wisconsin: 12

1. Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians of the Bad River Reservation, Wisconsin
2. Brothertown Indian Nation*
3. Forest County Potawatomi Community, Wisconsin
4. Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin
5. Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin
6. Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of the Lac du Flambeau Reservation of Wisconsin
7. Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin
8. Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin
9. Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin
10. Sokaogon Chippewa Community, Wisconsin
11. St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin
12. Stockbridge Munsee Community, Wisconsin

* Not federally recognized

There currently are twelve tribal communities in the state of Wisconsin and eleven of them are federally recognized as tribal nations. Tribal nations within the United States’ borders are nations within a nation. The U.S. government recognizes a total of 573 Indian Nations variously referred to as tribes, pueblos, bands, nations, and native villages. Almost half of these nations are located in Alaska and the others are in 35 other states. There are 11 federally-recognized tribal nations in the state of Wisconsin. Tribal nations’ authority of self-governance, known as sovereignty, was recognized by European colonizers pre-dating the establishment of the United States. This political status signifies the federal government recognizes each tribe’s sovereignty to govern their members.

The sovereignty of tribal nations h

Native American Tribal Nations & Languages Map - Purpose & Background

NOTE: This Native American tribal nations map is produced using a different set of sources and is different from the other series of maps on our website, Native American Tribes Map and the associated state tribal maps.

The purpose of our Native American Tribal Nations & Languages Map is to document the names and pre European contact locations of Native American Tribal Nations across what is now the contiguous United States of America. 

This Native American map is intended to create a sense of pride for modern-day Native Americans and Indigenous Peoples and to educate the non-Native public of the rich history of the original inhabitants and stewards of America. For Native Americans and Indigenous Peoples of America, this land will always be our ancestral homeland.

Indigenous Peoples Resources seeks to honor all Native American tribes and Indigenous Peoples, by including not just the well-known Native American tribes, but also the many tribes and tribal nations that did not survive the effects of European genocide and disease.

Content of the Native American / American Indian/ Indigenous Peoples of America Map

The content of this map is comprised from the work of many historians, educators and archivists that have worked tirelessly to preserve the history of Indigenous Peoples around the world. This map is a visual reminder of who called this land home for tens of thousands of years before any European set foot and to provide a reference for the location of each tribe. Tribal languages have been included to help identify cultural ties between many of the tribal nations that lived in the same or neighboring regions. In many cases, information regarding the original names, locations and tribal languages of Native Americans can be difficult to find and historians continue to document new information and