Folks say, “It takes a village to raise a child.” People of the eastern woodlands knew that it took a village to survive.
In their villages, all people were taken care of, but everyone had a job to do. Men cleared trees so crops could be planted. Men also hunted in the woods and fished in the rivers. Women and children planted and tended the gardens near the village. They also went into the forest to gather nuts, berries, and other wild foods. By splitting up the work, they got more done. This helped them survive. Men and women worked together on some jobs, like harvesting, maple sugaring, and building canoes. Children did not go to school. They learned by working with adults. In some tribes, men were away a lot on long hunting trips. So, women did most of the governing of the village.