The first Amerindian home was made with bamboos as the structure, and dry leaves on the roof. Their first homes were round and measured about 12 feet across. The roofs were supported by a strong central post about 25ft high.  This great height was necessary to make their roofs of thatch waterproof, for rainwater was able to run off fast with so steep a roof. Balanced atop the house within the extensions of the roof poles was a large rock. This was supposed to bring luck to the inhabitants of the house. The Amerindians invented the hammock, which name is derived from the Arawakan word, “hamaca”.  Hammocks were slung from the central post to the round surrounding wall.

The canoe
The first canoes were hollowed out tree trunks and may have been given extra freeboard by adding planks on either side. Firstly, a large tree was chosen and fire was set around the base to kill it.  Then it was left standing for a year or so to season.

Amerindian Headdresses
The War bonnet had to be earned through brave deeds in battle because the feathers signified the deeds themselves. Some warriors might obtain only two or three honour feathers in their whole lifetime, so they were difficult to earn. The bonnet was also a mark of highest respect because it could never be worn without the consent of the leaders of the tribe. For example, a high honour was received by the warrior who was the first to touch an enemy fallen in battle, for this meant the warrior was at the very front of fighting. Feathers were notched and decorated to designate an event and told individual stories such as killing, scalping, capturing an enemy’s weapon and shield, and whether the deed had been done on horseback or foot. A chief’s war bonnet is comprised of feathers received for good deeds to his community and is worn in high honour. Each feather would represent a good deed.

Dance
Many of the Amerindian dances imitated animals and birds. One of the South American Arawak dances was the “Humming Bird”, which took place during feasts and drinking sprees. The musical instruments used were flutes and drums.  
Dances differed in each tribe or family. In some, the body was moved in a slow and stately manner, with the head held in a grotesque position. Men stood in a long line with their arms linked and the women opposite, likewise.  The lines then advanced and retreated, all the time singing a monotonous chant, with each individual stamping hard upon the ground.  Occasionally they break up to drink and then resume the same dance.
Sometimes a man and women would get together and link arms and strut about slowly together, bending their bodies forward and backward, this side and that, very grotesquely. Dances always ended with a loud and discordant uproar, which was a signal for renewed drinking.
One particular tribe danced with each dancer representing a different animal. Each held a stick with an image of their animal on the end. One dancer would imitate a wild animal and pounce on another dancer to take him out of the ring. In the end, he would be left alone to finish the dance.