Making Tools The Yaocomaco made their clothing from the hides of animals, especially deer. They made jewelry from shell and bone, and later from copper that they got in trade from the English. They used stone, bone, and wood to make their tools for work, and they made pottery. They planted corn, beans, squash, melons, and sunflowers in large fields that they worked by hand. For food, the Native Americans also hunted animals and picked the abundant nuts, berries, and other plant life that grew in their environment. They also used the shellfish and fish from the water for food and tools (oyster shells can make good scrapers for removing fur from animal skin). They also made woven goods such as baskets and used animal hides for many things, such as clothing. What do you think the Yaocomaco used to make the objects in these photographs? Photographs courtesy of Tom Bodor You probably recognized these as arrowheads. Sometimes these arrowheads are called "points." The Yaocomaco would have used them to help hunt for deer. As you can tell, the Yaocomaco were very well suited to life in the Chesapeake Bay before the English settlers arrived.