How did the geography of the eastern woodlands region affect the daily life of the catawba, cherokee, and yemassee indians? a) when the europeans arrived, the eastern woodlands tribes gained access to iron tools, weapons, and guns. b) eastern woodland tribes spoke different languages but all preserved their history through story telling. c) in times of peace, the eastern woodlands tribes were led by a "white" leader; in times of war, a "red" leader was in charge. d) they used rivers and streams for fishing, used trees to make shelter and canoes, and they were able to farm the fertile land.