What did the native Americans use their environment for?

the used it for living in

Actually the Word use is not a good Word for the traditional Native American and the environment. The native term for the environment is Mother Earth and the people walk with her with respect and in balance. As humans have nothing to contribute to the earth, (and indeed can do without her for only as long as an individual can hold his/her breath) the people saw themselves as the caretakers and were very cognizant of the fact that the seventh generation forward needing to have the same abundance as the present generation.