Native Americans Day
In A Nutshell (from shmoop.com)
In 1783, the United States was a new nation of about 3 million people living, for the most part, along the Atlantic seaboard. Native Americans, perhaps numbering around 600,000, controlled most lands west of the Appalachian Mountains. By 1890, a bit more than a century later, the United States stretched from coast to coast and was home to some 66 million people. Only 250,000 Indians remained, most of them living on reservations holding just a fraction of the land they once controlled.
Why Should I Care? (from shmoop.com)
Native Americans were here first, but those Americans who arrived later have never gotten their story quite right. From the moment Columbus stepped off his boat in the Bahamas and called the people he met there "Indios"—meaning people of India—Native Americans have been misrepresented, stereotyped, and simplified. Puritans assumed they were consorting with the devil in the forest. White expansionists branded them ruthless warriors. Even their nineteenth-century defenders often described them as "noble savages."
Indian Tribes:
Abenaki; Algonquian ;Apache ;Arapaho; Blackfeet; Caddo; Cherokee; Cheyenne ;Chickasaw; Chinook; Chippewa ;Choctaw; Comanche; Cree; Creek ;Crow; Dakota ;Delaware ;Fox ;Hopi ;Huron ;Illinois ;Iowa; Iroquois ;Kansa ;Kickapoo; Kiowa; Menominee; Miami; Missouri; Modoc; Mohawk; Mohegan; Munsee; Natchez; Navajo; Nez Percé; Omaha; Onondaga; Osage; Oto; Ottawa; Paiute; Pawnee; Pottawatomie; Sauk; Seminole; Seneca; Shawnee; Siouan; Sioux; Stockbridge; Tuscarora; Winnebago; Zuni. This is only a few of the 532 recognize Indian Tribes.
I have spent some time reviewing a few tribes: Pawnee (they were important part of my genealogy research of the Johnston’s and Irwin’s); Osage (Missouri linkage); the Crow, Cherokee, Apache, Kansa, Missouri, Shawnee, were all part of history surrounding my ancestors many years ago.
From time to time, I read or hear folks discussing their woes and injustice – for the most part – they may have some merit – but nothing like the American Indians. We are still trying to understand the Inca’s and Maya’s – along with other American Indians (North, Central and South).
If you are interested in knowing more about Native Americans, I strongly recommend following this link http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/ to Access Genealogy Native American – Indian Genealogy.
Links:
NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE
So on this day of recognition of the Native Americans Day and in preparation of the Native American Heritage Month in November – please take some time and do a little research and get a better understanding of these great people. Thank you!
Absolutely love the article. Wish I had a way to find out exactly how much native american I am but no one has a name of the Cherokee woman who is far up my family tree. Although I've searched, I can't find a thing. More people should be aware of these things. TS
ReplyDeleteThe "Tribes of the Indian Nation" map is not very good for the Canadian part. I.e., there is a big drawing of a crest and pot over eastern Ontario and western Québec that is the size of Texas. There is no mention of the Algonquin tribe, or any of the other tribes from the most populated parts of Canada, such as the Akwesasne, Nipissing, Mississaugas, Ojibwa, Potawatomi, Chippewa, etc.
ReplyDeleteEver since I was taught about american indians I have always had a fasination about them as though they were beings that God or as they say "The Great Spirit" has touched them in a special way. As I was growing older I tried to memorize everything I could about them. Any tribe and any information I could find I would memorize it. I would even try to memorize faces and the costumes that I had seen in the Museum in Chicago. I guess it was almost like an obsession in a way. Everything about them just mezmorized me all the way down to my core (my soul). I still feel this touch and I have always wished that I was American Indian. I wished I could live with them. It turns out that at the age of 46 I am told that I do have American Indian in me but I dont think I will ever know what tribe or anything about that part of my family. My mother knew but I believe she chose not to tell me on purpose. I will never know. She doesn't talk about it. I only know that I am from one of the missouri tribes from the time from of when the French were in that area. I am thinking that part of my American Indian ancestors were on the trail of tears as well. I will never know the truth. That is very sad to me. I do not know my family or their history of my other parents side either. I feel as though I do not belong anywhere and am just a mixed breed. Proud of being the nationalities that I am but no one to share it with. No family traditions. This year I am going to start my own traditions from what I can learn of both sides of my family. This will be interesting. :)
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