Native Peoples Of The Southwest Chapter 1 Summary

In the first chapter of the book, Native Peoples of the Southwest (Griffin-Pierce, 2000) we learn about the general history of the Native tribes of the Southwest. We learn of there independence and the periods of time they were taken over by other countries. It also talks of the land and those who dwelled there. It also gives us a little peak into there culture and their lives. This chapter was packed with information where we learned about different tribes homelands and past history with Spain, Mexico and the Americas. “The spirit of the land is impossible to ignore.” (Griffin-Pierce, 2000, pg.11) We learn how important the land is to the Native people in the Southwest. Mountains, valleys, plants and other natural elements, such as water, were very sacred to most of the Native tribes. Water was essential to the Native tribes in the desert of the
Some of the biggest events being the Civil war and the Expansion of the West. These effected the Native tribes greatly! With these events happening the Native tribes were forced upon with religion and other American ideals. Although a positive impact the American Period has had is the impact with the railroad. The railroad brought many interested tourist and created a very marketable economy for the tribes of the Southwest. With the new railroads it also was able to bring the Indians supplied goods. In particular, the Navajo women would weave decorative rugs for high profit which was a great community for the Navajo people. Although this was such a positive influence for the Navajo people and other Indians they still were faced with a lot of persecution. In the span of about 100 years, many acts and bills were passed that dealt with Indians there rights. Some were negative and then increasingly started to become more positive such as The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 or the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance