Anthropologists and historians believe that the first inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere were migrants from Asia, most of whom most probably came by land between 13,000 B.C. and 9000 B.C. across a hundred-mile-wide land bridge between Siberia and Alaska. About 3000 B.C., some Native American peoples developed better cultivation techniques and began to farm a variety of crops, most notably maize (corn), which resulted in agricultural surpluses that laid the economic foundation for populous and wealthy societies in Mexico, Peru, and the Mississippi River Valley.…
In the first chapter of “A Different Mirror” by Ronald Takaki, he explains stereotypes and biases of white, Eurocentric attitudes that have been with us since the earliest days of the colonies and settlements here. Beginning with the early colonists and their treatment of the natives, there is a pattern of ruthless acquisition of land and goods. According to Takaki, the early settlers judged native americans as lacking everything identifiable in a civilized society. It never occurred to them that the natives had never been exposed to their european “civilized” ways and did not have knowledge of sophisticated weaponry as their culture did not need such devices of destruction. They did have tools and means of hunting and gathering food but it was all quite unsophisticated compared to european advancements.…
Paragraph 4: Many Native American tribes had spiritual connections to specific lands, meaning that the could not roam and simultaneously continue their sacred rituals. The Cherokees, for example, had an origin story that described the creation of their specific homeland. They believed that “When the earth was created and the land was very soft, birds were sent down from the sky to find a dry place for the animals to live. When they were unsuccessful, a giant buzzard was sent to continue the search. As he grew tired he flew lower and lower, and his wingtips began to hit the soft new land, pushing down the valleys and raising the hills”(Origin myths 1) This story was specific to their land in the southern Appalachian Mountains. They could…
In the short story from The Navajo Origin Legend it starts out with the Navajos washing…
Before the Europeans made contact with the Native Americans that had already came up with their own thoughts and beliefs towards them. The Europeans felt superior to all other people and cultures that weren’t their own. It was as if their way of life was the only way to be and live. This way of thinking is basically to otherize a person or group of people. The Europeans had never encountered the Native Americans before but they imagine them to be barbaric because they did not seem to have a form of government and had what they felt was too much freedom.…
The Europeans definitely saw the Natives as a lower class. They saw the good in the Natives as well. They understand that the Natives know how to navigate in the new land, also to Hunt. They see themselves as slightly greater due to the fact that they are so advanced in terms of technology. Since they sailed miles to the New world and brought tools, and a…
As the Frenchman once said, “look at him, dressed like a savage chieftain. We're not colonizing the Indians; they're colonizing us.” Europeans thought of the Indigenous as savage people. Their first impressions of them made many want to tame them and teach them the European way of life so that they could become a part of their society and share what land and possessions they have. The Indigenous thought of the Europeans as the enemy of the world. They do not understand nature and seem like demons that just want to destroy and conquer. The natives were also not a united people. Any group of Indians associating with the French became a threat to other Indian groups, and many Indians would kill a European before helping them. The Algonquin Indians were more tolerant of helping the French priest named Laforgue on his mission while, the Montagnais and Iroquois would be the first to kill and torture him. The Huron’s were accepting of Christianity in the end of the mission. Even though the Algonquin did not trust the French they would become tolerant and help them and keep their word to Champlain, and over time they became more accepting to French culture and ideas of Christianity, but some still thought of the French as demons.…
“The utmost good faith shall always be observed toward the Indians, their lands and property shall never be taken from them without their consent, and in their property, rights, liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed, unless in just and lawful wars authorized by Congress.” Northwest Ordinance, 13 July 1787…
Iroquois tell their legend in The World on the Turtle’s Back of how the earth was created and how balance in the world resides.…
Sacred tribal grounds were taken by the Federal Government and the members were relocated to reservations. Reservations were places where Indians were supposed to die and disappear. Also, reservations were a place for U.S. soldiers to go and havoc massacres on Indians to kill them off. Reservation life was hard; seclusion and economic issues. They deal with past trauma of government theft, lies, and exploitation. To help drown the pain of reservation life, Native Americans drink. Alcoholism is a common disease among Native Americans. Violence is frequent in their homes and unemployment is high. To keep tribal cultures a live, Native Americans story tells. Storytelling gives meaning to a tribe 's past and existence.…
ice age caused the gap to freeze over. They came from Asia by following herds…
Native American myths all come from different tribes and many different religions, they have made up over the years. Their stories are mostly about how the world came to be and why creatures don’t all look the same. “When Grizzlies Walked Upright”, “The Earth on Turtle’s Back”, and “The Navajo Origin Legend”, are all Native American stories have different perspectives on how the world came to be. The stories told by the Natives were based on what their beliefs, and religion represented. Their customs also played a big role on how and what story they would put on a new discovered creature.…
Without a doubt, the Europeans made an enormous impact on the indigenous people of North America. We should address this impact in our past as a moral question. The Natives had no sense of ownership of land, they thought land could not be owned, this was used as an advantage. The Native culture depends on different aspects of life compared to the Europeans culture. European Culture became the more dominant culture over the Natives. The Native Americans believed in tribal sovereignty which conflicted with the Europeans beliefs.…
The Blackfoot nation is comprised of three First Nations in Alberta, Canada (North Peigan, South Peigan, Kainai Nation) and one Native American tribe in Montana (Siksika Nation). Their language is of the Algonquian family and they have many beautiful stories that reflect their culture, language, geography and history. The two stories I chose to read are called “Legend of the Beginning,” and “Blood Clot Boy.”…
The discovery that Native Americans' culture is not static, is a relatively new one. With the aid of modern archeology, we now know that the Natives were very complex and were ever changing. The evidence we have now is still basic, but we can still learn a lot from it. Because of the lack of evidence, a lot of controversy is attributed to Native Americans. Some people believe that Natives were perfect beings, living in harmony with nature and others believe that they were savages due to human sacrifices, wars, etc. Natives are also often compared to Europeans who like them, engaged in warfare as well. One large difference is that Europeans had more capability to cause destruction compared to the Natives, due to their technology and organization…