Part 1: American Indians: Stereotypes and Realities Colonial America Part 1: American Indians: Stereotypes and Realities

Here is a pop quiz. Take out a sheet of paper and number it 1-10. Make a list of things that you absolutely, positively know about Indians. Be prepared to share a couple of your facts with the class.

Indians are all alike. In land that makes up the U. S., there were at least 520 culturally distinct tribes.

Indians are a vanished race. In the last census taken in the United States, there were at least 4 million American Indians.

Indians had no civilization until Europeans came. Many Indian tribes were very civilized. They were just different from European cultures.

All Indians were warlike and treacherous. Most Indians fought to defend their lands and way of life.

Indians were conquered because they were an inferior people. One of the biggest reasons they were conquered, was the fact that there was a lack of immunity to various diseases like smallpox.

If Indians had united together, they could have defeated European settlement. Most Indian tribes were very culturally different from each other, usually lived far apart, and often hated their neighboring tribes.

Indians had nothing to contribute to society. Many contributions from Native Americans have enriched the world.

Indians did not value or empower women. Women often wielded considerable power in many tribes.

Indians are not very religious. Many Indians are deeply religious. Their religious beliefs are often just different from traditional European, African, and Asian ones.

Indians know the histories, languages, and culture of their own tribe and others. Few American Indians know all the information about their own tribe, let alone all of the others.

All Indians have an “Indian name”. Most American Indians have European sounding names. A few do use traditional native names.

Indians are confined to reservations, live in teepees, wear braids, and ride horses. Indians are not confined to reservations anymore. Many of them are now urban or city dwellers. Few ride horses, wear braids, or ride horses.

Indians have no reason to be patriotic. Indians are one of the most patriotic groups of Americans when you look at the percentage of them who are veterans of the military.

Indian affairs are managed for them by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Each tribe actually has its own governmental structure.

Indians have a tendency for alcoholism. They are no more predisposed to having problems with alcohol than any other ethnic group.

Indians are not capable of completing school. Hundreds graduate annually from all kinds of colleges and universities, including tribal colleges.

Indians cannot vote or hold office. They are actually a powerful voting block, and hold local, state, and even national positions.

Indians are stoic and have no sense of humor. Often, they have a great sense of humor.

Indians are all full bloods. Most Native Americans today have a mixed heritage.

“My grandmother was an Indian”. Beware of Indian “wannabes”. People will often claim Indian heritage that really don’t have it.

These were the major CULTURAL REGIONS of North America.

Native American Diversity By the year 1500, Native Americans had divided into hundreds of cultural groups who perhaps spoke up to 2,000 different languages. Each group adapted to its ENVIRONMENT whether in frozen ice fields, scorching deserts, or densely forested woodlands.

Some native cultures based their economies on farming, while others relied on hunting and fishing. Depending on where they lived, different groups had different technologies. For instance, on the coast, some Indians used tools made from shells. In the desert, irrigation was used. Environment affected religion too. Native Americans strongly believed that certain places were sacred—and that animals, plants, and natural forces had spiritual importance.

Peoples of the North and Northwest Coast In the far north, people like the Aleut and the Inuit, had to deal with snow and cold for much of the year. They were mainly hunters, and hunted things like whales, seals, and walruses. They hunted these animals for food, and used skins to make clothing. Land animals like caribou were also hunted using weapons made from bones and antlers.

Further south, on the Northwest coast, people also hunted sea mammals Further south, on the Northwest coast, people also hunted sea mammals. Fishing for salmon was very common. Living near the forests, trees were often used for houses and boats. They sometimes traded things like shells with inland Indians for things like furs. Some tribes in the Northwest held a POTLACH or special ceremony where all possessions were given away to claim social status or benefit the community. They were held on special occasions such as the naming of a child or mourning the dead.

Members of the Chilkat Tribe

Peoples of the Columbia Plateau, Great Basin, and California These native people did not rely as much on the sea. They mainly hunted for or gathered food, and moved around a lot. Men hunted deer, elk, antelope, rabbits, and birds. They also fished. Women gathered nuts, seeds, and berries. Many were also excellent weavers. Many were very special, and had dances or ceremonies for various reasons.

Members of the Bannock Tribe

Peoples of the Southwest One of the more well-known tribes here are the Pueblo. They used IRRIGATION for farming, and lived in many-storied houses made from adobe— dried mud bricks. They raised corn, beans, and squash, as well as doing some hunting. Other tribes such as the Navajo and Apache came after the Pueblo. They were HUNTER-GATHERERS.

Peoples of the Great Plains The Great Plains is a relatively flat, grassy area between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. These are often the Indians many people STEREOTYPE all Indians as being like. Many picture them as always being horse riders. However, they had no horses until the Spanish arrived in the Americas in 1500s.

Some Plains Indians were NOMADS or wanderers, while others lived in villages by rivers and farmed. The BISON or buffalo, was the most important animal to these people. They not only used the animal for meat, but used their hides for shelter and clothing, and their bones for tools. Many Plains people lived in TEEPEES, and in winter, some of the northern Plains Indians such as the Mandan and Pawnee lived in LODGES that were partly underground and had earthen walls.

Peoples of the Southeast The southeast region has mild winters and warm summers with plentiful rainfall. The long growing season allowed crops like corn, beans, squash, and pumpkins to be grown by tribes such as the Choctaw and the Chickasaw Men did the hunting, while women usually farmed. Family ties were traced through the bloodlines of women.

Seminole Indians

Peoples of the Eastern Woodlands This region had plenty of fish, game, and rain, but the climate was colder with snowy winters. Some natives here practiced SLASH-AND-BURN FARMING where trees are cut down and burned. Ashes from the fire enrich the soil. When the soil was worn out, the land was abandoned, and a new field was created.

Many natives of the region lived in LONGHOUSES, or bark-covered shelters that could house 8-10 different families. Some natives also lived in WIGWAMS which were dome-like structures covered with deerskin and slabs of bark. Many villages were protected by pole fences to ward off enemies. The Iroquois Indians of this region gave women a lot of power. If a male leader did something wrong, women of the clan could vote him out of office.

The Eastern Woodland Indians were some of the first to be affected by European settlement. They were eventually driven west of the Mississippi River, or killed.

As you can see, there is no “typical Indian” As you can see, there is no “typical Indian”. There were many different cultural groups who lived very differently from each other, usually based on their environment. Native Americans played a large role in the history of the United States, and we will be discussing them periodically throughout the year.