1. TRACKS VG1 The Story of the Native Americans

2. Before the white man came Columbus came to America in 1492. He thought he was in India, and called the people Indians Indians had been living there for 35,000 years and there were probably 1,5 million of them They had many different ways of life, but the white man changed it all.

3. Conflicts begin The Indians wanted to share their land, but the white man took it. Many Indians were killed and many died of foreign diseases. The white man forced the Indians to live on infertile land in reservations

4. Life on the reservations The infertile land in the reservations made most Indians poor. Many Indians started to drink. Indian children were sent off to school where they were taught to be white. A lot of the Indian culture was lost. 1920: Only 350,000 left.

5. Native Americans in modern times 1924: US citizenship - The white man gave Indians more rights, and they got money which they invested in gambling. 1944: The Indians were allowed to vote in elections. Many Indian words are in the English language Many Indian names can be found in the USA

6. Towards a better future? There are 300 reservations with 500 tribes in the USA today (2.4 million people) Most of them (62 per cent) live in cities and small towns, and the rest live on reservations. The population group in the USA with the lowest income and the highest rates of unemployment, alcoholism and suicide.