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Part 2- American Indian Nations (Tribes) - Below is some background and information on some American Indian Nations and their influence on American culture.
For those just joining this discussion please scroll down to November 1, 2014 for Part One. Without any further ado, let’s dive in.
1. Navajo Nation - The name Navajo means ”planted fields” or ”farmlands.” This name is appropriate because this tribe was known as being adept famers which means they were creative in growing crops despite the climatic conditions. What they didn’t grow or needed they traded with the Pueblo Nation another Indian tribe.
The men also were fierce warriors and the women were known for their spectacular weaving skills.
Location/Dwelling: They lived in cone shaped dwellings called ”Hogans.” Their location was at the ”Four Corners” which is where the state borders of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado come together. It is now a popular tourist attraction and is the only point in the U.S. where the borders of 4 states come together. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Corners
Navajoland covers over 27,000 square miles and is larger than 10 U.S. states. During World War II the Navajo language was used to create a secret code using Navajo men serving on the front line to overcome and deceive others on the other side of the battlefield. These men came to be known as the famous ”Navajo Code Talkers” and concerning their contribution Major Howard Conner, 5th Marine Division signal officer declared, “Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima.”
http://www.discovernavajo.com/
2. Cherokee Nation - There is disagreement concerning the meaning of their name, however, the Cherokees refer to themselves from a word meaning ”real people.” The Cherokee Nation is the largest Indian nation depending on how it is determined; nevertheless the Cherokees are known for being the most socially and culturally advanced of the Indian nations.
Location/Dwelling - Originally the Cherokees were from the southeast, i.e. the states of Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. Today their nation capital is located in Northeastern Oklahoma and have over 7,000 square miles of jurisdictional land but is not on a reservation.
Their original types of dwellings were houses made of river cane and plaster with thatched roofs. They wore moccasin shoes, leather headbands with feathers standing straight up in the back.
Today, the Cherokee Nation employs over 8,000 people and is one of the largest employers in northeastern Oklahoma with tribal enterprises ranging from aerospace and defense contracts and entertainment venues adding 1.5 Billion to Oklahoma’s economy. http://www.cherokee.org/
3. Sioux Nation - Their name means “little snake” which was given to them by the tribe of the Chippewa Indians. They are known by their long black hair.
Location/Dwelling - Generally they lived a nomadic lifestyle following the pattern of the buffalo. Originally they lived in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Nebraska.
They lived in buffalo hide tents called “Teepees.” The men were farmers and animal hunters and known for their buffalo hide paintings and their women were known for their quillwork, beadwork, pottery, specialized bags and pouches.
The Spanish introduced them to horses and it made life easier for them by carrying articles and for transportation. They became expert riders and Sioux chiefs and warriors were well known for their impressive headdresses; they were fierce warriors.
They traded with other Indian tribes in exchange for their animals. http://indians.org/articles/sioux-indians.html
4. Chippewa Nation - The Chippewa tribe refers to themselves from a word that means “original people.” In Canada they are known as “Ojibway Indians.”
Location/Dwelling - They originally resided in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and southern Canada. Their dwellings were birch bark houses called “wigwams” or buffalo-hide tents called “teepees.”
This tribe wore moccasin shoes, leather headbands with feathers standing straight up in the back.
The men were known for being hunters and fishermen, the women worked the fields and took care of the household matters.
5. Choctaw Nation - The name ”Choctaw” comes from their own tribal name of ”Chahta” which was from their legendary tribal leader.
Location/Dwelling - They originally resided in the American southeast particularly Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Florida.
Their dwelling was made by weaving river cane, wood and vines into a frame then coating the frame with plaster. The roof was either thatched with grass or shingled with bark.
The men were hunters and the women farmers. The Choctaws didn’t wear long headdresses, both men and women wore their hair long but some men cut their hair in the Mohawk style (shaved on the sides with hair in the middle.)
6. Apache Nation – Their name is from their Zuni neighbor’s language which mean “enemy” although their traditional name for themselves was from their language that meant “the people.” Today the nation goes by the name “Apache.” They were known to be fierce warriors and skillful strategists.
There are many tribes that go under the name of the Apache Nation; their population is about 30,000 today.
Location/Dwelling - They originally lived in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Today they mostly live in Oklahoma and Northern Mexico. They are known for their fine beadwork and basket making. Their population is about 30,000 today.
http://www.jicarillaonline.com/
7. Pueblo Nation - In Spanish their name means “town” or “village” and is significant because they lived among cliff dwellings and large adobe house complexes.
Unlike many Indian tribes which were forced to move from their homeland to Oklahoma under the Indian Removal Act, the Pueblo tribes were never forced to leave their homeland.
They are considered to be the best horticulturists in the country and are likely the first in New Mexico to cultivate the grape. They were excellent farmers and make beautiful silver and turquoise jewelry, especially necklaces.
Location/Dwelling - They live primarily in Arizona and New Mexico. Their housing was more elaborate than other Indian tribes. They lived in multi-story houses made out of adobe (baked bricks composed of clay and straw) and stone.
Today, their population is about 35,000.
http://www.indianpueblo.org/
8. Hopi Nation - The Hopi people are from the Pueblo tribe and name comes from a word that means “the peaceful people” or “Peaceful Little Ones.” The Hopi people did not normally engage in war but would defend themselves if needed.
The Hopi people are skillful in growing agriculture in the desert using various forms of irrigation.
Their people are more spiritual and religious than the other Indian nations and in the past had a “theocratic” form of government, i.e. the leader of the tribe was a priest.
They accommodated embracing the new culture of the US; however there was a split in ideology among the Hopi people referred to as the ”Oraibi Split.” Those who embraced the new culture were called ”Friendlies” and those who opposed changing their traditional culture were called ”Hostiles.”
There was a great contention concerning this matter resulting in the ”Hostiles” being forced out to form their own village of “Hotevilla.” However, some of them had second thoughts and wanted to reintegrate with the people in Oraibi and this caused an additional split with the Hostiles forming another village called ”Bacavi.”
Later Hotevilla and Bacavi joined together to have a unified settlement. Therefore with Old Oraibi you have these 3 villages of the Hopi Nation.
“Old Oraribi” which is probably the oldest continuously inhabited place in the U.S. the residents have lived there since 1100 AD. Ironically, ”Old Oraibi” in spite of the “Oraibi Split” has retained a more Hopi way of life and is a very private people. Visitors are welcomed but no photographs are permitted to be taken in their town.
“Old Oraibi” is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and declared a National Historic Landmark.
Kykotsmovi Village is now the seat of the Hopi tribal government, their population is about 7,185.
Location/Dwelling - They are located in northeastern Arizona and their reservation is surrounded by the much larger Navajo Reservation. They share a Navajo-Hopi joint use land and that have been a source of conflict and long-term controversy.
They lived in adobe houses that are multi-storied that are made of adobe (clay and straw baked into hard bricks.)
http://www.hopi-nsn.gov/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopi
Collective Influence of American Indians on U.S. Culture:
Where do we start, anything that has to do with basic living the Indians has influenced what is now taken for granted in U.S. culture, let’s name a few:
1. First environmentalists - The Indians had great respect for the land, streams, rivers, trees, families and human life in general.
2. Survival skills - The Indians taught the Europeans how to survive the winters, taught agriculture and fishing techniques, hunting strategies, and trading skills (they’ve been doing it for thousands of years) all that today have been monetized and grown into full-blown industries.
3. Centralized Government - The 13 colonies had a dilemma of how to govern 13 separate governments without being vulnerable and how to prevent one colony from over-powering another. An Iroquois Indian chief (Canasatego) made the suggestion at an Indian/British Assembly meeting in 1744 of having a centralized type government (confederation). Benjamin Franklin made mention of his suggestion less than 10 years later of the validity of this concept working for the colonies.
In the process of time, a federal/state type of government was written into the US Constitution that is the current form of US government.
4. Art and Crafts - American Indian art, jewelry, pottery, beadwork, woodcarving, and crafts are renowned for their beauty, craftsmanship and brilliance and have influenced modern design, fashion design architecture in American culture.
5. Food - The following foods were first grown by Indians of the Americas:
Potatoes, beans, corn, peanuts, pumpkins, tomatoes, squash, peppers, wild rice, nuts, melons, sunflower seeds and more.
http://www.indians.org/articles/native-american-demographics.html
http://www.native-languages.org/faq.htm
http://www.native-languages.org/home.htm
http://www.crowcanyon.org/EducationProducts/pueblo_history_kids/introduction.asp
http://www.american-indians.net/today.htm
http://www.teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/24099
http://nativeamerican-art.com/
Conclusion
This has been a splendid research project and I have learned many things about American Indian history. It has been said “History repeats itself” and hopefully we as individuals, countries, religions can learn from it.
Please feel free to submit any additions, corrections, or modifications to anything that has been written.
I want to thank Easypeasy for her suggestion on this topic of discussion and hope that all will benefit from it.
Finally, I owe it to the readers of the “Understanding American English Phrases” forum to resume Mini Lesson No. 12 on the phrases:
Preaching to the choir / Go to town / Frankly speaking
http://www.englishbaby.com/lessons/5744/member_submitted/understanding_american_english_phrases
Thanks for your patience.
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