Indigenous Peoples of the USA. American Indians. Iroquois - Indians of North America: number and area of the tribe
As well as the territory of Hawaii and Alaska, they represent the remnants of tribes and ethnic groups, some of which live on their own sovereign territories, reservations, where their own laws apply. American Indians or natives often call themselves simply Indians, and younger generations often use the word native. The term Indians was adopted among white colonists, the term was uniform for the press and scientific groups that studied indigenous people North America, however, the native people of Alaska and Hawaii may call themselves differently, such as Native Hawaiian or Alaska Native, examples include Inuit, Yupik and Aleut, natives from Canada are called First Nations.
Story
The resettlement of Europeans to the territory of the modern United States began in the 15th century, from that time a conflict of interests began between the colonialists and the indigenous inhabitants, who were hunter-gatherers and preserved their traditions in oral form, from that time the first written evidence of the existence of American Indians began to appear. The Indians were the complete opposite of the European newcomers with their Christian, cultural, social and industrial traditions.
A third of all US Indians now live on reservations, and the area of such territories reaches 2% of the US territory.
Nevertheless, Indians are the poorest and most unfortunate part of the American ethnic group; unemployment among Indians is five times higher than the national average; compare unemployment among African Americans is twice as high as the average. A quarter of all US Indians live below the poverty line; they suffer from diseases and social vices many times more often than the average US resident. Indians have a high birth rate middle age Indian - 29.7 years, average American 36.8 years. Indians enjoy special benefits from the government, for example, secondary and higher education is always free for them, but the Indians themselves do not want to study, the number of people with higher education among them is significantly lower than the national average.
American Indians began to forget their languages, only 21% of them speak their native language, which is not surprising for a country like the USA, when second-generation immigrants cannot say a word in the language of their parents.
Nevertheless, Indians can now be seen in all levels of society and the economy, among them there are prominent politicians, journalists, economists, scientists, programmers, film actors, doctors and the like.
Today, Native Americans continue to migrate to urban areas, with 70% of Native Americans living in cities and suburbs, with large numbers in Minneapolis, Denver, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Tucson, Chicago, Oklahoma City, Houston, New York City, and Rapid City. Problems such as racism, unemployment, drugs and gangs have not escaped the Indians.
Music and art
Indian music is quite primitive, it can include drumming, various rattles, flutes and whistles made of wood or reeds, although there are some Indians who have appeared in popular pop music in the USA, including Rita Coolidge, Wayne Newton, Gene Clark, Buffy Saint -Marie, Blackfoot, Tori Amos, it may be noted that Elvis Presley had Indian roots. Every year, New Mexico and Albuquerque host festivals of Native American music, usually drum music.
Indian tribes are very skilled in ceramics, paintings, jewelry, weaving, sculpture and wood carving.
In 1990, a law was passed according to which in the United States it is prohibited to identify works of art with Indian culture if the author is not an Indian, which received a mixed reaction in society and even difficulties for Indian artists and craftsmen.
Long before Europeans set foot on the American continent, people lived on this land. Wild tribes Indians dominated the steppes and forests of the vast region. There were quite a lot of them - some remained only in chronicles, the descendants of others still live on the land of their ancestors. Who inhabited the huge continents before they were discovered?
Photo: Tribalpictures.orgOne of the largest tribes living on the North American continent. There is a legend among the Cherokees that they once lived in a beautiful place in the Valley of the Lakes, but were driven out of there by warlike neighbors - the Iroquois. The latter deny this fact - such legends do not exist in their history.
However, when Europeans entered the continent, the Cherokees lived in the mountains. At first, the two peoples fought among themselves, but later the Indians made peace with the colonialists and even adopted their faith and some traditions.
Photo: community.adlandpro.com The most famous Cherokee representative is Chief Sequoia, who developed his own type of writing, which served as an impetus for the rapid development of the tribe. One of the plants, which looks like a cypress, is named in his honor.
Currently, the number of descendants of the Cherokee Indians, who formerly inhabited the slopes of the Appalachians, reaches 310 thousand people. Modern Redskins are quite large businessmen, they are the owners of six large gambling houses, and are increasing their fortune every year.
Representatives of this nationality have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. In the 19th century, some members of the tribe owned their own plantations and were even the largest slave owners. They got their wealth quite in an interesting way- The Cherokees sold part of the lands that belonged to the tribe to the US government.
Photo: invasionealiena.com Until the mid-19th century, relations between the indigenous population and emigrants from the Old World were fairly smooth. But the rich lands owned by the Indians became increasingly attractive to the new authorities. Eventually, the US government decided to remove the Cherokees from their lands and send them to live on the Great Plains.
The journey to the destination was long and difficult; according to official data, approximately 6-15 thousand members of the tribe died during the transition. The path along which the Cherokees passed received the telling name “Road of Tears.”
Photo: awesome-b4.space Nomadic tribe, constantly waging war with neighbors - this is how the Apache Indians can be characterized. Skilled and courageous warriors, most often using ordinary bone or wooden weapon(they began to use metal for its manufacture only after the arrival of Europeans) instilled fear in neighboring tribes.
The Apaches were especially cruel to their captives - all members of the tribe, young and old, including women, took part in the torture. It is better to die on the battlefield than to be captured - this is what all their opponents thought. It was impossible to run away or hide from the warriors of this tribe: if you don’t see them, this does not mean at all that they don’t see you.
Photo: Resimarama.net The most famous leader of the tribe was Geronimo, who terrified the European colonialists. When he approached, people shouted his name and tried to run away as far as possible, sometimes even jumping out of the windows of houses. US airborne troops still have a tradition of shouting “Geronimo!” before skydiving.
In the wars with the Spanish conquistadors, almost all Apaches were exterminated. Only a few managed to survive - their few descendants now live in New York.
Photo: magesquotes-consciousness.rhcloud.com “Those who are always ready to fight with me” - this is the approximate translation of the name of this Indian tribe. And no wonder: the Comanches were truly considered a warlike people, and they fought both with the Europeans who arrived on the continent and with representatives of neighboring peoples.
Neighboring tribes called them “snakes.” Why such a strange name appeared is not known for certain, however, there are several legends. The most famous one says that during migration, the path of the Indians belonging to this tribe was blocked by a mountain, and instead of valiantly overcoming the obstacle, the wars cowardly turned back. For which they were criticized by their leader, who noted that they were like “snakes crawling in their wake.”
Photo: Wlp.ninja But the Comanches showed such cowardice very rarely. On the contrary, such warriors had no equal in battle, especially after they learned to ride horses. The Comanches were a real disaster for neighboring peoples, and Europeans were afraid to approach their territory. The Indians took captive only women and children, and if the latter were very small, they could be accepted into the tribe and raised in accordance with traditions.
The Comanches were also cruel to their fellow tribesmen who violated the laws of the tribe. A woman found guilty of treason was killed on the spot; in rare cases, she remained alive, but her nose was cut off.
Photo: Stoplusjednicka.cz The Iroquois are not one specific tribe, but an alliance of several, called the League of Five Nations. The main occupation was war - the Indians fed their families using rich trophies. Their other occupation, trading beaver fur, also brought significant profits.
Within each tribe included in the union, several clans were distinguished. It is noteworthy that they were usually led by women. Men were warriors and advisers, but the decisive vote belonged to the fair sex. 
Photo: Whatculture.com
Representatives of the people who gave the name to the famous hairstyle rarely used this method of styling their hair. Moreover, almost all Indians shaved their heads, leaving only a small strand on the top of the head - the “scalp”, which told the enemies that the warriors were absolutely not afraid of them and even gave them an advantage in battle. If you can grab a strand, you will defeat the Iroquois warrior. But this is not as simple as it seems at first glance.
To protect themselves from various misfortunes - primarily from diseases, the Indians wore special masks, on which the most notable element was a hooked nose. Who knows - maybe such a device really prevented the spread of infections. The number of Indians, at least, did not decrease due to an epidemic - the wars that the Iroquois constantly waged were to blame for this.
Photo: Meetup.com The most sworn enemy of the Iroquois were the Hurons, an Indian tribe whose population at its peak reached 40 thousand people. Most of them died during the bloody wars, but several thousand still managed to survive. Although the Huron language was lost forever and is now considered dead.
Rituals occupied a special place in the life of Indians. In addition to worshiping animals and the elements, the Hurons showed great respect to the spirits of their ancestors. They also carried out various rituals: the most popular was the ritual torture of captive people. Such a ceremony ended with a not very pleasant action - since the Hurons were cannibals, the exhausted captives were killed and eaten.
Photo: Lacasamorett.com A tribe that disappeared forever from the face of the Earth and whose descendants disappeared among other Indians - a sad fate for a people that was once considered one of the greatest civilizations of its time. The lands of this tribe were lost in the 18th century. This was the beginning of the end - the Mohicans gradually disappeared among other Indians, their language and cultural achievements were forgotten forever.
Oddly enough, an important role in the disappearance was played by the rapid adaptation of the Mohicans to new living conditions. The peaceful tribe, which accepted the faith of the colonialists and their cultural customs, quickly became part of the New World and completely lost their identity. There are practically no direct descendants of the Mohicans left today - they include only 150 people living in Connecticut.
Photo: Artchive.com The Aztecs are far from a tribe. This is an entire empire that left behind a rich architectural heritage and a well-structured mythology. On the site of the main Aztec city of Tenochtitlan is now the capital of one of the most developed countries South America- Mexico.
Photo: Ruri-subs.info The Indians left many mysteries. Among them the most famous were:
- The Sun Stone is a strange monolith that looks like a calendar. He personifies all the Aztec ideas about the world order, the past and future of humanity. Some researchers suggest that this stone was also used in sacrifices;
- Pyramids of Teotihuacan. In the oldest city that scientists were able to discover in the Western Hemisphere, mysterious objects were built - stone pyramids. They are oriented along one side of the world, and their arrangement completely copies the device solar system. Moreover, the distance between objects is the same as between planets, if, of course, it is proportionally increased by 100 million times;
- Obsidian tools. The Aztecs practically did not use metal - it was replaced by obsidian. Weapons were made from this material, as well as high-precision surgical instruments, allowing for complex operations. Unique properties Obsidian made it possible not to fear infection - it is a natural antiseptic. Another question is how exactly the Indians made the tools - now such a tool can only be sharpened using diamond cutters.
Despite all the mystery, the Aztecs left one thing as a legacy that is understandable and loved. modern people– chocolate.
Photo: Photographyblogger.net For several centuries now, the legendary treasures of the Incas have been pushing desperate treasure hunters to search for them. But this tribe became famous not only for gold - their cultural achievements deserve much more attention.
The first thing that the territory where the Incas lived is famous for is its excellent roads. The Indians built not only wide highways of excellent quality, but also suspension bridges so strong that they could support a horseman in heavy armor. And no wonder - the Inca Empire was mostly located in mountainous areas, where turbulent rivers flowed, which during floods could easily break the fragile structure. In order not to carry out construction work anew, had to be built to last.
Photo: Hanshendriksen.net The Incas were one of the few Indian tribes that had their own written language and wrote a chronicle of the people. Unfortunately, it has not survived to this day - the canvases were burned by the Spaniards, who captured the Inca cities, which were cultural centers.
The Indians left behind many secrets, the most famous being the fabulously beautiful mountain town of Machu Picchu, whose inhabitants seemed to have simply disappeared.
Photo: Turkcealtyazi.org A highly developed civilization that made great discoveries in the fields of astronomy, mathematics and medicine long before the Europeans built the first large city. Majestic pyramids and temples, one of the most accurate calendars, unique system accounts are just a few of the achievements of the Mayan Empire.
But at one point the residents left the cities and went...where? Unknown. But when the Europeans reached the Mayan habitats, they saw a few tribes who were clearly unable to build all the majestic structures discovered in the jungle.
Photo: Stockfresh.com There are many versions explaining the disappearance of one of the most developed civilizations: epidemic, civil wars, drought. Some scientists suggest that the Mayans simply degenerated and degenerated.
However, this mystery has not yet been solved, like the numerous secrets that the great civilization left behind.
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Indians are the indigenous people of North and South America. They received this name because of the historical mistake of Columbus, who was sure that he had sailed to India. There are many Indian tribes, but this ranking contains the most famous of them.
10th place. Abenaki
This tribe lived in the United States and Canada. The Abenaki were not sedentary, which gave them an advantage in the war with the Iroquois. They could silently disappear into the forest and unexpectedly attack the enemy. If before colonization there were about 80 thousand Indians in the tribe, then after the war with the Europeans there were less than one thousand left. Now their number reaches 12 thousand, and they live mainly in Quebec (Canada).
9th place. Comanche
One of the most warlike tribes of the southern plains, once numbering 20 thousand people. Their bravery and courage in battles forced their enemies to treat them with respect. The Comanches were the first to intensively use horses and also supply them to other tribes. Men could take several women as wives, but if the wife was caught cheating, she could be killed or her nose cut off. Today, there are about 8 thousand Comanches left, and they live in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
8th place. Apache
The Apaches are a nomadic tribe that settled in the Rio Grande and later moved south to Texas and Mexico. The main occupation was buffalo hunting, which became the symbol of the tribe (totem). During the war with the Spaniards they were almost completely exterminated. In 1743, the Apache chief made a truce with them by placing his ax in a hole. That's where it went from here catchphrase: “bury the hatchet.” Now approximately one and a half thousand descendants of the Apaches live in New Mexico.
7th place. Cherokee
A large tribe (50 thousand) inhabiting the slopes of the Appalachians. By the early 19th century, the Cherokees had become one of the most culturally advanced tribes in North America. In 1826, Chief Sequoyah created the Cherokee syllabary; free schools were opened with tribal teachers; and the richest of them owned plantations and black slaves.
6th place. Huron
The Hurons are a tribe numbering 40 thousand people in the 17th century and living in Quebec and Ohio. They were the first to enter into trade relations with Europeans, and thanks to their mediation, trade began to develop between the French and other tribes. Today, about 4 thousand Hurons live in Canada and the United States.
5th place. Mohicans
The Mohicans were a once powerful union of five tribes, numbering about 35 thousand people. But already at the beginning of the 17th century, as a result of bloody wars and epidemics, there were less than a thousand of them left. They mostly disappeared into other tribes, but a small handful of descendants of the famous tribe live today in Connecticut.
4th place. Iroquois
This is the most famous and warlike tribe in North America. Thanks to their ability to learn languages, they successfully traded with Europeans. Distinctive feature Iroquois - their masks with a hooked nose, which were designed to protect the owner and his family from disease.
3rd place. Incas
The Incas are a mysterious tribe that lived at an altitude of 4.5 thousand meters in the mountains of Colombia and Chile. It was a highly developed society that developed an irrigation system and used sewers. It still remains a mystery how the Incas managed to achieve such a level of development, and why, where and how the whole tribe suddenly disappeared.
2nd place. Aztecs
The Aztecs differed from other Central American tribes in their hierarchical structure and rigid centralized control. At the highest level were the priests and the emperor, at the lowest were the slaves. Human sacrifices were widely used, as well as death penalty, and for any offenses.
1st place. Mayan
The Mayans are the most famous highly developed tribe of Central America, famous for their extraordinary works of art and cities carved entirely from stone. They were also excellent astronomers, and it was they who created the acclaimed calendar ending in 2012.
The American Indians have a unique and tragic history. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that they were able to survive the period of European settlement of the continent. The tragedy is associated with the conflict between the Indians and the white population. Despite all this, the history of the Indian people is full of optimism, because, having lost the lion's share of their ancestral lands, they survived and retained their identity. Today they are full citizens of the United States.
The main question of the article: where do the Indians live? Traces of this population can be traced on two continents. Many names in the USA are associated with these people. For example, Massachusetts, Michigan, Kansas and the like.
A little history, or who are called Indians
In order to understand where the Indians live, you need to decide who they are. Europeans first learned about them at the end of the 15th century, when in search of the treasured India they reached the shores of America. The navigator immediately called the local residents Indians, although it was a completely different continent. So the name stuck and became common to many peoples who inhabited the two continents.
If for Europeans the open continent was the New World, then hundreds lived here for about 30 thousand years. The newly arriving Europeans began to push the indigenous inhabitants into the interior of the country, occupying territories suitable for life. Gradually the tribes were driven closer to the mountains.
Reservation system
By the end of the 19th century, America was so populated by Europeans that there was no free land left for the Indians. In order to understand where the Indians live, you should find out what reservations are. These are lands poorly suited for agriculture, where the Indians were forced out. Living in this territory under agreements with the white people, they were supposed to receive supplies. However, this was often only in words.
Things got even worse when the government allocated 160 acres of land to each indigenous resident. The Indians were not ready to engage in farming, moreover, on unsuitable land. All this led to the fact that by 1934 the Indians had lost a third of their lands.
New course
In the first half of the last century, the US Congress made Indians citizens of the country. This was a great impetus for reconciliation between peoples, although rather belated.
The places where American Indians live, like themselves, began to interest Americans not from the point of view of profit, but from the point of view of the cultural heritage of their state. The United States has developed a spirit of pride in the diversity of its population. Many had a desire to compensate the descendants of the Indians for the unfair treatment to which their ancestors were subjected.
Where do the Indians live?
Indians live in two main geographic areas. These are North America and Latin America. To avoid confusion, it is worth noting that Latin America is not only South America, but Mexico and a number of islands.
Territory of settlement in North America
Where do Indians live in North America? This geographical area consists of two large countries - the USA and Canada.
Indian regions:
- subtropical regions;
- coastal areas of the northwestern part of the mainland;
- California is a popular Indian state;
- southeastern United States;
- territory
Now it’s clear where the Indians live, whose photos are presented in the article. It remains to point out that all of them are engaged in fishing, hunting, gathering, and producing valuable fur on their lands.
Half of modern Indians live in major cities And rural areas throughout the United States. Another part lives on federal reservations.
Indians in California
When you hear the question where cowboys and Indians live, the first state that comes to mind is California. This is connected not only with westerns, but also with statistics. At least in relation to the Indians.
The largest Indian population lives in the state of California. This was confirmed by the population census over the past decades. Of course, the descendants of the Indians of this region are of mixed origin.
How do continentals live in California? Over the years, most of them have lost knowledge native language. Thus, more than 70% do not speak any language other than English. Only 18% speak the language of their people well, as well as the state language.
California Indians have benefits when entering higher education educational institutions. However, most of them do not use them. About 70% of children from Indian families receive secondary education, and only 11% receive a bachelor's degree. Most often, representatives of the indigenous population are employed in service work or agriculture. Among them there is also a high percentage of unemployment in relation to the average.
A quarter of California Indians live below the poverty line. Their homes often lack running water and sewerage, and many are forced to live in very cramped conditions. Although more than 50% still have their own housing.
There are also Indian reservations in California. In 1998, the court allowed indigenous residents to engage in gambling. This permission from the authorities was a significant victory. But it was not connected with highlighting a favorable attitude towards the Indians, but because it was impossible to engage in usual trades on the territory of the reservation. The government took this step to give people the opportunity to earn a living by engaging in the gambling business.
In addition to such concessions, reservations in California have their own self-government, courts, and law enforcement agencies. They disobey the laws of the State of California, yet they receive government subsidies and grants.
Territory of settlement in Latin America
There is a group of Indians living in Latin America. Where the Indians now live in this geographical area, read below:
- throughout Latin America inhabited by the Aztecs and those who lived in the territory Central America before the arrival of Europeans;
- a separate community are the Indians of the Amazon basin, who are distinguished by their specific thinking and foundations;
- Indians of Patagonia and Pampa;
- indigenous people
After this, it is no longer a secret where they live. They were very powerful in their development and had their own government structure long before the arrival of Europeans.
It is quite difficult to answer unequivocally where the Indians live in our time. Many of them still adhere to their traditions, foundations, and live together. But there are also many who began to live like most Americans, forgetting even the language of their people.
There are two main points of view. According to the first (the so-called “short chronology”), people came At that time, the sea level was 130 meters lower than today, and in winter it was not difficult to cross the ice on foot. to America about 14-16 thousand years ago. According to the second, people settled the New World much earlier, from 50 to 20 thousand years ago (“long chronology”). The answer to the question “How?” much more definite: the ancient ancestors of the Indians came from Siberia through the Bering Strait, and then went south - either along the west coast of America, or along the central part of the continent through the ice-free space between the Laurentian ice sheet and glaciers Coast Ranges in Canada. However, regardless of how exactly the first inhabitants of America moved, traces of their early presence either ended up deep under water due to rising sea levels (if they walked along the Pacific coast), or were destroyed by the actions of glaciers (if people walked along the central part of the continent). Therefore, the earliest archaeological finds are not found in Beringia Beringia- biogeographic region connecting Northeast Asia and northwestern North America., and much further south - for example, in Texas, northern Mexico, southern Chile.
2. Were the Indians in the eastern United States different from the Indians in the west?
Timucua chief. Engraving by Theodore de Bry after a drawing by Jacques Le Moine. 1591There are about ten cultural types of North American Indians Arctic (Eskimos, Aleuts), Subarctic, California (Chumash, Washo), northeastern US (Woodland), Great Basin, Plateau, northwest coast, Great Plains, southeastern US, southwestern US.. Thus, the Indians who inhabited California (for example, the Miwoks or Klamaths) were hunters, fishermen and gatherers. The inhabitants of the southwestern United States - the Shoshone, Zuni and Hopi - belong to the so-called Pueblo cultures: they were farmers and grew corn, beans and squash. Much less is known about the Indians of the eastern United States, and especially the southeast, since most Indian tribes died out with the arrival of Europeans. For example, until the 18th century, the Timucua people lived in Florida, distinguished by their wealth of tattoos. The life of these people is recorded in the drawings of Jacques Le Moine, who visited Florida in 1564-1565 and became the first European artist to depict Native Americans.
3. Where and how the Indians lived
Apache wigwam. Photo by Noah Hamilton Rose. Arizona, 1880Denver Public Library/Wikimedia Commons
Adobe houses in Taos Pueblo, New Mexico. Around 1900 Library of Congress
Woodland Indians in the north and northeast of America lived in wigwams - permanent dome-shaped dwellings made of branches and animal skins - while the Pueblo Indians traditionally built adobe houses. The word "wigwam" comes from one of the Algonquian languages. Algonquian languages- a group of Algian languages, one of the largest language families. Algonquian languages are spoken by about 190 thousand people in eastern and central Canada, as well as on the northeast coast of the United States, in particular the Cree and Ojibwe Indians. and translated means something like “house”. Wigwams were built from branches that were tied together to form a structure, which was covered with bark or skins on top. An interesting option of this Indian dwelling are the so-called long houses in which the Iroquois lived Iroquois- a group of tribes with a total number of about 120 thousand people living in the USA and Canada.. They were made of wood, and their length could exceed 20 meters: in one such house lived several families, whose members were relatives to each other.
Many Indian tribes, such as the Ojibwe, had a special steam bath - the so-called “sweating wigwam”. It was a separate building, as you might guess, for washing. However, the Indians did not wash themselves too often - as a rule, several times a month - and used the steam bath not so much to become cleaner, but to remedy. It was believed that the bathhouse helps with illnesses, but if you feel well, you can do without washing.
4. What did they eat?
A man and a woman eating. Engraving by Theodore de Bry after a drawing by John White. 1590
Sowing maize or beans. Engraving by Theodore de Bry after a drawing by Jacques Le Moine. 1591Brevis narratio eorum quae in Florida Americae provincia Gallis acciderunt / book-graphics.blogspot.com
Smoking meat and fish. Engraving by Theodore de Bry after a drawing by Jacques Le Moine. 1591Brevis narratio eorum quae in Florida Americae provincia Gallis acciderunt / book-graphics.blogspot.com
The diet of the North American Indians was quite varied and varied greatly depending on the tribe. Thus, the Tlingits, who lived on the coast of the North Pacific Ocean, mainly ate fish and seal meat. Pueblo farmers ate both corn dishes and the meat of animals obtained by hunting. And the main food of the California Indians was acorn porridge. To prepare it, the acorns had to be collected, dried, peeled and crushed. Then the acorns were placed in a basket and boiled on hot stones. The resulting dish resembled something between soup and porridge. They ate it with spoons or just with their hands. The Navajo Indians made bread from corn, and its recipe has been preserved:
“To make bread, you will need twelve ears of corn with leaves. First you need to peel the cobs and grind the grains using a grain grater. Then wrap the resulting mass in corn leaves. Dig a hole in the ground large enough to accommodate the packages. Light a fire in the pit. When the ground has warmed up properly, remove the coals and place the bundles in the hole. Cover them and light a fire on top. The bread takes about an hour to bake.”
5. Could a non-Indian lead the tribe?
Governor Solomon Bibo (second from left). 1883 Palace of the Governors Photo Archive/New Mexico Digital Collections In 1885-1889, the Jew Solomon Bibo served as governor of the Acoma Pueblo Indians, with whom he had traded since the mid-1870s. Bibo was married to an Acoma woman. True, this is the only known case when a pueblo was led by a non-Indian.
6. Who is the Kennewick Man?
In 1996, the remains of one of the ancient inhabitants of North America were found near the small town of Kennewick in Washington state. That's what they called him - the Kennewick Man. Outwardly, he was very different from modern American Indians: he was very tall, had a beard and rather resembled modern Ainu Ainu- ancient inhabitants of the Japanese islands.. Researchers suggested that the skeleton belonged to a European who lived in these places in the 19th century. However, radiocarbon dating showed that the owner of the skeleton lived 9,300 years ago.
Reconstruction of the appearance of Kennewick Man Brittney Tatchell/Smithsonian Institution The skeleton is now kept at the Burke Museum of Natural History in Seattle, and modern-day Washington State Indians regularly demand that the remains be given to them for burial according to Indian traditions. However, there is no reason to believe that the Kennewick man during his lifetime belonged to any of these tribes or their ancestors.
7. What the Indians thought about the moon
Indian mythology is very diverse: its heroes are often animals, such as a coyote, beaver or raven, or celestial bodies - stars, sun and moon. For example, members of the Californian Wintu tribe believed that their appearance the moon owes to a bear who tried to bite her, and the Iroquois claimed that there was an old woman on the moon weaving linen (the unfortunate woman was sent there because she could not predict when the end of the world would happen).
8. When the Indians got bows and arrows
Indians of Virginia. Hunting scene. Engraving by Theodore de Bry after a drawing by John White. 1590 North Carolina Collection/UNC Libraries Today, Indians of various North American tribes are often depicted holding or shooting a bow. It wasn't always like this. Historians know nothing about the fact that the first inhabitants of North America hunted with a bow. But there is information that they used a variety of spears. The first finds of arrowheads date back to around the ninth millennium BC. They were made in the territory of modern Alaska - only then the technology gradually penetrated into other parts of the continent. By the middle of the third millennium BC, onions appeared in the territory of modern Canada, and at the beginning of our era they came to the territory of the Great Plains and California. In the southwestern United States, bows and arrows appeared even later - in the middle of the first millennium AD.
9. What languages do the Indians speak?
Portrait of Sequoyah, creator of the Cherokee Indian syllabary. Painting by Henry Inman. Around 1830 National Portrait Gallery, Washington / Wikimedia Commons Today, the Indians of North America speak approximately 270 different languages, which belong to 29 language families, and 27 isolate languages, that is, isolated languages that do not belong to any particular language. big family, but form their own. When the first Europeans came to America, there were many more Indian languages, but many tribes became extinct or lost their language. The largest number of Indian languages have been preserved in California: 74 languages belonging to 18 language families are spoken there. Among the most common North American languages are Navajo (about 180 thousand Indians speak it), Cree (about 117 thousand) and Ojibwe (about 100 thousand). Most Native American languages now use the Latin alphabet, although Cherokee uses the original syllabary developed in early XIX century. Most Indian languages are at risk of extinction - after all, less than 30% of ethnic Indians speak them.
10. How modern Indians live
Today, most descendants of Indians in the United States and Canada live almost the same as the descendants of Europeans. Only a third of them are occupied by reservations—autonomous Indian territories that make up about two percent of the U.S. area. Modern Indians enjoy a number of benefits, and in order to receive them, you need to prove your Indian origin. It is enough that your ancestor was mentioned in the census of the early 20th century or had a certain percentage of Indian blood.
Tribes have different ways of determining whether a person belongs to them. For example, the Isleta Pueblos consider as theirs only those who have at least one parent who was a member of the tribe and a purebred Indian. But the Oklahoma Iowa tribe is more liberal: to become a member, you need to have only 1/16 Indian blood. At the same time, neither knowledge of the language nor following Indian traditions has any significance.
See also materials about the Indians of Central and South America in the course "".
