Native People Tribe

     Too often in the past the history of America has been written as if it began with the arrival of the Europeans. This attitude excludes the long heritage of Native people who have lived in North America for tens of thousands of years (to traditional people, since the "beginning of time"). Five hundred years ago at the point of initial contact with Europeans millions of culturally diverse people speaking hundreds of different languages populated North America. The environments in which they lived shaped their lifestyles. Depending on the resources available to them, some were farmers or gatherers, others fished and hunted. Many tribes lived in one place most of the time, while others were nomadic hunters following the migratory patterns of large game animals, such as buffalo.

     Despite the five centuries that have elapsed since Native people and early explorers came into contact, the history and culture of Native people remains unknown or misunderstood by many non-Indian people. The misunderstanding began early. Christopher Columbus set out to explore Japan, Korea, China, and India, which were collectively referred to at the time as the East Indies. Believing that he had arrived in the Indies when he reached the lands of the New World, Columbus mistakenly called the Native people "Indians". This term has prevailed into the 20th century. Today, most North American Natives prefer to be called Native American or American Indian, although the majority of Native people originally referred to themselves in their own languages by words meaning "the people." For example the Ojibwe people, often referred to as Chippewa by non-Indians, call themselves "Anishinabe" which is the Ojibwe word for "the people."

     American Indians are not extinct people. Their cultures have a past and present and a future. Generalizations about Native people contribute to stereotypic notions that make no allowance for individuality or for any possibility of change over time. Native American objects reflect aspects of cultures that should be ascribed only to the people who produced them and to the particular time in which the objects were made. In doing so, we respect the diversity of Native people and acknowledge that their cultures, like all others, and are not fixed in time.

     In the past, Native Americans did not create art for its own sake. The form and decoration of handmade objects evolved out of daily needs and spiritual beliefs over thousands of years. Art, beauty, and spirituality are so intertwined in the daily life of traditional Native Americans that it is nearly impossible to speak of them separately.

     Historically, Native Americans' lives were shaped by their spiritual beliefs. Most Native people believed that they were connected to every other element of creation. Each animal, tree, or rock had its own spirit through which an individual could establish contact with the spirit world. The survival and well-being of Native people was dependent on maintaining harmony with the earth. Many contemporary Native people continue to hold these traditional beliefs.

     The history of the Native American people is a story of loss, but more than that, it is a story of resilient strength, and continuity. Despite tremendous obstacles, Native Americans have survived. Although their population was decimated, they have recovered. In 1917, for the first time since the arrival of Europeans on this continent, more Native Americans were born than died. Today approximately 2,500,000 Native Americans live in the United States. And, the world they live in is changing. Native Americans are renewing their own pride in their traditions. Education has enabled the Native people to benefit themselves and to accomplish much in the outside world. Today, many American Indian people regards themselves as nations within a nation, governed by their own tribal governments.

     They have hope for the future!

Abenaki Acolapissa Apache Bayougoula Beothuk Catawba Cherokee Cheyenne Chickasaw Comanche Delaware Erie

Huron Illini Iroquois Kickapoo Mahican Menominee Mohegan Montagnais Narragansett Navajo Nipmuc Oglala-Lakota-Sioux

Ojibwa Ottawa Pequot Potawatomi Sauk & Fox Shawnee Siksika (Bblackfeet) Susquehannock Wampanoag Winnebago or Ho-Chunk