used as a trophy, has long been one of the most enigmatic, contentious, and startling elements of early American history. Often distorted by Anglo-Saxon ethnocentrism, understandings of scalping, both past and present, have most commonly presented the practice as the embodiment of Indian savagery and cruelty. Much more than evidence of Indian warfare’s barbarism, however, scalping was a vital part of the nuanced and dynamic relationship that defined the colonial and Indian experience in early America. As the symbiosis that tied Indians and colonials changed, so did the function of scalping in the colonial period up through the early nineteenth century. Initially,…
Before the exploration of the Mid West and the settlement of the West, there was a vibrant culture of Native Americans. The area later known as Missouri was home to five major Native American tribes including; the Osage, the Mound Builders, the Plains Indians, and the Woodlands tribe. These tribes flourished along the Missouri River and the Mississippi River. With the convenient travel of the two major rivers came the travel of fur trappers and other traders that were interested in the prospect…
Mariela Hernandez Ms. Medrano American Literature 9 September 2017 Kumeyaay Indians The Kumeyaay indians inhabited the landscape of southwest United States and northwest Mexico long before European contact. In spite of enduring cruel treatment and having their land taken away, the Kumeyaay were able to save their culture and survive to this day by adapting to different languages and religion, while retaining their own essence. There were three main Kumeyaay Indian groups; the Tipai, who…
When people think about the first people in America, they might think of Christopher Columbus or the European colonists; when, in fact, the first people were the Native Americans. Cherokee legend says that the Cherokee came from the far away northwest. Centuries ago, some people probably did come from Siberia. Some moved further south and became known as the Indians of South America. Many stayed in North America. The Cherokee Indians had lived in the lands of what is now the United States for…
One of the areas the Salado Indians lived in is where the Tonto National Monument.The three main agricultural crops they grew and lived on were called “The Three Sisters”; corn, beans and squash. The corn they ate and grew was not the same kind that Americans eat today.Rather it is multi-colored and smaller. The beans were flat podded climbing beans. And the squash was winter squash where the skin was hardened and the seeds were more mature. The crops were planted close together in mounds…
Indians have been a huge part of America's history. There have been hundreds of them, with tribes on the Columbia River. But, on the small and the dying Colville Reservation, there is only one resident still alive. The once beautiful and green reservation that backed up to the amazing and rushing Columbia is now covered in wrecked cars, washing machines, and parts of shattered furniture. When you enter you are welcomed with a “Drug, Alcohol, Suicide,” sign faded with rust on the ground. The…
The Caddo indians are originally from present day Louisiana, but have moved and been relocated to Northern Texas and Oklahoma. The Caddo are first discovered by europeans during the spanish passage through Arkansas. The word Caddo in caddoan means “true chief,” and they called their chief the “caddi.” The caddo were peaceful people, they voluntarily moved to Oklahoma into choctaw Nation. Most of our knowledge of the Cado past is learned from the pottery they left behind. This pottery shows us a…
The Indian Removal Act: The Indian Removal Act was a law that called for 60,000 American Indians to resettle. On May 28, 1830, it was approved by Andrew Jackson, the United States President. According to the Act, reservations were to be set up for the Indians that lived in the territories that the United States government wanted to settle. Indians that had settlements in these lands were forced to move to reservations that were further west. About 4,000 Cherokee Indians died along the “Trail of…
director of Indian Arts and Crafts Board, Rene d’Harnoncourt and Fredric Douglas, an anthropologist and curator of American Indian collections established an art exhibition, Indian Art of the United States in the Museum of Modern Art. It was organized by prehistoric art, living traditions, and modern-day Indian art. The exhibit included art from prehistoric carvers in the West, Northeast Coast, and engravers in the Arctic, sculptors of the East, hunters, woodsmen, planters and shepherds from…
Thomas King expresses his major concerns such as arrogant and insensitive nature of white people, racism and discrimination and human right violation that took place in the history of Canada predominantly towards the first nation people in Canada, in the book The Short History of Indians in Canada. Prominent concerns such as the imperious behavior of white people could clearly be spotted in “Rendezvos”, “Not Enough Horses” and “The Baby in the Airmail Box”. Such hostile behavior further leads to…