Native Americans

Chief Joseph’s heartbreaking epic made him a legend in American history. The U.S. government had promised him and his people millions of acres of land in Oregon. After gold was found there, government officials broke their promise, taking back 6 million acres and leaving the Nez Pierce tribe with only…

Almost from the time the first Europeans landed in the Americas, the native people’s lives were disrupted. In the early years of colonization, thousands of Indians died from disease. Colonists crowded the Indians off their hunting grounds, which led to conflict and war.  These conflicts escalated during the 1800s as…

Almost from the time the first colonists arrived in North America, their relationships with the native people were troubled. The Indians believed that the Earth gave them everything they needed and couldn’t be bought or sold. Because of this philosophy, most tribes didn’t develop permanent settlements or believe they owned…

The Lewis and Clark Expedition took more than two years. The group experienced hunger, illness, injury, mosquito swarms, extreme heat, and threat of Indian attack along the way. Sacagawea, the only woman on the trip, went through all these challenges with her small son. She is a true American hero.…

We know that the Wampanoag Indians taught the early colonists how to grow food and survive in North America, but not all Indians welcomed the colonists. Many of them viewed the colonists with suspicion, rightfully so. European and Indian cultures were very different and clashes were probably inevitable. Europeans believed…

In 1855, the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published the epic poem, The Song of Hiawatha, which is a fictional account of the childhood and life of one Native American, Hiawatha. The poem takes place on the shores of Lake Superior and details Hiawatha’s love for his grandmother, his people, and…

One of the interesting things about history is that the stories tend to change, depending upon who is telling them. Take Pocahontas’s story, for example. We have no written documents from her directly. Instead, we have journals and other documents from the English settlers who knew her. We also have…

During the 1800s, thousands of Native Americans died from combat, disease, or starvation. Many tribes disappeared altogether. Native Americans living on reservations struggled to survive while teaching their children their traditions and culture. [caption id="attachment_381" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Fun facts of Native Americans- Image of Native Americans Map[/caption] Fun Facts Today,…

When Christopher Columbus landed in the Caribbean in 1492, native tribes there believed the visitors were powerful spirits who came from the sky. If only they had known the devastation that would follow for their people. Columbus’s discovery brought new opportunity for Europeans. Some settlers came looking for gold and…

When Christopher Columbus arrived in America, millions of American Indians lived here. Each tribe had its own culture, traditions, and even language, but tribes living near each other were similar because of their environment. They built similar shelters and ate similar foods. Anthropologists have divided Indian tribes into culture areas…