Argument

We have chosen to speak about Native Americans because we consider this subject interesting and not many dared to discus about the real facts that happened before Columbus arrival in America. Most people are familiar with the classic story of the Native Americans, but what we are going to tell today is nothing more than the merciless truth of the brutal ways in which the Native Americans were lied and treated during their discovery. We are now trying to make their story more popular and bring light upon the real facts that took place on the red peoples land.

Prcis

The present paper is entitled Native Americans: Their story and it is constructed into four chapters in which we intend to take knowledge of what this people really mean for mankind. Chapter one presents a short summary for the history of Native Americans showing the difficulties that they had to face along the 16th to 21st century. Chapter two speaks about the unusual culture and life stile the red people have. Music, language, traditions are only some of the many specific interests. The following chapter is named Faith and beliefes and it describes the religious aspects and strange combination of customs that this implies. Chapter four, the last one, presents the legends connected with these places, legends which are very important for their culture. The paper ends with conclusions pointing out the uniqueness of this specific time and people in humans history and a strong suggestion to learn from the Native American people.

Introduction

The Native Americans are a brave nation who fought for their country even when there seemed to be no hope. They were the indigenous peoples in North America, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct Native American tribes and ethnic groups, many of which survive as intact political communities. Many Native Americans lived as hunter-gatherer societies and told their histories by oral traditions. Tribes of Native Americans spread across the land, depending on nature for food and shelter. In California, the mild climate meant that tribes there had plenty to eat, unlike the extremely dry Great Basin where food and water was scarce. In many groups, women carried out sophisticated cultivation of numerous varieties of staple crops: maize, beans and squash. Like other peoples with Mongolian characteristics, Native Americans tend to have light brown skin, brown eyes, and dark, straight hair. They differ from Asians, however, in their characteristic blood types. Over the thousands of years that indigenous peoples have lived in the
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Americas, they have developed into a great number of local populations, each differing somewhat from its neighbors.

Chapter 1: Trip in the past

The History of Native Americans is both fascinating and in many ways, tragic. Estimates range from about 10 90 million Native Americans inhabited America at the time of the European arrivals. They had lived in the land many, many years before white man set foot on their soil. It is believed that during the ice age, they had traveled a landbridge across the Bering Sound, from Siberia into what is now Alaska. They had gradually migrated across the land and southward into Mexico and beyond. The name Indian was given them by Christopher Columbus who mistakenly believed he had landed in the Indies. They have been labeled Indians, American Indians, and the now preferred Native Americans. They migrated to all regions of the land and were formed into many different tribes or nations. These were a people who adapted well to their particular regions and made wise use of all natural resources available. They believed in respecting the land and the abundance of gifts it offered. They became proficient fishermen, hunters, farmed crops such as corn, and built homes with whatever available resources their territory provided. The Native Americans of the east coast met the new 16th and 17th century visitors from Europe with enthusiasm. They regarded these bearded white men as strange but were delighted with the steel knives, mirrors, copper kettles, and other intriguing novelties. The indigenous tribes were more than accommodating and hospitable. Without their aid, the first waves of settlers would not have survived in the land they knew little about. But in time the Europeans disregarded all respect for the valued land and resources and instead displayed insatiable greed and arrogance. The
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Europeans soon pursued their intent to conquer this new continent with brutal attacks and invasion. The Native Americans soon realized that the invaders would arrive in overwhelming numbers, as many as the stars in heaven. Initially, the people of this land tried to co-exist with the Europeans. But many more problems arose. With all their intriguing gadgets, the white men brought deadly diseases to the Native Americans. The colonists and explorers brought measles, smallpox, cholera, yellow fever, and many more devastating diseases. This drastically diminished the Native American population and annihilated entire villages. In addition to this, the arrogant of the ever- attitude growing whites led to the Indian Wars, the Indian Removal Act (1830), and in 1890 one of the worst massacres ever -- Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Here warriors, women, and children alike were ferociously slaughtered by the U.S. Cavalry. The U.S, government began Relocation Programs and the now famous Trail of Tears march where hundreds of Cherokee died from starvation, exposure, and illnesses. The Native American peoples were not only reduced in number but taken from their homes, stripped of their customs, and even forbidden to speak their native languages. Their children were taken from them and sent to schools to civilize them, forced to abandon every aspect of their heritage. In January 1876, the U.S. government forced them to live on reservations where the majority of Native Americans still reside today. The Indian Citizen Act of 1924 offered official citizenship to the Native American tribes. This was partly due to the heroic service of many of them in World War I. Others like Jim Thorpe, Sequoyah, and Sacajawea have represented their people with greatness. There are well over 500 recognized tribal governments currently in the U.S. They are self-governed and considered to be sovereign nations of people within America. There are currently more than 2.48 million Native Americans, according to the 2000 census bureau. While most still live on the reservations, they are considered some of the most poverty-ridden areas in the

United States. Unemployment is 5 times higher than the general U. S. population, according to the 2002 Bureau of Indian Affairs. As with many defeated, oppressed people, they have suffered tremendously from the plagues of alcoholism and suicide. They have been robbed, humiliated, and removed from all they knew. Though many have tried through the centuries to civilize, Christianize, and Americanize the Native American people, there are organizations today that recognize the important heritage of these nations. For example, Wiconi International says we want to see Indigenous people come to know and experience ultimate freedom, and deliverance from the powers of darkness that still prevail in lands and communities

Chapter 2: Guide to Quality and Culture

Though cultural features, language, clothing and custom vary enormously from one tribe to another, there are certain elements which are encountered frequently and shared by many tribes. Early hunter-gatherer tribes made stone weapons from around 10,000 years ago; as the age of metallurgy dawned, newer technologies were used and more efficient weapons produced. Prior to contact with Europeans, most tribes used similar weaponry. The most common implements were the bow and arrow, the war club, and the spear. Quality, material, and design varied widely. Native Americans use of fire both helped provide and prepare for food and altered the landscape of the continent to help the human population flourish. The clothing of Native Americans was closely related to the environment in which they lived and their religious beliefs. Ranging from tropical and desert regions, to woodlands and mountains, the Arctic tundra, Native Americans developed diverse style of clothing. In the

warmest regions, little clothing was worn. Among the peoples of California, for example, men were normally naked, but woman wore simple knee-length skirts. In the cooler regions, more clothing styles developed. Music and history are tightly interwoven in Native Americans life. A tribes history is constantly told and retold through music, which keeps alive an oral narrative of history. These historical narratives vary widely from tribe to tribe, and are an integral part of tribal identity. However, their historical authenticity evidence, the earliest documentation of Native American music came with the arrival of European explorers. Musical instruments and pictographs depicting music and dance have been dated as far back as the 7th century.

Chapter 3: Faith and beliefs

The history of American religions is dominated by the presence of Christianity brought to the New World by European settlers. In essence, time had run out for the indigenous race that populated the continent of North America. Like the Israelites of the sixth century B.C.E., Native Americans were faced with an enemy that was more advanced. The ritual ceremonies practiced by the Native Americans tribes were systematic worship services that occurred in accordance
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to certain seasonal periods throughout the year. The rituals were handed down through the generation and remained unchanged for centuries. Festival most commonly occurred during important agricultural periods. Worship and thanks were given to the Great Spirit for protection and survival. One of the "Invisible Agents" was usually honored depending on what time of year the ceremony was taking place. The ceremonies were led by "Keepers of the Faith". Traditional Native American ceremonies are still practiced by many tribes and bands, and the older theological belief systems are still held by many of the "traditional" people. The eagle feather law (Title 50 Part 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations) stipulates that only individuals of certifiable Native American ancestry enrolled in a federally recognized tribe are legally authorized to obtain eagle feathers for religious or spiritual use. The law does not allow Native Americans to give eagle feathers to non-Native Americans.

Chapter 4: Words of Wisdom

Native American mythology has a very rich cultural history of its own. In the telling of tales, many things can be taught or learned. This is one of the ways that many tribes kept their cultures alive; it was not just a collection of stories, but of their ways, and their lives. Many legends are still told; some old, some new, but all are part of the beautiful culture that indigenous people of North America have had and still have. Creation story and the importance of dreaming is an Abenaki legend that tells the story of mankind. The Grate Spirit, in a time not known to us, looked about and saw nothing. No colors, no beauty. Time was silent in darkness. There was no sound. Nothing could be seen or felt. The Grate Spirit decided to fill this space with light and life. From

his great power he commanded the sparks of creation. He ordered Tolba, the Great Turtle to come from the waters and become the land. The Grate Spirit molded the mountains and the valleys on turtles back. He put white clouds into the blue skies. He was very happy. He said everything is ready now. I will fill this place with the happy movement of life. He thought and thought about what kind of creatures he would make. Where would they live? What would they do? What would their purpose be? He wanted a perfect plan. He thought so hard that he became very tired and fell asleep. His sleep was filled with dreams of his creation. He saw strange things in his dream. He saw animals crawling on four legs, some on two. Some creatures flew with wings, some swam with fins. There were plants of all colors, covering the ground everywhere. Insects buzzed around, dogs barked, birds sang, and humans beings called to each other. Everything seemed out of place. The Great Spirit though he was having a bad dream. He thought nothing could be this imperfect. When the Grate Spirit awakened, he saw a beaver nibbling on a branch. He realized the word of his dream became his creation. Everything he dreamed about came true. When he saw the beaver make his home, and a dam to provide a pound for his family to swim in, he then knew every thing has its place, and purpose in the time to come. It has been told among our people from generation to generation. We must not question our dreams. They are our creation. Another legend, called Coyote and the origin of Death says that in the beginning of this world, there was no such thing as death. Everybody continued to live until there were so many people that the Earth had no room for any more. The chiefs held a council to determine what to do. One man rose and said he thought it would be

a good plan to have the people die and be gone for a little while, and then return. As soon as he sat down, Coyote jumped up and said he thought people ought to die forever. He pointed out that this little world is not large enough to hold all of the people .All the other men objected. They said that they did not want their friends and relatives to die and be gone forever, for then they would grieve and worry and there would be no happiness in the world so the medicine men built a large grass house facing the East to bring the dead back. When they had completed it, they called the men of the tribe together and told them that people who died would be restored to life. When the first man died, the medicine men assembled in the grass house and sang. In about ten days a whirlwind blew from the West and circled about the grass house. Coyote saw it, and as the whirlwind was about to enter the house, he closed the door. The spirit of the whirlwind, finding the door closed, whirled on by. In this way Coyote made death eternal, and from that time on, people grieved over their dead and were unhappy. Ever since Coyote closed the door, the spirits of the dead have wandered over the Earth trying to find some place to go, until at last they discovered the road to the spirit land.

Conclusion
Indians everywhere represent heroic and romantic historical figures that held out, through skill and courage, against overwhelming forces. They also represent beings that were in tune with themselves, one another, and nature. Balance and harmony are concepts often applied to Indian ways of life, as well as to Indian inner life. For societies alarmed by ecological damage from modern technologies, Indian coexistence with the natural environment serves as a model for survival.

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