Indigenous people of North America, also known as Native or First Nations, have lived in the area for thousands of years. Common groups include Cherokee, Cheyenne, Cree, Haida, Iroquois, Mi’kmaq, Navajo, and Ojibwe, each with unique cultures and histories.
Indigenous people of North America are also called Native or Native Americans and First Nations. Indigenous groups have lived in North America for thousands of years. They inhabited the area long before Europeans “discovered” it in the 15th century. The indigenous people of North America were commonly and erroneously referred to as “Indians” because Europeans mistakenly thought they had reached India. The Cherokee, Cheyenne, Cree, Haida, Iroquois, Mi’kmaq, Navajo, and Ojibwe are among the most common indigenous groups in North America, although there are numerous others.
The Cherokee are native to parts of Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama. The Cherokee developed their own elected tribal council system of government and their own newspaper, court and school systems. Some Cherokee became quite wealthy farmers until the US government created the Indian Removal Act in 1829 when gold was found on Cherokee-owned land in Georgia. Thousands of Cherokee died as they had to leave for the West without sufficient food, shelter, or supplies.
The Cheyenne originally lived on the Great Plains of the Mississippi River Valley and today live primarily in Oklahoma and Montana. The Cheyenne language is a dialect of the Algonquin language family and comprises fourteen letters of the alphabet. The Cheyenne have had to fight government attempts to control their use of their traditional language.
The Cree are Canada’s largest indigenous nation. They range from Hudson Bay to Alberta in Canada and Montana, North and South Dakota and Minnesota in the United States. Lowland Cree are buffalo hunters, while Woodland Cree are forest dwellers. Wars with the Sioux and smallpox contracted from European contact greatly reduced the Cree population.
The Haida are First Nations people living in northern British Columbia; some Haida live on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska. Potlaches are an important ceremony for the indigenous Haida people and are used for many social occasions such as funerals and building a new home. The Haida are known for their artistic family crests and totems, and their high-quality red cedar canoes.
The Iroquois include the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. They are First Nations people from northeastern parts of North America such as the Hudson River and Lake Erie areas. The Iroquois were a strong nation who ate venison and also hunted rabbits, bears, beavers and muskrats. They used bows, arrows and traps to hunt animals.
The Mi’kmaq are First Nations people of Eastern Canada and Maine. An important part of Mi’kmaq culture is the Vision Quest, when a person has to make a life-changing decision about which life path to take. The Vision Quest is very personal and involves fasting and communicating with the Creator to understand a higher purpose to help find the right direction.
The Navajo are native to parts of New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. The Navajo language is Athapaskan. The Navajos raised sheep, horses and goats. A huge economic loss to the Navajo occurred between 1932 and 1936 when the US government forced the Navajo to greatly reduce their sheep population.
The Ojibwe are also called Chippewa, Anishinabe, Ojibwa, Ojibway and Othipwe. They are native to the Sault Sainte Marie area of Canada and were hunted by French explorers in the 1600s. The Ojibwe moved into Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota. The Ojibwe are known for their birchbark canoes.
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