The story of the North American Indians - part II

Cultural regions of the North American Indians:

After early migrations, the arrival on American soil from Asia, and subsequent expansion across the continent, the Indians were geographically grouped into several major areas. They were wholes, that is. regions that connected their common cultural and social characteristics. As for the North American Indians, they were distributed on the soil of today's states - the United States and Canada in nine main, characteristic cultural regions:

1.The Southwest

2.Eastern woodlands

3.The Southeast

4.The Plains

5.The California – intermountain area

6.The Plateau region

7.Subarctic

8.Northwest Pacific coast

9.The Arctic

Southwest cultural region:

The region included parts of the territory of today's USA - the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. It was divided into three smaller units: northern (Colorado, northern Arizona, and northern New Mexico), with pleasant green valleys and pine forests, southern (southern Arizona, and southern New Mexico), with cactus-covered deserts, and western (border area of ​​Arizona and California), with deserts intersected by the valley of the lowland part of the mighty Colorado River.

The southwestern valley was inhabited by the following tribes: Havasupai, Huzlapai, Mojave, Halchidhoma, Yuma, Cocopa, Papago, Pima, Seri, Cahita, Yaqui, Tepahue, Varohio, Comanito, Nio, Tepahuan, Guasave, Zacatec, Huicholva, Tepe , Zuni, Pueblo, Yayapai, Maricopa, Aravaipa Apache, Coyotera Apache, Jicarilla Apache, Chiracahua Apache, Lipan Apache, Suma, Opata, Yumano, Tarahumara, Tobaso, Lagunero, Bocalos, Negrito, Guachichna, Guama Tewa, Towa, Keres, Mimbreno, Concho, Karankawa, Coahuiltec, Janambre-Pison and Tamaulipec.

In the early days, a few thousand years ago, after settling, they lived very hard in harsh conditions. They were hunting. Later, under the influence of Mexican culture, and then the Spanish conquerors, their culture progressed and they began to engage in agriculture, partly using the advantages of irrigating the land. They raised a number of typical American crops: corn, beans, pumpkins… Then, under the influence of the Spaniards, they started to raise sheep and horses…

Apache:

The Apaches are one of the most important peoples of the great ethno-linguistic family Athapaskan in the area of the American Southwest. In prehistoric times, there were nomads in the central and southern part of the Great Plains (The Plains region), and between the 9th and 15th centuries they gradually moved south to the semi-deserts. Spanish researchers found Apaches permanently inhabiting Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and northern Mexico in the late 16th century.

They are divided into 2 main geographical groups: West and East.

The group of Western Apaches includes tribes:

1.San Carlos Apachi, today settled in a reserve in Arizona.

2.White Mountain

3.Cibecue, located in the Fort Apache Reserve.

4. Tonto Apachi, located in Arizona.

The second, the Eastern Group of Apaches, now housed in reserves in New Mexico and Oklahoma, are made up of the following tribes: Jicarila, Mescarelo, Lipan, Kiowe, and Chiricahua. The closest relatives of the Apaches are the Navajo Indians. The homeland of the Apaches is a large area in the present-day states of New Mexico and Arizona, western Texas, and southeastern Colorado. The Atapas are said to be home to western Canada and Alaska. With the arrival of the Spaniards, their history became full of bloody conflicts, first with the Spaniards, and then (in the middle of the 19th century) with the Americans. Since 1861, the Apaches and the Navajo tribe have jointly opposed the invasions of white settlers and the military, but have finally surrendered after five years of bloody conflict in unequal conditions (as a smaller and technically inferior people). During that time, they gave a number of celebrated chiefs: Cochise, Geronimo, Manges Coloradas and Victorio. The American wars with the Apaches ended in the late 19th century.

The Apaches were nomads, hunters and gatherers. Having received horses from the Spaniards, they became skilled riders and even more dangerous warriors. They lived in shelters made of branches and bushes, and then hut-shaped huts. The clothes they wore were made of deerskin. They hunted bears, deer, wild turkeys, rabbits and other game. They didn't fish or eat…

"May the Sun bring you new energy every day, may the Moon gently recover you overnight, may the rain wash away your worries, may the breeze bring new strength to your being, walk the world gently and be aware of its beauty every day of your life."

Today, they are mostly housed in reserves in Arizona and New Mexico, where unemployment is high… There are about 50,000 left. Like many important nations, they have become a waste and a technological surplus of advanced Western civilization. All that remains are memories of the glorious history of the great warriors and great men of the Great Spirit. And some good hearts that can understand them and sympathize with the tragedy of a single world. The world of the deceived and massacred in the name.

Famous Apache chiefs:

GERONIMO (1829-1909)

The last Indian chief to resist the white man. He led attacks in the southwestern states and Mexico. He was finally captured and exiled (1886) to Florida. He successfully fought against the American and Mexican armies for more than 30 years.

KOČIZ:

The famous chief of the Apache tribe Chiricahua, the leader of the Indian resistance in the southwestern United States.

NAVAHO (Navajo):

They represent one of the largest Indian peoples north of Mexico. Their name came from the name of the Tewa Indians-Navajo, which referred to a large area of cultivated land. Like the Apaches, they come from the area of western Canada. They are part of a large ethno-linguistic Athapaskan family.

The Navajo are an original nomadic tribe, very related to the Apaches. They spent the winters in hogans (traditional dwellings made of wooden logs and branches, covered with earth and mud) half-buried in the ground. They spent their summers in shelters made of bushes and branches. They hunted elk, antelope and deer. They were engaged in collecting fruits, as well as cultivating the land (corn and beans). In the early 17th century, they became a shepherd tribe, sheep breeders.

They learned the art of metalworking from the Mexicans in the 17th century, and the art of weaving from Puebla from New Mexico. Painting with sand (multicolored grains) is the most famous art of the Navajo Indians. They created the images with ritual singing of songs in various rituals: Holy way ritual of healing, Evil way of exorcism and Life way ritual of repairing various damages. In addition to sheep, the Navajo inherit from the Spaniards the art of processing turquoise (which they considered a sacred stone) and silver. The Navajo tribe had a shamanic religion, believing in various gods, spirits and magic. After 1868, they were placed in a reserve on the border of Arizona and New Mexico.

Today, the Navajo live in a reserve, where they are engaged in sheep breeding, production of jewelry and Navajo blankets that they sell to tourists. The discovery of oil, gas and various minerals increased their annual income. Today their number is about 220,000 people…

PUEBLO:

Native Americans who lived in stone houses in the southwest. In the 16th century, the Spaniards entered the interior of the Rio Grande area, which was inhabited by Pueblo Indians. By 1630, about 60,000 Pueblo Indians had been baptized and "converted" to Christianity (whatever that meant). They got their name from the Spanish word "pueblo" - people. After a revolt during the second half of the 17th century, Pueblo was reconquered in 1692.

They were mainly engaged in agriculture, growing corn, beans, pumpkin. While the men worked in the fields, the women prepared food, brought water and took care of the children. They practiced "Snake dance", a ceremony in which they prayed to the gods for a fruitful, rainy and successful year.

HOPE:

An Indian tribe from the Uto-Aztecan language family, identical in tradition and social organization to the Pueblo group, located along the Rio Grande River. They called themselves the Hopita (Peaceful). They were engaged in agriculture and grew corn, beans, tobacco, pumpkins and fruits. They held various religious ceremonies, such as "Butterfly dance" or "Snake dance", a kind of "rain dance" to invoke the fertile years. Today there are about 11,000 left.

If we return to spiritual harmony, we will experience paradise in this world. If we continue on the path we have taken so far, it will inevitably lead us to ruin.

Albert Einstein and the Hopi Indians, 1922

ZUNI:

A tribe from the same group and with many similarities with the Hopi tribe, from the area of ​​present-day New Mexico. Like the Hopi, a very peaceful and religious people. While engaged in agriculture, they perfected the irrigation system, while they were masters in making baskets and pottery, as well as in weaving. Their most important ceremony is the "Shalako Festival". After being subjugated by the bloodthirsty and greedy Spanish villains of the conquistadors (merciful angels in the name of God and the Crown), they were baptized and converted by force to "Christianity" ("seemingly" contradictory - violent Christ and Christianity?!?)

MOJAVE:

An Indian tribe of the southwestern cultural area, from the Yuman language group, inhabited along the lowland part of the Colorado River (the border area of ​​today's states of Arizona and California). They were engaged in agriculture, growing primarily corn and beans. They also hunted and fished. They practiced religious ceremonies as well as other peoples of the mentioned area. Today, less than 1,500 people identify as members of the Mohawk tribe, housed in Arizona reserves.

Eastern Forest Cultural Region:

A cultural area in the northeastern and eastern part of today's USA and parts of Canada - from Minnesota and Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean and in the south of North Carolina. It was inhabited by hunting tribes (deer hunters) and fruit and seed gatherers (walnuts, hazelnuts). The area rich in abundant forests and large lakes was suitable for hunting and fishing. Villages were built along rivers and fertile plains. The Indians of this region were known for their "long houses", significantly different from the classic Indian tents or earthen or stone pueblo houses. In the area around the Mississippi River, the culture of the same name (Mici Zibi) developed, based on intensive corn cultivation and rich natural resources (large game, fish wealth, rich forests, fertile river plains suitable for agricultural development). Unfortunately, with the arrival of white settlers and their materialist concept of "happiness", this Indian area was first hit by various executioners and savages, as well as various diseases that caused epidemics and mass deaths (of these new diseases) of the irresistible indigenous population. They were soon decimated, and then relocated with even greater sacrifices - "The Path of Tears" to the final "solution of the question of the Indians" and all those who hindered "progress and development."

The eastern forest area was inhabited by tribes: Algonkini, Ojibwa (Chippewa), Menominee, Winnebago, Sac (Sauk), Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Illinois, Potawatomi, Kickapoo, Miami, Wea, Piankashaw, Shawnee, Ottawa, Huron Seneca, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Iroquois, Delaware, Susquehannock, Powhatan, Tuscarora, Pamlico, Mi'kmag, Malecite, Passamaguoddy, Penobscot, Abnaki, Pennacook, Nimpuc, Pequot, Massachuset, Mohegano, Mahhegano, Mahhegano Meherrin.

ALGONKINI:

Native Americans lived in the Ottawa Valley and surrounding areas during the 17th century and in southern Ontario during the 18th century. They fought against the Iroquois for rivalry in the fur trade, especially against the Mohok. In 1570, they made an alliance with the Montagne tribe in the East, and in 1603 with the French. Although their culture was mostly based on hunting and fishing, they also grew corn, beans and pumpkin. They lived in tents (wigwams) with a pointed top, made of birch bark, on poles, and were known for their light canoes made of birch bark and snowshoes, and the shallow sleighs they used to travel during the winter. Today, there are about 2,000 left and they work in modern Canada as guides for hunting and fishing.

IROQUOIS:

The Iroquois formed a loose tribal Indian alliance from the northeastern forests, mostly the area of ​​present-day New York. With their expansive policy and fighting spirit, they overcame all the surrounding neighbors. It is estimated that there were about 20,000 of them at that time. They called themselves the people of the long house.

The Iroquois Alliance, formed around 1570 by the St. Lawrence River, consisted of the following tribes: the Cayuga (called the Great Pipe Guardians), the Mohawk (East Gate Guardians), the Oneida (standing stone people), the Onondaga (Fire Guardians), and the Seneca ( west gatekeepers). In 1722, the sixth tribe - Tuscarora - joined the alliance.

Today, most Iroquois live an average American life, in both urban and rural communities. Most of the reserves in which they are located are in Canada, followed by New York, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. Today, the number of Iroquois is estimated to be around 50,000. There are casinos in the reserves that are the main source of income (infection?) For almost all Indians housed within these modern camps. Outside the reserves, they are mainly engaged in construction works.

HURON:

A tribal confederation of the Iroquoian language family that lived in the early 17th century between Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay in Ontario. The alliance then had about 20,000 people. They belonged to the eastern forest cultural area, and lived in settlements surrounded by palisades and grew tobacco. Their history was marked by constant conflicts with the Iroquois. Long before French explorers arrived on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, Huron's warrior groups cruised the forests between Canada and present-day New York, attacking the Iroquois tribal alliance, which, in retaliation, ruthlessly destroyed Huron. European settlers intervened in the later conflicts, helping both of them to self-destruct with firearms. What the light weapons failed to do was the diseases brought to the soul from Europe.

CHIPPEWA or OJIBWA:

An Indian tribe of the Algonquin language group, originally from the area between Lake Huron and Mount Turtle in North Dakota. They moved a lot and were a very warlike tribe. They engaged in hunting and fishing, gathering wild Chippewa tribe believed in Kitchie Manito (Great Spirit) or "Great Soul", with whom they communicated visions and dreams. The shaman was their Holy Man - a spiritual leader who, with the help of dancing and falling into a trance, introduced them with his vision to the wonderful world of the Great Soul - Manitou. To date, about 104,000 have survived and "live" on reserves in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and Montana.

The famous Chief of Chips:

Chief HOLE IN THE DAY (1825-1868)

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Indian people of the northwestern United States first felt the pressure of civilization. The Indians gradually realized that the white race had a very clear goal - to become the owner and ruler of the whole country, regardless of the rights of the natives. Just at that time, the Indians had a number of brilliant chiefs who tried in every way to prevent the white villains in their intention - above all with the patience and wisdom of the great people of Manitou.

One of the famous Indian leaders was Rupa U Danu (Bag-o-naj-kishing), the chief of the Chipeva tribe. As a great man and warrior, he inherited his name and abilities from his father, who was considered the real Napoleon in the fights against the Sioux. Hole In the Day he was a polite man, of striking appearance. He had a melodic and pleasant voice and was gifted as a speaker. He had to bear the heavy burden of a tribal leader at a time when equality and honesty among the people had to give way to the terrible forces of civilization - selfish and insatiable materialistic greed and hypocrisy. He managed to preserve the territories conquered in the war against the Sioux and to skillfully negotiate with the whites. Like other shrewd Indians, he could predict the extinction of his race. Unfortunately, as a skilled diplomat and a man who made pacts with the US government, he became more and more hated in Indian proud and belligerent circles. After the agreement of 1868, when the fate of the Chipeva tribe was finally sealed, Chief Rupa U Dan realized that his race had broken down and that his compromises and easy life with whites were pure illusion and deception. He was killed by hostile Indians, ending up as Sioux chief Colorful Tail, another of the leaders who peacefully tried to save his own people from extinction. Thus died one of the most brilliant Indian leaders.

SHAWNEE:

An Indian tribe of the Algonquian language group from the eastern forest region. Until the beginning of the 18th century, they lived in the area of ​​today's Ohio, and then, first before the raids of the warlike Iroquois, their permanent migrations began - first to the south and east (Texas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina), and then before the raids of so-called white settlers. The Americans are moving west all the way to Oklahoma. Around 1805, their famous chief Tecumseh (1768-1813) organized resistance, opposing the onslaught of white executioners. They were mainly engaged in hunting. Today there are about 6,000 more.

WINNEBAGO:

An American Indian tribe of the Siouan family from the Wisconsin area. It is believed to have originated from the great Winnebago people who lived in the areas north of the Great Lakes. Their villages were permanent, and they lived in dome-shaped wigwams. They grew tobacco, beans and corn. Their main summer ceremony was Medicine Dance, while in winter they practiced Winter Feast.

MASSACHUSET:

A tribe from the Algonquian Indian Confederation, in the early 17th century settled around Massachusetts Bay and to the northwest. At that time, there were about 3,000 of them, but after the wars with the coming white immigrants and illness, their number drastically decreased. After baptism, they begin to lose their tribal identity. They were engaged in the cultivation of corn, pumpkins, beans and tobacco, as well as hunting and fishing. Summer villages were located near the coast, composed of long houses, while winter hunting camps consisted of wigwams.

MENOMINEE:

The Indian tribe originally settled in the upper Michigan region, the Great Lakes region (Upper, Michigan, Huron), and then moved to Wisconsin and the Mississippi River. They were engaged in hunting, fishing and growing corn, beans and tobacco. Later, they also traded in fur. After 1800, they were moved to a reserve (camp) near the Wolf River in Wisconsin.

ILLINOIS:

A tribe from the Algonquin language group and part of a confederation of tribes inhabiting the area of today's Illinois (of course, the state of Illinois was named after them, which is another type of typical humanistic American cynicism), Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin. In addition to the Illinois tribe, the Cahokia, Kaskaskia, Michigamen, Moingwena, Peoria, and Tamaroa tribes also lived there. There is very little unverified information about their culture and history…

POWHATAN:

Formerly a strong Algonquin confederation in the early 17th century in what is now Virginia. Of the former 9,000 members, about 1,500 remain today. The confederation included 30 tribes. Their villages consisted of long houses, surrounded by palisades. They grew corn, beans, pumpkins and sunflowers, hunted fish and deer, turkeys and small game. They used canoes (made of cypress wood, about 15 meters long) to transport food and goods. They were engaged in collecting wild herbs, walnuts and roots. At the beginning of the 17th century, they met the English. There is a famous story about the marriage of the daughter of the chief of the tribe - Princess Pocahontas with the English colonist John Rolf. The life of Pocahontas (1595-1617) served as an inspiration to many legends and romantic works of art.

POTAWATOMI:

Another of the many tribes of the Algonquin language group. They came into contact with Europeans during the early 17th century, in the Wisconsin area. Later, they occupied a large area from Wisconsin to Michigan, as well as northern present-day Illinois and Indiana. They fought on the side of the French against the English. By the end of the first half of the 19th century, they were placed in the reserves of southern Kansas by the decision of the American Government. Today, about 17,000 survivors remain.

Southeast cultural region:

It covers the region north of the Gulf of Mexico to the Mid-Atlantic-Midwestern region, as well as the area from the Atlantic coast in the east to Texas in the west (southern and southeastern United States). It was a zone rich in pine forests, suitable for deer hunting and fishing. The area around the Mississippi River formed a fertile plain for growing corn and the rise of Southeast Indian culture. Unfortunately, the Europeans brought with them diseases, devastation and finally genocide against the indigenous people. This area was inhabited by tribes: Caddo (Whichite), Hasinai, Bidai, Atakapa, Taensa, Natchez, Houma, Chitimacha / Chawasha, Tunica, Yazzo, Chickasaw, Chakchiuma, Ofo, Choctaw, Biloxi, Tuskegee, Napochi, Tahomela, Mobile P , Chatot, Alabama, Koasati, Yuchi, Cherokee, Saponi, Monacan, Tutelo, Eno, Woccon, Sugeree, Cheraw, Catawba, Wateree, Waccamaw, Pedee, Cusabo, Hitchiti, Chiaha, Tamathli, Yamasee, Guale, Apalache, Timicua, , Seminole, Calusa and Tenesta.

Whichite:

A confederation of tribes or gangs of North American Caddoan Indians from the Canadian rivers in Oklahoma, and later in the Red Rivers area of ​​Texas. Since 1867, they have been housed in a reserve in Caddo County, Oklahoma. The name Whichita comes from wits - man. They called themselves raccon-eyed people because of the tattoos around their eyes (tattooing was one of their main features, so they were also called tattooed people). The Wichis are a semi-agricultural people who live by hunting and growing typically Indian crops: corn, beans and tobacco. Their houses are made of straw in the shape of a haystack. At the time of the hunt, they used leather types of tents for mobility. They wore tanned leather clothes.

Cherokee:

One of the most important tribes of the Iroquoian group, whose original location was in Tennessee and North Carolina. In the later period, they were also in Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Texas. They represent the people who were engaged in agriculture and lived in about 200 villages. The houses were circular in shape, whose wooden skeleton was intertwined with branches and bushes and all covered with mud. There was therefore a smoke vent at the top of the shaped roof. Later, under the influence of whites, they built log cabins with one door and a smoke opening. They held Busk ceremonies or so-called Dancing green corn. Along with beans and tobacco, corn was a sacred plant, of exceptional importance for life.

By the 17th century, when they were first encountered by white merchants, the Cherokees were already decimated by smallpox and other "European" diseases. Sometime around 1820, the leader of the Cherokee tribe - Sequoia (1770-1843) developed the script and language of the Cherokee. Many members of this nation learned to read and write in their own language over time, and after 1828, the first Native American newspapers were launched. Cherokee in today's United States still has about 310,000.

CHOCTAW:

The Muskogean Indian tribe is a language family located in present-day Georgia, Alabama, southern Mississippi, and Louisiana. They fought traditional enemies - Chickasaw and Creek. They were an agricultural people and grew corn, beans, potatoes, pumpkins and tobacco. They were engaged in hunting and fishing. With the arrival of Europeans, they began to use horses as well. After the passing of the law on the resettlement of Indians (by the US Congress), the tribe was moved to Oklahoma in the so-called Indian Territory (along with the Creek, Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Semiole tribes).

CREEK:

The Muskogean tribe of the language group. In the 18th century, they were the dominant tribe with about 30,000 people and occupied the areas of Alabama and Georgia. After Cherokee, they were the most powerful group in the southeastern region. They were struck by the fate of other tribes and moved to a reserve in Oklahoma. They were an agricultural tribe and lived in villages with log cabins. They practiced the "Green corn dance" religious ceremony. Like most tribes in the region, they used body tattoos a lot. They also engaged in hunting and fishing. Today there are about 44,000 left.