The history of Indians

The native Americas are the aboriginals in America. They are believed to be early humans who traveled through Bering Strait to the North America continent. They gradually migrated southward and finally spread across the whole America.

The history of IndiansPre-Columbian Indians: before AD 1492

Indians have already had intensive cultivation in agriculture. They can make elegant colored pottery and build castles five or six stories. Their cultural development level was higher. Before the colonial period, the Indians were in the different stages of clan commune.(氏族公社制度 )

The history of Indians

All kinds of Indian tribes have various lifestyles, for example, collection, hunting, fishing, nomadic and agriculture.

The history of Indians

The event of 1492 (What???), the biggest turning point in the history of America, has had the Eurocentric effect of defining that history in terms of this one moment. Historians describe the previous American cultures as pre-Columbian.

The history of Indians

Columbus arrived in America in 1492. Because Columbus is under the illusion that he has reached the Indians, he called the original inhabitants of the American continent Indians.

The fate of the American Indians varies greatly in different parts of the continent. The regions of the great American civilizations, in central America and down the western coastal strip of south America, are densely populated when the Spanish arrive. Moreover the Spaniards are mainly interested in extracting the wealth of these regions and taking it back to Europe.

The history of IndiansPost-Columbian Indians: after AD 1492

America policy on Indians

Dozens of Native American tribes lived in the west, supporting themselves with many different economies. Westward expansion depleted resources and damaged the environment, thus destroying the Native Americans’ ability to support themselves.

Westward Movement

America policy on Indians Government policy tried to assimilate the tribes into white society by suppressing native culture and trying to convert Native Americans to white customs. So the relationship between American Indian and the Federal government is full of violence, hypocrite and failure of keeping promise .

Indians’ struggles

Some Native Americans resisted the influx of white settlers militarily. The most famous conflicts took place on the Great Plains, where the Sioux(苏族 ), Cheyenne(夏安族 ), Comanche(科曼奇族 ), Kiowa(基奥瓦人 ), and others fought the U.S. Army in several campaigns between 1855 and 1877. Native Americans won some dramatic victories, but they were ultimately defeated and confined to reservations.

America policy on Indians The Dawes Act(道斯法案 ) of 1887 aimed to end reservations and diminish the importance of the tribe by allotting reservation lands to individual tribal members. Between 1887 and 1934, dozens of reservations were eliminated, and Native American lands were reduced from 150 million acres to 48 million acres.

America policy on Indians

In 1814, the James Madison government approved the reward regulations to slaughter Indians referencing North America parliament of each colonies in 1703.

Indians’ sufferings

1.Religion

2.Life conditons

3.Education

4.Ecological environment

The presidents’ speech