The Arrowhead Answer Guide
It is generally believed that humans migrated to America from Eurasia over 12,000 years ago. This migration was made possible by a land bridge named Beringia that use to connect America to Eurasia across what is now the Bering Strait. It is believed that three distinct waves of migration took place across this land bridge. These prehistoric people eventually populated the Americas and formed hundreds of distinct tribes each having their own unique traditions and languages.
The term "Indian" originated with Christopher Columbus. He thought that he had reached the East Indies when he landed in America and therefore named the inhabitants Indians.
European settlers to America brought with them diseases to which the Native Americans had no resistance. These diseases killed millions of Indians and resulted in a huge population decline.
Europeans brought many animals to the Americas which the indigenous people had never seen, including cattle, sheep, and pigs.
Horses had been hunted to extinction by the early settlers of the Americas thousands of years before the Europeans arrived. The reintroduction of the horse by the Europeans had an incredible impact on the American Indians. They utilized the horse for travel, hunting, and warfare.
Numerous conflicts occurred between the American Indians and European settlers before the American Revolutionary War , and after the Revolution between the Native Americans and the U.S. government. These conflicts have been named the American Indian Wars.
In 1890 the last major battle between Native American Indians and U.S. soldiers occurred. It was called the Battle of Wounded Knee and occurred near the Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota. Approximately three hundred Sioux Indians were killed.
In 1838 one of the most horrible events in American history occurred. This event was a forced relocation of thousands of Indians from their homelands to areas west of the Mississippi River. This march, named the "Trail of Tears", resulted in the death of thousands of Native Americans from numerous tribes including the Cherokee, Seminole, Choctaw, and Chickasaw. Most of the deaths were the result of disease and exposure to the extremely cold weather.
The Iroquois had a chief who ruled only as long as the tribes supported his decisions. The Iroquois were a union of several tribes that had in place limits to power held in place by checks and balances.
American Indians have appeared on many U.S. coins including the Buffalo nickel (Indian Head nickel) minted between 1913 and 1938 and more recently the Sacagawea dollar which features the famous Indian women who served as a guide on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
The Northeast American Indians are also referred to as Eastern Woodland Indians because most lived in the forest.
The Northeast region of North America is a large area with many variations of climate, landscape, and natural resources. These differences account for the wide variations of Indian cultures in the region.
Wigwams and longhouses were the typical shelter of Indians living in this region.
The Indians of this region first came in contact with Europeans around the year 1000 A.D. when the famous Viking explorer Leif Ericsson sailed from Greenland to Canada.
By the early sixteenth century the Indians of the Northeast had been in contact with explorers from many European countries. They had met explorers and settlers from England, Spain, France, and Portugal who were interested in the regions vast natural resources including lumber, fish, and furs.
Among the most famous Indian people of the Northeast are the Iroquois. They are actually a group (league) of tribes know today as the Iroquois League or the League of Peace and Power. Historically the league made decisions, on important matters, as a group. Several Native American nations make up this league. Originally it was comprised of the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca tribes and was referred to as the Five Nations. In 1722 the Tuscarora nation joined the league which then became referred to as the Six Nations.
Perhaps the most well known Indian of the Northeast region was Pocahontas. She was a member of the Powhatan tribe. There are many untrue stories told about her. For example she never had a romantic relationship with the famous English settler John Smith. However she did marry an English colonist by the name of John Rolfe.
One of the most famous American Indians of the Northeast was Squanto. He helped the Pilgrims survive after their first winter in America. He was a member of the now extinct Patuxet tribe which was part of the Wampanoag Confederacy.
Pontiac was a famous chief of the Ottawa tribe. He defended the Great Lakes region from the invasion of the British and was involved in the capture of Fort Detroit at the Battle of Bloody Run.
Small beads made from quahog shells, called wampum, were used by many North American Indians as money for trade with white settlers and explorers.
Pocahontas (1595 - 1617) - She was made famous by the Disney movie about her interactions with the early American settlers of Jamestown, Virginia. Her marriage, in 1614, to settler John Rolfe was the first interracial marriage in American history.
Squanto (1581 - 1622) - He is famous for helping the Pilgrims survive their first winter in the New World.
Pontiac (1720 - 1769) - He is known for resisting the British occupation of the Great Lakes Region of North America.
Black Hawk (1767 - 1838) - A leader of the Sauk tribe he led many war parties including a group of Indians during the Black Hawk War (1832).
Tecumseh (1768 - 1813) - This famous Native American Indian was a Shawnee leader who urged Native Americans to resist the expansion of the United States into their territories. He fought the United States in the Tecumsehs War and the War of 1812. He was killed in the War of 1812.
Sacajawea (1788 - 1812) - She served as an interpreter and guide for Lewis and Clark during their exploration of the Western areas of North America. She appears on the United States dollar coin.
Cochise (1805 - 1874) - A famous Apache leader who led an uprising that began in 1861.
Red Cloud (1822 - 1909) - He was a great Sioux warrior and a leader of his people during the Red Clouds War.
Sitting Bull (1831 - 1890) - He is perhaps the most famous Native American Indian ever. This Sioux warrior is famed for his victory over the United State Army, lead by General Custer, at the Battle of Little Bighorn.
Geronimo (1829-1909) - He is a famous Apache military and spiritual leader. For several decades he fought Mexican and United States forces looking to expand into Apache territory.
Crazy Horse (1840 - 1877) - He was a great Sioux warrior and a leader in the Great Sioux War of 1876.
Charles Curtis (1860 - 1936) - He was the first person with significant Native American heritage (enrolled in the Kaw tribe) to serve in the United States senate and to become Vice President of the U.S.
Jim Thorpe (1888 - 1953) - Jim Thorpe is one of the most famous athletes of all time. He is of Native American and European ancestry. He won gold medals in the 1912 Olympics for both the pentathlon and decathlon, and played professional football, baseball, and basketball.
Maria TallChief (born 1925) - She is a famous ballerina who danced with the New York City Ballet for nearly two decades. Upon her retirement in 1965 she founded the Chicago City Ballet.
John Herrington (born 1958) - With his space shuttle mission in 2002 he became the first enrolled member of a Native American tribe to venture into space. In 2002 he was inducted into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame.
The Bigfoot figure is common to the folklore of most Native American tribes. Native American Bigfoot legends usually describe the creatures as around 6-9 feet tall, very strong, hairy, uncivilized, and often foul-smelling, usually living in the woods and often foraging at night. Native American Bigfoot creatures are almost always said to be unable to speak human languages, using whistles, grunts, and gestures to communicate with each other. In some stories, male Bigfeet are said to be able to mate with human women. In some Native stories, Bigfoot may have minor supernatural powers-- the ability to turn invisible, for example-- but they are always considered physical creatures of the forest, not spirits or ghosts.
The term "Indian" originated with Christopher Columbus. He thought that he had reached the East Indies when he landed in America and therefore named the inhabitants Indians.
European settlers to America brought with them diseases to which the Native Americans had no resistance. These diseases killed millions of Indians and resulted in a huge population decline.
Europeans brought many animals to the Americas which the indigenous people had never seen, including cattle, sheep, and pigs.
Horses had been hunted to extinction by the early settlers of the Americas thousands of years before the Europeans arrived. The reintroduction of the horse by the Europeans had an incredible impact on the American Indians. They utilized the horse for travel, hunting, and warfare.
Numerous conflicts occurred between the American Indians and European settlers before the American Revolutionary War , and after the Revolution between the Native Americans and the U.S. government. These conflicts have been named the American Indian Wars.
In 1890 the last major battle between Native American Indians and U.S. soldiers occurred. It was called the Battle of Wounded Knee and occurred near the Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota. Approximately three hundred Sioux Indians were killed.
In 1838 one of the most horrible events in American history occurred. This event was a forced relocation of thousands of Indians from their homelands to areas west of the Mississippi River. This march, named the "Trail of Tears", resulted in the death of thousands of Native Americans from numerous tribes including the Cherokee, Seminole, Choctaw, and Chickasaw. Most of the deaths were the result of disease and exposure to the extremely cold weather.
The Iroquois had a chief who ruled only as long as the tribes supported his decisions. The Iroquois were a union of several tribes that had in place limits to power held in place by checks and balances.
American Indians have appeared on many U.S. coins including the Buffalo nickel (Indian Head nickel) minted between 1913 and 1938 and more recently the Sacagawea dollar which features the famous Indian women who served as a guide on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
The Northeast American Indians are also referred to as Eastern Woodland Indians because most lived in the forest.
The Northeast region of North America is a large area with many variations of climate, landscape, and natural resources. These differences account for the wide variations of Indian cultures in the region.
Wigwams and longhouses were the typical shelter of Indians living in this region.
The Indians of this region first came in contact with Europeans around the year 1000 A.D. when the famous Viking explorer Leif Ericsson sailed from Greenland to Canada.
By the early sixteenth century the Indians of the Northeast had been in contact with explorers from many European countries. They had met explorers and settlers from England, Spain, France, and Portugal who were interested in the regions vast natural resources including lumber, fish, and furs.
Among the most famous Indian people of the Northeast are the Iroquois. They are actually a group (league) of tribes know today as the Iroquois League or the League of Peace and Power. Historically the league made decisions, on important matters, as a group. Several Native American nations make up this league. Originally it was comprised of the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca tribes and was referred to as the Five Nations. In 1722 the Tuscarora nation joined the league which then became referred to as the Six Nations.
Perhaps the most well known Indian of the Northeast region was Pocahontas. She was a member of the Powhatan tribe. There are many untrue stories told about her. For example she never had a romantic relationship with the famous English settler John Smith. However she did marry an English colonist by the name of John Rolfe.
One of the most famous American Indians of the Northeast was Squanto. He helped the Pilgrims survive after their first winter in America. He was a member of the now extinct Patuxet tribe which was part of the Wampanoag Confederacy.
Pontiac was a famous chief of the Ottawa tribe. He defended the Great Lakes region from the invasion of the British and was involved in the capture of Fort Detroit at the Battle of Bloody Run.
Small beads made from quahog shells, called wampum, were used by many North American Indians as money for trade with white settlers and explorers.
Pocahontas (1595 - 1617) - She was made famous by the Disney movie about her interactions with the early American settlers of Jamestown, Virginia. Her marriage, in 1614, to settler John Rolfe was the first interracial marriage in American history.
Squanto (1581 - 1622) - He is famous for helping the Pilgrims survive their first winter in the New World.
Pontiac (1720 - 1769) - He is known for resisting the British occupation of the Great Lakes Region of North America.
Black Hawk (1767 - 1838) - A leader of the Sauk tribe he led many war parties including a group of Indians during the Black Hawk War (1832).
Tecumseh (1768 - 1813) - This famous Native American Indian was a Shawnee leader who urged Native Americans to resist the expansion of the United States into their territories. He fought the United States in the Tecumsehs War and the War of 1812. He was killed in the War of 1812.
Sacajawea (1788 - 1812) - She served as an interpreter and guide for Lewis and Clark during their exploration of the Western areas of North America. She appears on the United States dollar coin.
Cochise (1805 - 1874) - A famous Apache leader who led an uprising that began in 1861.
Red Cloud (1822 - 1909) - He was a great Sioux warrior and a leader of his people during the Red Clouds War.
Sitting Bull (1831 - 1890) - He is perhaps the most famous Native American Indian ever. This Sioux warrior is famed for his victory over the United State Army, lead by General Custer, at the Battle of Little Bighorn.
Geronimo (1829-1909) - He is a famous Apache military and spiritual leader. For several decades he fought Mexican and United States forces looking to expand into Apache territory.
Crazy Horse (1840 - 1877) - He was a great Sioux warrior and a leader in the Great Sioux War of 1876.
Charles Curtis (1860 - 1936) - He was the first person with significant Native American heritage (enrolled in the Kaw tribe) to serve in the United States senate and to become Vice President of the U.S.
Jim Thorpe (1888 - 1953) - Jim Thorpe is one of the most famous athletes of all time. He is of Native American and European ancestry. He won gold medals in the 1912 Olympics for both the pentathlon and decathlon, and played professional football, baseball, and basketball.
Maria TallChief (born 1925) - She is a famous ballerina who danced with the New York City Ballet for nearly two decades. Upon her retirement in 1965 she founded the Chicago City Ballet.
John Herrington (born 1958) - With his space shuttle mission in 2002 he became the first enrolled member of a Native American tribe to venture into space. In 2002 he was inducted into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame.
The Bigfoot figure is common to the folklore of most Native American tribes. Native American Bigfoot legends usually describe the creatures as around 6-9 feet tall, very strong, hairy, uncivilized, and often foul-smelling, usually living in the woods and often foraging at night. Native American Bigfoot creatures are almost always said to be unable to speak human languages, using whistles, grunts, and gestures to communicate with each other. In some stories, male Bigfeet are said to be able to mate with human women. In some Native stories, Bigfoot may have minor supernatural powers-- the ability to turn invisible, for example-- but they are always considered physical creatures of the forest, not spirits or ghosts.