Tell us about your local indigenous peoples

Started by Cassia, August 27, 2022, 01:59:42 PM

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Cassia

During 1696, a shipwreck survivor on our east central coast kept a journal dealing mostly with the local natives while trying to keep himself and his small party alive. By 1760, after thousands of years, the Ais (or Ays) people were all gone. The only trace they left are found in their burial mounds and the huge piles of oyster shells, and for a while, the thatched structures they built. They mostly fished and gathered, but it is noted that they grew pumpkins.

They made deals and and a tenuous alliance with the Spanish to help them recover gold from their "plate fleet" that got caught in a hurricane (1715) and sank off the beaches. The Spanish missionaries wrote about how the natives suffered from the new-to-them European diseases. They would sometimes harass and fight against the English explorers/settlers (who were at war with Spain.)

Just before the Ays vanished, the Creek tribe was chased down from Georgia and Alabama by the US government. The Creeks may have mingled with the Ays people for a while, but they certainly aligned with the Calusa and other tribes. Add a few run-away slaves hiding down in the Florida swamps. They became known as the "Seminole" tribe and remain undefeated till this day. Some Seminoles claim they learned to sing some Ays chants from their ancestors.








SoldierofFortune

The early missionaries of imperialism was taken aback by the lifestyles of the indigenous peoples. They thought their moral duty was making them more civilized. They introduced them to their Christianity and modern, technologically enhanced tools.

Thanks to their goodwill, the isolated natives met with the civilized men in its truest meaning.

But there are still groups of people like this, I think that's because of providing the new generation of anthropologists with a realistic laboratory to work.

This is unkind, even inhumane.

Let's make them civilised too, maybe by giving them iPhone and Big Mac. I think that's pretty enough.

Dark Lightning

They should have kept their blue noses in their own fucking business. Who were they to tell other people how to live? Just consider the suffering and loss of life these "well-meaning" people inflicted. FFS

Cassia

Speaking of the Seminole people...are their patchwork dresses great or what? Reminds me of Bolivian clothing.




The recent thinking is the migration of Asians to the Americas happened much earlier than previously thought.

Shiranu

Not indigenous to this region, but here thanks to politics, authoritarianism and racism... the Mi'kmaq (Mee-g-mah) story of the First Moose and his sacrifice/pact with humanity.

"A little science distances you from God, but a lot of science brings you nearer to Him." - Louis Pasteur


Luther Martini

#6
This video, produced by an Iowa high school student, tells the story of the Meskwaki people from their being driven from their homeland into Iowa by the French to present day. It was the documentary entry representing Iowa at the 2015 high school National History Day competition at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland.


The author, who was 18 at the time that the video was produced, added this note in YouTube.com:

QuoteIn retrospect, looking at the video in 2019, I would change the title. While the Meskwaki are the last federally recognized tribe based in Iowa, they are certainly not the only ones with land claims and deep heritage in this state (especially the Ioway people, for whom the state was named).

Cassia

Quote from: Luther Martini on September 06, 2022, 06:32:17 PM....The author, who was 18 at the time that the video was produced, added this note in YouTube.com:
18. Wow. Very interesting and well-done documentary. There was mention of the forced migration of the Cherokees that I just read about from Hydra's post.

.. I am also reminded of the saddest thing I have ever known. The "ghost dance" saga that shows how a religion is born (during the worst of times) and then summarily squashed in an act of genocide.
Looking back, now it is clear how full of shit the claims of US exceptionalism really are. I was taught in detail about the horrors of Nazi death camps in high school (70s). We spent maybe a 1/2 hour talking about our own war of genocide. John Wayne was still a big deal. Looking at the racist nationalism and pure political hatred prevalent in the US today, what has changed? We are a violent country with a violent past who likes to talk itself up. You cannot improve until you admit your faults.



Luther Martini

Quote from: Cassia on September 06, 2022, 08:57:23 PM You cannot improve until you admit your faults.



Exactly, we must look at the past honestly if we are to hand down a better world to future generations.  And, yes, I agree that this exceptionalism myth that the conservatives/nationalists push on us is really just a load of crap.  The problem with these people is that they just don't realize that our greatness as a people comes from how we can evolve in our appreciation and understanding of each other, not in staying the way that we were and preserving and perpetuating old grievances and prejudices. 

BTW, Starting this topic was a wonderful idea -- thank you. 

PopeyesPappy

Got to get ready for work, but I'll try to get back to this later. For now though I spent most of my childhood in traditionally either Timucua, Yuchi, or Iroquoian (Cherokee) lands. Then most of the last 50 years in the north central Gulf region. Today these are the Muskogee-Creek nations. Although several of the tribes in this confederation maintain independent governments. The company I work for is owned by the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town. This is one of the independent nations nations associated with the Creek Nation. They are located in Oklahoma. These days I live in what would have been Koasati lands. Some of these people are part of the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town. 



Source map here: https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3701e.ct003648r/?r=-0.085,-0.049,1.197,0.754,0

Save a life. Adopt a Greyhound.

Shiranu

Still learning these stories, but one of the interesting things I have found is how much (Northern, anyways) Native mythology... doesn't actually really contradict anything in Christianity; which makes it even more ridiculous that so much of the violence faced was done in the name of Christianity.

The Great Spirit breathed life into all beings - breathed spirit into them, animated them - and while all beings have their "unique" spirit, it's all part of the Great Spirit - like an arm is part of a body, but an arm is not a leg; it's all about what way you view it as to which conclusion you come to, but both are saying the same thing ultimately. This is also the root of respect for one another and for nature - we all share the same spirit.

Or perhaps another way... we are all composed of the same star stuff, the same minerals that formed this universe flow in my blood and yours equally.

http://www.native-languages.org/mikmaq-legends.htm
"A little science distances you from God, but a lot of science brings you nearer to Him." - Louis Pasteur

Luther Martini

#11
With today being Indigenous Peoples' Day, NPR posted on their website an article titled "Which Indigenous lands are you on? This map will show you".

The article describes and links to a site showing the current status of a project to map indigenous lands, not only on the North American continent, but also in many other places around the world.  If you are in a hurry, and don't want to read the NPR article to find the link to the map, here it is:

https://native-land.ca/

Shiranu

Quote from: Luther Martini on October 10, 2022, 02:10:21 PMWith today being Indigenous Peoples' Day, NPR posted on their website an article titled "Which Indigenous lands are you on? This map will show you".

The article describes and links to a site showing the current status of a project to map indigenous lands, not only on the North American continent, but also in many other places around the world.  If you are in a hurry, and don't want to read the NPR article to find the link to the map, here it is:

https://native-land.ca/



Interesting; looks like several big Nations intersected around my area. I know Austin was famous for it's Native peace tree grove (oaks?) where treaties were made, so that makes sense that such a diplomatically important place would be located here.
"A little science distances you from God, but a lot of science brings you nearer to Him." - Louis Pasteur

Cassia

Quote from: Shiranu on October 10, 2022, 05:17:03 PMInteresting; looks like several big Nations intersected around my area. I know Austin was famous for it's Native peace tree grove (oaks?) where treaties were made, so that makes sense that such a diplomatically important place would be located here.

I knew that many geographical names came from the Natives, but wow driving around in the US mentioning towns, lakes and rivers it is like you are speaking in their tongue. Most words are mispronounced, I am sure.

Shiranu

Quote from: Cassia on October 10, 2022, 06:31:43 PMI knew that many geographical names came from the Natives, but wow driving around in the US mentioning towns, lakes and rivers it is like you are speaking in their tongue. Most words are mispronounced, I am sure.
Yep, this map actually showed me several places I've been to all my life that apparently are named after Indigenous tribes.
"A little science distances you from God, but a lot of science brings you nearer to Him." - Louis Pasteur