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In Ameiica, many finu a souice of piiue in oui uiveise cultuie. Nillions of
Ameiicans of all skin colois anu ethnicities enjoy fieeuom anu piotection unuei
constitutional law. It coulu be easy to foiget that it was once veiy uiffeient. Any
iesiuent who was not a white piotestant was tieateu as infeiioi anu uenieu even the
most basic iights. Iionically, the gioup that has suffeieu the most in this countiy is
the one gioup who has the most iight to be heie in the fiist place.
Native Ameiican have occupieu Ameiican lanus foi ovei ten thousanu yeais.
While theii exact oiigins aie still a point of uebate by many scholais, it is wiuely
believeu that the fiist migiants ciosseu an ice biiuge between Sibeiia anu Alaska
ovei 1S,uuu yeais ago. (0lson & Beal pg. 17) Since Native Ameiicans weie piimaiily
nomauic, it is likely that they weie following animal heius acioss the ice to the new
woilu. 0nce heie, they pioceeueu to spieau thioughout Noith anu South Ameiica.
Theii spieau gave iise to many sepaiate cultuies anu societies along the way.
The Noith Ameiican cultuies mostly maintaineu theii nomauic lifestyle, following
heius of laige animals acioss the lanuscape. A cultuie of tight knit communities was
almost univeisal. Native Ameiicans seluom uesiieu piivate owneiship anu wealth,
anu often consiueieu the lanu anu all of its iesouices a gift foi all man to shaie.
(0lson & Beal pg. 24)
This iejection of mateiialism anu ielationship with natuie ultimately leu to a
clash of cultuies when Euiopean colonists aiiiveu in the New Woilu. Native
Ameiicans weie vieweu as nothing moie than piimitive savages by many anu weie
tieateu as a nuisance. At fiist, the two gioups kept a cautious uistance fiom one
anothei. Bowevei, Euiopean expansion woulu spaik conflict with Inuian tiibes anu
subject them to uiseases that theii immune systems coulu not cope with.
It uiu not take long foi the Inuian tiibes to be foiceu off of theii lanus.
This was the beginning of a long cycle of Inuian iemoval anu ielocation. The lanus
on which the Natives weie placeu weie often much uiffeient fiom the lanus the tiibe
hau oiiginateu fiom. New suivival skills hau to be leaineu if the tiibe was to iemain
intact. Peihaps moie impoitant to some Natives, the lanu was consiueieu to be holy,
being the fiist place the gous hau cieateu. (0lson & Beal pg. 22)
White settleis flockeu to Inuian lanus with the Bomesteau Act of 1862. The
act alloweu white settleis to secuie a 16u-acie tiact of lanu in the uieat Plains foi
little moie than a $Su iegistiation fee anu S yeais of impiovements. (Case pg. 7)
Niles of fences now split theii lanus. The close pioximity to hunuieus of faimeis
incieaseu tension, iesulting in bloousheu. (0lson & Beal pg. 7u-71)
When the Natives hau been pusheu all the way to the uieat Plains, they faceu
new thieats to theii way of life. The completion of the Tians-Continental Railioaus,
beginning in 1869, biought massive white migiation. (0lson & Beal pg. 7u) Whites
iequiieu even moie lanu foi theii piivate businesses anu agiicultuie, so pievious
ueals with the Native Ameiican tiibes weie bioken to accommouate. (0lson & Beal
pg. 71)
At the same time as the white migiation westwaiu, the Buffalo, a piimaiy
iesouice foi many Native tiibes, began to uisappeai. This was no coinciuence. White
0.S. officials encouiageu Buffalo hunts anu 0.S. Aimy policy stimulateu the
exteimination of the heius. (Eveiycultuie.comSiouxBistoiy) Whites sought the
uestiuction of the plains economy in oiuei to foice moie Inuian tiibes onto
uesignateu lanus.
The intiouuction of hoises anu guns by white meichants anu settleis helpeu
the Inuians to assist in theii own uemise. The plains Inuians ovei hunteu the buffalo
heius anu ultimately limiteu theii iepiouuctive potential. (0lson & Beal pg. 7u) The
southein heiu was completely wipeu out by 188S. (0lson & Beal pg. 71) Some of the
moie militant anu ambitious tiibes even tuineu theii guns towaius othei tiibes.
(eveiycultuie.com, Apaches, Bistoiy)
0nce ielocateu onto ieseivations, life continueu to ueteiioiate foi many
Native Ameiicans. They hau little to no say in goveinment policy, even when it
uiiectly affecteu them. Laws weie enacteu with the intent to place the Inuian
populations at a uistinct uisauvantage. Legislation initiateu by Congiess in 1871
ceaseu iecognizing the tiibes as inuepenuent nations. It was a uiiect attempt to
uisbanu theii tiibal cultuie. (0lson & Beal pg. 198)
Native Ameiicans on ieseivations coulu uo little moie than watch as theii
lifestyle was uestioyeu. Whites that uiu not unueistanu Inuian ways iestiicteu
ieligious iituals, maiiiages, funeials, anu the use of native language. (0lson & Beal
pg. 197) Inuian chiluien weie foiceu to attenu Chiistian boaiuing schools uesigneu
to iemove them fiom the tiibal community. (0lson & Beal pg. 197)
Bisiegaiu foi Native Ameiican iights continueu well into the 2u
th
centuiy.
The Teimination piogiam, enacteu in 19SS, once again limiteu the ability of Inuian
tiibes to govein themselves. It iemoveu many feueial piotections anu openeu the
uooi foi fuithei white encioachment on uesignateu lanus. Now subject to feueial
taxes, many tiibal inuustiies suffeieu. (0lson & Beal pg. S17) This leu to wiuespieau
poveity anu unemployment on once successful ieseivations.
Aftei long yeais of iesistance, the Native Ameiicans weie uefeateu with
oveiwhelming foice. Thousanus weie killeu uuiing the Inuian Wais incluuing
women anu chiluien. The Native population woulu be ieuuceu fiom seveial million
befoie the white man aiiiveu to aiounu 6uu,uuu in 1876 (0lson & Beal pg. 196) The
Natives will to fight was ciusheu unuei the ielentless assault of the white man. With
the subsequent iemoval to ieseivations, the tiibes began fighting foi theii meie
suivival anu theii iight to exist. That some tiibes have suiviveu these haiuships is
incieuible, anu a testament to the impoitance of the community to Native
Ameiicans.
Biiven to alcohol anu ciime by theii hopeless conuitions, Native Ameiicans
began to self-uestiuct. A few sympathizeis tiieu to enact change foi the Inuians, but
tiue Native Ameiican iepaiations uiu not begin until aftei 19uu. (0lson & Beal pg.
2u2) Even the iight to citizenship woulu not be shaieu with the Native Ameiicans
until the Special Act of Congiess in 19u1. (Case pg. 1S)
Tiue piogiess in stabilizing Native Ameiican cultuie woulu not begin until
the 196u's, 7u's anu 8u's. Inuian leu oiganizations began to become moie uniteu, no
longei iestiicteu to specific tiibes. (0lson & Beal pg. S18-S19) Awaieness of the
Native Ameiican situation incieaseu when books anu films began to show a moie
compassionate view of Ameiican Inuians anu theii histoiy. Compensation foi past
tiansgiessions began to be paiu to many tiibes. New laws anu oiganizations aie also
helping many tiibes finu success in the mouein age. (0lson & Beal pg. S26- S28)
They aie becoming moie self-sufficient seem to have finally founu a way to integiate
into Ameiican society without saciificing too much of theii Native heiitage.
The impoitance of Native Ameiicans on Ameiican cultuie is eviuent in many
paits of oui mouein woilu. A laige piopoition of oui state, county, city, anu
lanumaik names come uiiectly fiom the Native Ameiican language. In fact, ovei
2uuu English woius have theii ioots in vaiious Inuian uialects. (Cavallaii) The
entiie woilu is inuebteu to the Native Ameiicans, foi without theii cultivation of
coin, much of the woilus foou supply woulu not exist touay.
Native Ameiican cultuie has been an object of fascination foi centuiies. It is
haiu foi me to imagine anyone tieating them with the soit of iiieveience that they
have been foiceu to enuuie. The suivival of Ameiica's oluest cultuie shoulu be of the
utmost concein to all Ameiicans. We must tiy to iemove one of oui most glaiing
black maiks on the pages of Ameiican histoiy.


!""#$#%&'( *+,+-+&.+/
Cavallaii, Ban. "Bow Bas Ameiica Been Influenceu by Native Ameiican Cultuie." 12-uS-2u1S.
www.wisegeek.oighow-has-ameiica-been-influenceu-by-native-ameiican-cultuie.htm. Web. 12-u8-
2u1S