Category Archives: Native American

Articles related to Native Americans and indigenous people

Authors R-Z, Native American

What Is Thanksgiving? – by Glenn Welker

What do you think of, when asked about Thanksgiving?

We learned from the wisdom of our elders to thank the Creator for; Mother Earth… Father Sky… Grandfather Moon… our Uncles the Four Winds… our Cousins the Stars, and… our Brothers and Sisters the animals. The Algonquins believed that humans were not distinct from or superior to nature, but rather part of nature. We also believe that animals could take human form. Moreover, we believed that a long time ago, humans and animals spoke the same language. Then there was a cataclysm that upset the universe and only a few shaman retained the ability to speak with the animals. We thank the Creator for all our relatives, for what is good in the world, and for all our harvest, not just one crop, but all. We give thanks for the strawberry, it is the first berry of the new spring, we give thanks to the tree spirit, for the warmth it provides in our fires and the saps that flow in the fall, we honor the animal spirit, who laid down its life in order for the people to go on. Subsequently we give thanks for each harvest year round. It is said, when the Creator created the Universe, “He placed his hand on the Whole thing… so everything is spiritual.” He never told us to separate anything… but to look upon everything that he has made us as holy and sacred and act accordingly with respect.

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Authors R-Z, Native American

Rediscovering What Has Always Been There – by Glenn Welker

‘REMEMBER’
“Treat this earth well:
it is not a present from your parents,
it is on loan to your children.
The people who enrich their minds are those
who keep their history on the leaves of memory.”

INDIANS – NATIVE AMERICANS – ABORIGINALS – INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

Any and all of these terms identify those persons who act as the caretakers of our planet. Some of them, such as the Aborigines of Australia, have sustained the uninterrupted thread of their society for more than 40,000 years. They are the lucky ones.

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Authors I-Q, Native American, Race & Ethnicity, Trends 2022

Key Native American Trends for 2022 – by Susan McCuistion

The Native American community in the United States makes up a mere 3% of the population, yet they have perhaps been one of the most misunderstood and stereotyped groups in the nation. While Blackface has been frowned upon for at least 40 years now, sports mascots and symbology intended to “honor” Native Americans are still considered acceptable by far too many people. Many attempts have been made to erase Native American culture, and their history has been whitewashed.

However, these negative trends have been reversing. As we head into a new year, let’s look at three areas where Native Americans and their stories are headed in a more positive direction.

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Artists, Levine articles, Native American, Race & Ethnicity, Southern Culture

Honoring Native American Art in the Southeast – by Deborah Levine

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There is much beauty to celebrate in Native American art, but that it’s a struggle to create given the devastating historical events surrounding Native Americans. The Cherokee Nation had a culture that thrived for almost 1,000 years in the Southeastern United States: in Georgia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, and parts of Kentucky and Alabama. Life of the traditional Cherokee changed drastically with European expansion and cession of Cherokee lands to the colonies in exchange for trade goods. Migration from the original Cherokee Nation began in the early 1800s as Cherokees wary of white encroachment moved west and settled in other areas of the country’s vast frontier.  Their eventual removal by force prompts the question of whether there is any Cherokee cultural presence remaining in the Southeast.

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Authors A-H, Native American, USA Culture

Spirit Wolf in a Native American Setting — by Donald Ford

This tale takes you into the heart of the Native American so you can feel as he does about the natural world. The Native American has followed closely the lives of the forest animals, especially the wolves who travel in packs, live in community with other wolves, and have great respect toward the older wolves. It is said that wolves are the eyes and the ears of the forest and in this story, the wolf is the hero and man is the intruder. My storytelling shares the Native American respect for our environment and appreciation for these woodland creatures who are unable to speak for themselves.

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Authors I-Q, Native American, Race & Ethnicity, USA Culture, Wellness

Myths, Reality, and Solutions of Native American Alcoholism — by Gay Moore

Beginning in colonial America, the myth of the drunken Indian persisted throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. The current, more “enlightened,” explanation for the high incidence of alcoholism among Native Americans, concludes that since they were exposed to alcohol for only the past few hundred years, they were genetically unprepared and, therefore, have little genetic “immunity.” American Native people, therefore, have little tolerance for alcohol, become intoxicated on small amounts, and, consequently, experience high rates of alcoholism. This belief, like many others concerning Native American culture, adds to the stereotype of genetic inferiority that continues to influence white American thinking.

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