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Native American
A Guide to the Great Sioux Nation - The people of the Sioux Nation prefer to be called Dakota, Lakota, or Nakota, depending on their language group. On this South Dakota home page, you can learn about the languages, legends, and rich cultural traditions of these proud peoples. You'll see beautiful costumes, and maybe you can attend one of the powwows. You'll find a calendar of annual events here, so go get yourself some fry bread and enjoy the music and dance!
Arctic Circle: History & Culture - You'll find information here about many people who are native to the Arctic Circle region of the world. You'll learn not only about the Cree of northern Quebec and the Inupiat of Arctic Alaska, but also about the Nenets and Khanty of Yamal Peninsula, northwest Siberia, and the Sami of far-northern Europe. Find out why the concept of "wilderness" is unknown to these people, who live in harmony with their natural surroundings.
Canku Ota (Many Paths) - Without a doubt, this is the best Web resource on Native culture developed expressly for kids. It takes the form of a regular newsletter, featuring dozens of intriguing stories about what's happening in Indian Country today. Recent articles include one about how the Nez Perce are reclaiming their once-lost horse culture by developing a new breed of horse. Other parts of the site offer campfire-cooking recipes, craft instructions, and coloring pages. There are even links to native school Web sites.
Dakota Language - As you were growing up, you learned your language. You heard other people speak, and then you imitated the sounds yourself. Here's a way to do just that while you learn the Dakota language, one of many Native American languages. Native speakers help you make the sounds of the Dakota language as you explore a color-coded language "keyboard."
Flags of the Native Peoples of the United States - Over 500 Native American nations are recognized by the U.S. government, and some of them have their own flags, which are shown and described here. The Nez Perce have a salmon and a deer on their flag, as well as an eagle, which is sacred to their nation. There is also a drawing of Chief Joseph, one of the greatest Native American leaders. The Iroquois flag has linked squares, symbolizing the nations of the Iroquois confederacy, designed to look like linked wampum shell beads. There are many more flags to admire at this unique site.
KTCA Productions: PowWow - Please rise, as the flags and eagle staffs enter the arena for the powwow. It's OK, everyone is welcome at Native American powwows. Learn about the dance, regalia, drum, and song of powwows. If you're thinking about attending a powwow, this page will teach you its customs. Learn more by reading the entries in the NATIVE AMERICANS AND OTHER INDIGENOUS PEOPLES and the DANCE sections in this book.
National Museum of the American Indian - The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian is in New York City, not in Washington, D.C. (like their other museums). Most of the one million objects in its collection represent cultures in the United States and Canada, although there are also items from Mexico and Central and South America. You can see many artifacts of ancient and contemporary culture through the online exhibits of clothing, baskets, beadwork, and other objects. This museum displays sacred materials only with the permission of the various tribes and returns these materials on request. Chances are you've never seen things like this before! Imagine wearing a beautiful eagle-feather costume as you dance. "When a Ponca singer sings, the singing and the music make you dance. Some singers don't move you, but a Ponca singer will move you in your heart and mind; they make it easy to dance longer. These eagle feathers are stripped so they can hang down and flutter in the wind, like the ribbons on our shirts" (Abe Conklin, Ponca-Osage).
Native American Home Pages - You have a report due on a Native American nation you've never heard of before. So you walk down to the public library to look for it. Trouble is, all the books on Native Americans have been checked out, and the reference books have only one paragraph on your topic! Now you can go straight to the source. Many nations have their own home pages, complete with historical and cultural information. They are listed here, at a site put together by a librarian who says she is "mixed-blood Mohawk urban Indian." You'll also find links to tribal organizations, colleges, businesses, powwows, singers, and more. This site is carefully tended and updated. We have not checked outside links.
Native American Shelters - The Minnesota State University has a wonderful online museum interpreting anthropology and archaeology for those who stop in via this cyberdoor. Learn about seven distinct areas of the United States, and see how ancient Native Americans lived centuries ago. From the pueblos of the southwest to the igloos of the far north, you'll learn how the structures were made and what functions were served by different types of dwellings.
Native Languages Page - Would you like to learn a little Navajo or a smattering of Quechua? Maybe you'd like to try using a Cherokee font or learn something about Mayan hieroglyphs. This page offers links to all of this and more.
Native Musical Instruments - Music is fun to listen to and dance to, but it also has a place in sacred ritual and ceremony. Explore some special native instruments such as rattles, drums, flutes, and whistles. You will also learn a little about the nation that produced each artifact.
NativeTech: Native American Technology and Art - This site is really neat! It talks about a lot of Native American art and technologies like beadwork, clay and pottery, leather and clothes, toys and games, and more. We started at beadwork because it seems so interesting. There is information about the kinds of beads and their meanings. Wampum beads were made from shells and often decorated clothing. Long, woven wampum belts were often exchanged at treaty signings or other formal occasions. You can find out how the beads were made--it was a very difficult process! Let's mosey on over to porcupine quillwork, perhaps the oldest form of Native American embroidery. Native American artists sometimes decorate their clothing and birchbark containers with quills. At this site, not only do you learn the history of these fascinating art forms, but you can also learn these crafts. Maybe you should start with the cornhusk doll instructions, though, since corn's easier to find than porcupine quills. Look in the Plants and Trees section.
New Perspectives on the West - This is a companion site to the eight-part PBS television series The West. It is a history of the expansion of the American West, and we are including it because of the rich biographical information about famous Native Americans. Just click on People in the West. You'll find short biographies about Sitting Bull, Chief Joseph, Chief Seattle, Crazy Horse, Sacagawea, and more.
Oneida Indian Nation - Oneida Nation Homelands - The Oneida were the first Native American nation to put up a Web page and claim territory in cyberspace. Net-mom was honored to have been a part of this history. The Oneida homelands are located in central New York State, and they remain an unconquered nation. In fact, they were the only Native American tribe to fight on the side of the American colonists during the American Revolution. This fact, often left out of history books, is detailed on this site. In 1777-78, Washington's soldiers were enduring a hard winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Oneida people walked hundreds of miles south, carrying food and supplies, to come to their aid. Polly Cooper was an Oneida woman who helped the soldiers, and she taught them how to cook the corn and other foods the Oneida had brought with them. Although offered payment, she refused, saying it was her duty to help friends in need. She was thanked for her assistance by Martha Washington herself, who presented Polly with a fancy shawl and bonnet. The shawl has been a treasured Oneida relic since then, and you can see a photo of it here. You can also hear some Oneida words, take a tour of the cultural museum, read original treaties, learn why the cornhusk dolls have no face, and see some real wampum!
Pomp - The True Story of the Baby on the Sacagawea Dollar - He's so cute! On the new "golden" dollar coin, Sacagawea's little baby is seen sleeping in his cradleboard. His adventures travelling with his mom and explorers Lewis and Clark were just the beginning of his exciting life story. This site rounds out what we know about the baby, who was nicknamed Pomp. And what we do know about his later life is filled with fascinating details. At one point, when Pomp traveled to Europe, he even played the piano for composer Ludwig van Beethoven!
Pow Wow Dancing - The powwow drum brings the heartbeat of the Earth Mother to the gathering of Native American tribes. You can see many traditional dances at these spiritual festivals, from the colorful and exciting Fancy Dress dance to more solemn sacred dances. This site explains some of the dances and the traditions surrounding the costumes. Check the schedule to see if a powwow is planned near your home!
Pueblo Cultural Center - In the New Mexico desert, 19 Pueblo communities welcome visitors, both real and virtual. You can read descriptions of all of them here, as well as pick up maps to the pueblos, calendars of events, and even rules for attending dances (don't applaud--dance is a prayer, not a performance). Gaze at the stunning wall murals, with titles such as these: The One-Horned Buffalo Dance; The Sounds of Life and Earth as It Breathes; and Indian Maiden Feeding Deer. You can read biographies of the artists, too.
Sipapu - Chetro Ketl Great Kiva - Over a thousand years ago, there was a great civilization in what is now northwestern New Mexico, in the southwestern desert of the United States. What remains now are cliff dwellings and other scattered hints about how these people lived and worked. One central part of their existence was the kiva, an underground enclosure used for sacred and other purposes. Young men would enter the kiva to learn secret languages and hidden lore of the tribe. The kiva was the central spiritual focus of the community. Large communities needed a Great Kiva, and this site reconstructs one for you to climb down in and visit virtually. It is based on the recently excavated Chetro Ketl Great Kiva, which is located in isolated Chaco Canyon, in northwestern New Mexico. You can choose the multimedia tour, with QuickTime VR, or you can try the less bandwidth-intensive version. The descendants of these ancient peoples now live in the various pueblos of the area. They also use kivas for ceremonies, and they are off-limits if you are a visitor to the pueblo.
Southern Native American Pow Wows - This site was created by kids for the ThinkQuest competition. In it, you'll learn where to sit (and where not to sit) to watch the dancing, and you'll know what to do if you are a dancer. Don't forget to honor the Head Man and the Head Lady and give respect to the Drum, which has probably traveled a long way to give you beautiful music. Listen to the audio files of various songs, and check out the various styles of dances for both men and women. There is even advice for the new dancer and someone wishing to get involved with this tradition.
The Cherokee Trail of Tears - 1838-1839 - In 1838, the U.S. government (led by President Andrew Jackson) decreed that the Cherokee nation would be forcibly removed from their rich lands in North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. Some left voluntarily, but 13,000 others were marched the 1,200 miles to Indian territory in Oklahoma. Many died along this "Trail of Tears." It is a tragedy of American history, and you can learn more about it, and the National Historic Trail that exists today, at this site.
The First Americans - Originally designed for third-grade social studies classes, this site provides a brief introduction to the various native cultures in the U.S. You can study the Woodland culture, the Plains culture, the Northwest culture, the California-Intermountain culture, and the Southwest culture. You'll learn about houses, clothing, foods, and more. The site is nicely illustrated, and the addition of Indian legends adds another dimension to these cultures.
This Week in North American Indian History - The Cherokee call September the "black butterfly moon," and the Ojibwe call it the "rice moon." At this site, you'll be able to find the names of the months for many different tribes, as well as what happened on significant dates in native history. This fascinating resource also offers tribal names and their meanings as well as a nice collection of annotated links.
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