8 Native American Tribes (Pt. 1)

For the month of November I’ve decided to go with a Native American theme. All of this months history posts will be about Native Americans and Native American history, and on the week of Thanksgiving all of the posts will have a Native American theme. This first post is the first part of an article about awesome Native American tribes. I tried to cap it off at 11, but there were so many that I decided to do a larger list with two parts. The list is in no particular order and the second half will be out in two weeks. Enjoy.

8. Aztecs

Where they lived: The Aztecs were indigenous to Central Mexico.

Why they were awesome: Because, by and large, they were insane. The Aztec religion required its practitioners to offer numerous human sacrifices throughout the year in a variety of horrible ways. Most people are familiar with the Aztec practice of cutting out the heart of a living sacrifice. Believe it or not, that one is fairly tame. There are festivals that call for captives to be burned and bludgeoned. In one festival, a captive is killed and skinned. Then the warriors wear the skin around and dance. All to please the gods and keep sickness and ill luck at bay. Maybe the Aztecs weren’t really that awesome, but they are an interesting group to study and read about.

Notable Members: Warrior Societies. The Aztecs were a pretty tough crowd and their society was full of warrior groups and clans. Two of the most famous were the Eagle and Jaguar warriors. Both were ranks achieved once a warrior had taken 4 captives to be sacrificed. These guys were armed with a variety of weapons, but the most devastating was their special mace. This was essentially a club with small obsidian shards wedged into it. There are some who claim an Aztec warrior could decapitate a horse with one chop of his mace.The Shorn Ones were another warrior society who were considered the most prestigious warriors. They were identified by their bald heads, single braid, and war paint. As if the look wasn’t enough, they took a vow to never take a step back in battle.

7. Inuit

Where they live: The Arctic areas of Alaska, Canada and Greenland.

Why they are awesome: These are the guys who developed the early kayak. They would go out in these single man ships and hunt sea life. The design was perfect because the boat could easily be flipped over if cap-sized. There are still traditional Inuit producing and using these boats today all around the arctic.

Notable Members: Hunters. Like I mentioned before, the Inuit used boats to hunt sea life. Some of you may have pictured fishermen, but Inuit hunters hunted much more than fish. These guys went after Walrus, Caribou and even whales. When at sea, Inuit hunting parties harpoon submerged walruses and whales until they bleed out and can be floated to shore. It is interesting to note that one whale can feed an Inuit community for up to a year. Inuit hunters also take down game on land. They hunt caribou twice a year during their massive migrations. The hunters use spears and ropes to bring the animals down and try to kill the animal as gently as possible (not sure how gentle you can stab a deer with a sharp stick).

6. Seminole

Where they live: Originally from Florida, but most are in Oklahoma today.

Why they are awesome: The early Seminole lived in the swampy areas of Florida and grew very close to some of the swamp’s largest predators. Since before European contact, the Seminole had been wrestling alligators to show off their hunting prowess. The gators would be subdued and then the tails would be eaten and the skins sold. In the modern-day, the Seminole still wrestle alligators for spectators to generate revenue. They also practiced something called the Green Corn Ceremony. This festival was something like New Years. It was a rebirth ritual were all menial crimes were forgiven and all the village torn down to be rebuilt for the new season. Many modern versions of these festivals exist today and can be visited by tourists and curious observers.

Notable Member: Wild Cat. Wild Cat was a Seminole chief and key player in the second Seminole War (1835-1842) between the Seminoles of Florida and the United States military. When he was still a young man, he was captured by American forces during a peace talks mission and was thrown in prison. Legend has it that he escaped with 19 of his men by fasting until he was skinny enough to slip through his bars. He tried to live by the U.S. governments laws and even moved to a reservation. However, he grew tired of dealing with the fickle American government and moved, with about 100 others, to Mexico and established a settlement with 1,000 other Native Americans. Wild Cat eventually became a colonel in the Mexican army after driving off Apache and Comanche raiders for Mexico. He died of smallpox, in 1857 and has become a legend to the Seminole people.

5. Sioux

Where they live: East Dakotas, Minnesota and northern Iowa.

Why they are awesome: They gave the U.S. army hell for about fifteen years. From about 1862-1877, some faction of the Sioux nation was at war with the U.S. government. Eventually the army won out, but the Sioux had number of famous war leaders and victories including, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Red Cloud and the destruction of Custer at the Little Bighorn. The Sioux were doomed from the beginning, but they gave the army a hell of hard time and that’s something.

Notable Member: Black Elk. Black Elk was a Sioux holy man with some serious connections; he was Crazy Horse’s cousin. When he was a boy, legend states that he took ill and was visited by the Thunder spirits who imparted wisdom to him. Black Elk was at both the Little Bighorn (he was 12) and the massacre at Wounded Knee (he was injured, but survived). Oddly, Black Elk spent the rest of his life touring Europe in Wild West shows. He and his family converted to Catholicism and his biography has become a staple of Native American literature.

4. Cherokee

Where they live: Traditionally in NC, SC, TN and GA, but many live on reservations in Oklahoma today.

Why they were awesome: They answered the United States acculturation plan with aplomb. Once the United States set its sites on western expansion, they had to figure out what to do with all of the Native Americans in their path. There were many different solutions put forward; assimilation, acculturation and even extermination. The first was not plausible because the government knew the Natives would never give up their old ways entirely. The last would be too costly, in both lives and cash, and would have caused an uproar among Indian rights activists (there weren’t many, but there were enough to keep outright genocide off the table in most cases). Acculturation required the Natives to adopt certain Western customs (dress, education, law, religion), but would allow them to keep some of their traditions and culture. The idea was that once natives acculturated they would give up their old ways on their own and become American citizens (‘free people of color”). The Cherokee, one of the famous 5 Civilized Tribes (pretty offensive name, but a useful term to know), adopted American ways at an incredible pace. They developed a Cherokee alphabet, newspaper and even a constitution. Many adopted Western style dress, received Western educations, and even converted to Christianity. However they did not want to join the United States. They used legal channels and their newspaper,The Cherokee Sun, to fight a legal battle for their territory. They came very close to a settlement, but some shady US dealings sent them on the infamous Trail of Tears. It’s a shame their plans were thwarted, but the changes the Cherokee underwent are both incredible and inspiring.

Notable Member: John Ross. John Ross was principal chief of the Cherokee nation from 1828-1866. He was only 1/8 Cherokee and was the son of a Scotsman. He was a product of the Cherokee acculturation and had a good enough education to fight the legal battles his tribesmen so desperately needed him to. He made multiple trips to Washington and tried to get the Cherokee their own sovereign land. He came close, but in 1836 Major Ridge, another Cherokee man, signed a treaty that would relocated the Cherokee to Oklahoma and send them on the Trail of Tears. The treaty was completely invalid. Major Ridge and his cohorts had no right to speak for the Cherokee nation, but the US pressed on and sent all of the Cherokee, including Ross, to reservation lands in horrible conditions that killed many of the Cherokee. Ross tried to guide the Cherokee through the Civil War as well. He remained faithful to the Union until Union troops withdrew from Indian territory, leaving the Cherokee at the mercy of the Confederates and their native enemies. This forced Ross to ally with the South who as we all know ultimately lost the war. This led Ross to be deemed a traitor by Abraham Lincoln (dick move) and Ross spent the rest of his life appealing to DC. He died there in 1866, still considered a traitor to the country who had wronged him, and his people, so many times.

3. Hopi

Where they live: SW United States

Why they were awesome: They used US troops to their advantage. Most Native Americans were under constant threat from one group or another before European contact. For the Hopi, the Navajo were a powerful enemy and a great threat to Hopi security. When the United States military became a presence in the West, the Hopi appealed the the US government for protection. To this end, Fort Defiance was constructed in 1851. The Navajo were held at bay and the Hopi enjoyed a degree of safety and peace for much of the late 1800’s.

Notable Member: Lewis Tewanima. Lewis was a student at the Carlise School (a Native re-education center, some shady shit went on here and it’s worth a little research if you’re interested), and is a Hopi athletic legend. Lewis competed for the 1912 Olympic team and managed to place second in the 10,000 meter distance run. He is one of a select number of natives who has medaled in the Olympics and is still considered a great Hopi hero today. In fact, a race is held by the Hopi ever year in his honor.

2. Navajo

Where they live: SW United States

Why they were awesome: The Navajo are ultra-superstitious. These guys have so many taboos and rules it’s insane. I’ll list a few of my favorites. The Navajo homeland is an area that sits between four sacred mountains. If a warrior leaves this area (for battle or trade), they are thought to be thrown out of harmony with nature. Upon returning, the warriors take part in the Enemy Way Ceremony which heals them and restores their natural harmony. The Navajo are also terrified of witches. It is said that to speak of witches is to call on them. They take this very seriously and kill anyone thought to be a witch and punish any who mention them.

Notable Member: Chief Manuelito. The Navajo chief was around during the time when the Navajo were removed from their homeland (a huge problem if you remember what you read above) and were forcibly relocated to Bosque Redondo. Manuelito fought relocation, but once he realized it was a lost cause, he fought to help his people socially. He was head of the reservation police and made a great effort to control whiskey traffic on the reservation (alcoholism is to this day a huge problem on reservations). He was also a proponent of education and tried to educate young Navajo in both Navajo ways and Western academics.

1. Tribes of the Pacific Northwest

Where they live: NW US (Oregon, Washington) & Canada

Why they were awesome: Totem poles and Potlachs. Totem poles are pretty crazy things once you do a little research. They can be up to sixty feet tall and are raised without machinery. They are covered in native art and spirit animals. One crazy thing I learned in college was that when erecting a totem pole, some tribes would place a tied up slave in the hole and drop the pole on him. Why? I never found out, but that sounds like a terrible way to break in a new totem pole. Potlachs with these guys were also awesome. Tribes would exchange massive amounts of trade goods to show wealth and the idea was so great that Americans are still having little “pot lucks” all the time.

Notable Members: Rich guys. The Pacfic North West is rich in all sorts of valuable resources. This meant that a goods based hierarchy developed amongst the natives in this area. Potlachs were the best time to show off ones wealth. The best custom I’ve read about is showing off by destroying gifts. For instance, if I am incredibly wealthy and a neighboring chief gives me a hundred blankets I have three options; re-gift (tacky but acceptable), keep (that’s a ton of warm blankets), or destroy them. Why destroy them? Because to destroy the gift shows that you are so wealthy that you can just toss a hundred blankets in the fire. This is such a cool way to show status that I think I might just start doing it. Thanks for the pants grandma, but I have plenty so I’ll just burn them in front of you.