Population history of American indigenous peoples

meant to include Indigenous women. Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, passed in 1982, gives all Canadian equal rights to life, liberty, and security of the person. And yet, the law fails to protect Indigenous women time and time again. According to the 2015 NWAC (Native Women’s Association of Canada)’s fact sheet on missing and murdered Indigenous women, approximately 10% of all female homicides in Canada are Indigenous women and girls. However, Indigenous women only make…

French, English, and Spanish colonists all reacted to and treated indigenous American Indians differently. The question is what exactly led to these different reactions? Based on historical evidence, the original objectives of European colonists seem to be the most influential factors regarding their relationships with American Indians. Of course, many other factors played into these historical interactions; however this seems to be the defining aspect of them all. To begin, we’ll start with…

Colin Calloway’s text is a collection of Native American events, as told through their perspective, during the colonial era. These Native American texts are a collection of letters, speeches and treaties. Their “voices” give the reader a better understanding of the differences in customs, cultures, and values from those of Europeans. Calloway’s introduction provides important background information about the early eastern North America and Canada habitation. The author’s includes the problems…

The Native Americans may have been the first humans in the Americas, but their societies were reduced to ultimately nothing. From 1492 to 1600, the population of natives dropped in millions, but that was really just the beginning as their population was never able to regain what it once was before European contact. In American Colonies: The Settling of North America, by Alan Taylor, the importance of the native interactions with Europeans, along with everything they brought with them from…

A Tragic Version of History That Perpetuates the Myth of “Bad Indians” Native Americans have traditionally been depicted as primitive people who were educated and saved by the missionaries. This is in contrast with the true history of the natives’ oppression and exploitation under the mission system. The real story, of murder, rape, and loss of culture, is rarely ever told. Deborah Miranda, the author of Bad Indians, brings to light the intentional and systematic erasure of her culture and the…

Too often the tribulations of Native Americans are only focused on the past and dismiss the several issues that affect modern day Indians. The narrative of Native American societies has been misconstrued and one explicit example of this is the infamous fourth grade mission project that does injustice to the persecutions and subjugation that the Native Americans faced. Deborah Miranda, the author of Bad Indians, tells the harsh reality of what really happened through pictures, short stories, and…

Americans have changed quite a lot throughout the years, it was not always as simple as it is today. Diseases were not easy to cure and they were not rapidly treated as they are today. They gained a lot of assistance to treat these illnesses. However, when America was first introduced to these diseases they were easily spread and they were not so simple to cure. Christopher Columbus discovered America and he brought some Europeans over along with himself, but some diseases were also brought over…

“rightful owners” of history? Karen Coody Cooper argues that the history of the American Indian belongs, first and foremost to that group, and secondly is being grossly misinterpreted. In the recent past, a Eurocentric view on Native American history has caused contention between public institutions and the indigenous peoples. According to Cooper, American Indians were presented as uncivilized and inhuman. These public prejudices led to a back lash lead by indigenous peoples to change…

honoring or offending American Indians? For thousands of years, American Indians have been fighting to prove who they are. As well as proving what once belonged to them, their land, which was stolen by the Americans. The Americans will say that American Indians should feel proud that they’re being honored as a team mascot; American team names mean honor and respect. That’s just an assumption made by the person who fabricated the mascot, it was never discussed with an American Indian or any of…

During the beginning of the 20th century, Native American tradition, art, and culture was suppressed by governmental bans of Native American customs. One of the commonly misunderstood forms of these Native American customs is dance, which plays a significant role in Indigenous tradition. It was viewed at the time as threatening and hostile as many referred to Indigenous dance as a “war dance” without understanding that each dance holds different importance's. The bans of these kinds of cultural…