The American Yawp
History started being recorded when the Europeans migrated to America; however, the first Americans’ stories are recorded in folklore and stories that were passed down from generation to generation by native Americans who were the initial residents of America. Before the Europeans coming, Native Americans spoke over 100 hundred languages and formed a self-sufficient society in terms of economy, food, and spirituality. Different tribes of Native Americans have a different story of how the first Americans were made. For example, the Salinan people believe that the bald eagle made the first human from clay and the woman from a feather. The creation stories are different; however, archeologists discovered that majority of these tribes have the same ancestry, which diverged as a result of various geographical regions. According to archeological studies, most human activity around began between 15000 years ago in America, which right after the last ice age (Indigenous America | THE AMERICAN YAWP”, 2020). Studies have shown that these Native Americans crossed from Asia to America via North America after the ice age left vast chunks of ice, making it easier to cross both continents. In the northwest regions of America, these communities were able to thrive because of salmon-filled rivers in those regions, which helped diversify their food source the Mississippi river provided fertile valleys where the Native Americans could practice.
Despite the divergence and difference in geographical locations, Native Americans share almost similar spirituality traits kinship and sharing of property, which was different from the Europeans. Hence, they referred to the Native Americans ways as primitive. The political systems were similar across all groups, which were chiefdoms that ranged from small groups to large city societies. The strength and growth of society majorly dependent on the availability of resources. This availability gave it the advantage to grow. In conclusion, Europeans were no first Americans; however, they were able to bring a lot of civilization and the introduction of new culture despite the natives’ resistance.
QUESTIONS:
What is the difference between the Native American political systems and the monarch systems of various European systems?
What comprised of the Native Americans’ education system?
Reference
Indigenous America | THE AMERICAN YAWP. (2020). Retrieved 29 August 2020, from http://www.americanyawp.com/text/01-the-new-world/