onsdag 4. mars 2009

Story Of The Native Americans 107-109

JANUARY TASK

Today there are about 2,4 million Native Americans in the USA. They are also called American Indians. We find the largest groups of Native Americans in Alaska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Montana, South Dakota and Arizona.

Columbus "discovered" America in 1492 and he thought he had reached India and called the native people "Indians". That time was it probably around 1.5 million native people who lived in North America. They had living there about 35,000 years. They all were affected by the coming of the white man, with his guns, alcohol, his railways and diseases. The Indian way of life were changed forever.

The Indians were willing to share their land and food with the new settlers, but it came more and more people and then there were conflicts. Those Indians who tried to fight back, were killed. The others died from the diseases that the Europeans brought with them, like tuberculosis, smallpox and measles. People that survived were placed in reservations.
The people who survived were placed in settlements.

The Sioux were one of the Native American tribes that fought hard against the white settlers and soliders. Sitting Bull was one of the leaders, and he once said:

" We lived in our country in the way our fathers and fathers' fathers lived before us. We sought trouble with no men. But the soliders came into our country and fired upon us and we fought back. Is it so bad to fight in defence of one's country and loved ones?"

The Sioux defeated the United States cavalry many times in battle, but their most famous victory came in 1876 at Little Big Horn. Nearly 300 Indian men, women and children were killed.

On most og these reservations, there was nothing for the Native Americans to do. Many became dependent on government aid, and the levels of poverty, unemployment, drunkenness and violence were much higher here than in other parts of the country. The Native Americans were forbidden to practice their religion and the children were sent to boarding school to learn how to live like the white man. by 1920 , The Indian population had fallen below 350,000. For a time it seemed like the Native Americans would disappear.

They did not dissapear. In 1924, Native Americans were given American Citizenship and twenty years later they allowed to vote in elections. Many tribes sued the government for the land that was taken from them, and large sums of money have been paid out to make up for their loss. This money has made it possible for tribes to invest in business. All over United States today we can find evidence of Native American culture. Names like Massachusetts, Ohio and Michigan are Native American words. The white man learned how to grow corn, tomatoes, potatoes and tobacco from the Native Americans. Canoes, snowshoes and moccasins are all Native American inventions.

Today there are about 300 reservations in the United States and more than 500 recognized tribes. Poverty, discrimination and injustice still exist. Native Americans today are proud of their history and culture, and Fred Kaydahzinne, great grandson of a famous Apache warrior says: "My generations spent all our time learning the white man's ways. We mastered them, but we lost a lot of Indian heritage. Now we are trying to regain what we have lost".

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