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Essay On Native American Culture

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This literature review will discuss the depiction of Native American history while trying to capture the true essence of their culture. It will emphasize the major diseases brought by European settlers that caused high mortality rates in the American Indian population during the 18th- 19th century. Fighting for their land physically and politically became a hard battle for them and this paper will discuss their current status in America.
Native Americans are the indigenous people of the Americas inhabiting the country roughly 15,000 – 40,000 years ago. The Bearing Sea land ice-bridge was created by the last Ice Age and that is what the Siberian (Northeast Asian) people used to cross into Alaska where they migrated to other parts of the Americas. In James Dixon’s Bones, Boats, and Bison: …show more content…
Although, some lifestyles depended on their regional location, they were hunters, farmers, and gathers. They hunted and ate species of game; farmed corn, beans, and squash, others hunted fish while gathering wild plants for foods. Indians along the coast built different types of boats they could use to travel the sea to hunt for aquatic animals. Animals were valued and viewed religiously, and although they were hunted and killed, their skins and hides were used as clothing and drums. The meat was never squandered, and their spirits lived on in the mind of the tribes. Plants were also used as dyes for blankets. The rain and sun were considered to be Gods, giving a sign to the Indians as the seasons changed. Medically, they were advanced in natural cures using the numerous types of plants in the area to create several types of medicines. Storytelling and drama were used in pastimes which for many it became an art they mastered. Different types of tribal dance included classical Indian dancing, ceremonial dancing, folk dancing, fancy dancing, and sacred

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