These people began migrating thirty thousand years before Christopher Colombus
'discovered' the Americas. Native Americans migrated from Asia, crossing a land bridge
where the Bering Strait off the coast of Alaska is today. Over the centuries these people
spread throughout the continents of North and South America. Since the arrival of the
Europeans in 1492 the American Indian has been dehumanized, decivilized and redefined
into terms that represent a dominate European view. The Spanish explorers under
Colombus were the first to use the terms 'Indian' to mean a Native American. These
explorers were under the false impression that the had reached the West Indies. This term
is still used today.
From the first interaction with the native peoples the Europeans inatiated dominance
and superiority. There are three distinctive reasons that the Europeans were able to
dominate and later oppress the Native American culture such as; the Native American
relgious beleifs and practices, the lack of interaction between Native Americans ans
Europeans and the lack of orginization of the Indian tribes.
All of these aspects had a
strong influence the Europeans to become dominate figures on the Native American land.
These factors can still be attributed for the way that Native Americans are viewed in
society today.
After the Revolutionary War the new United States government sought to gain land
through treaties. The payment offered for the land was far from fair, however, and when
Native Americans resisted the surrender of their homeland the US government simply
used superior military power to evict them. The Europenas knew nothing of the new
civilizations they encountered. Most Native American tribes viewed the lands they
occupied to be no one man's property. They believied that they were alowed to occupy it
by the grace of the 'Great Spirit', in return the tribes took care...