Native America

Native Americans were the people who had been living in America for thousands of years before Christopher Columbus arrived . Columbus discovered America in the 15th century and this let the Europeans know that such a place existed towards the West of Europe.

The Native Americans were the Indigenous people of America and they had no contact with other places outside of the American continent. So the native American tribes had a unique culture of their own, their own art, style of building houses, dressing, foods and lifestyle.

In other words, they were significantly different from the Europeans who began to arrive in America from 15th century onwards.

Famous Native Americans

Famous Native American People Pocahontas, Sitting Bull and Geronimo.      

Native American Art

Native Americans weaved their art into the everyday items they created

Native American Clothing

Native American culture and clothing varied from one tribe to another, and reflected climate and lifestyle

Native American Definition

Native Americans have been living in North America for thousands of years

Native American Facts

Native Americans were the Original people that lived in America before the Europeans

Native American Gods

Native American Gods Apistotoke, Ioskeha, Tirawa-Atius, Shakura

Native American History

Native American History before and after the arrival of the Europeans

Native American Houses

The type of house a Native American tribe lived in depended the tribes location and its lifestyle.

Native American Life

Native American tribes performed various rituals in their daily lifes

Native American Names

Native American Names Ameyali, Antiman, Antinanco, Ahiga

Native American People

The Native American People were the indigenous Indians of the United States of America

Native American People Roles in Society

History and Roles of Native American People in Society

Native American Symbols

symbols served as identification, carried spiritual meaning and also symbolized the culture of a tribe

Native American Timeline

Native American People and Tribes Timeline dates and events

Native American Tribes

Native American Tribes Nez Perce, Pawnee, Lakota, Cherokee, Apache

Native American Warriors

Native American Warriors Geronimo, Chief Joseph, Tecumseh, Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull

Native American Wars

Notable Wars fought by Native Americans include the Red Cloud and Nez Perce Wars.

Symbol for Strength

Symbols have always played a critical role in the Native Indian culture such as the 'Symbol of Strength'

Totem Poles

Totem poles are monuments of religious, spiritual and social significance for the Native American Indians

Who were the Native American people?

Native Americans were the indigenous people of American before the Europeans arrived

Why were they called Red Indians?

Native Americans do not like the terms 'Red Indians' or 'Redskins'. They consider it derogatory

Wigwams

Wigwams are a specific type of dwellings used by the Native American tribes used as temporary shelters


How did the Native American Tribes live?

Native Americans built their homes very creatively. They simply brought together the construction materials that were available to them and then constructed their houses in such a way that they were safe from harsh winters and summers, and also safe from attackers.

Native American Indians in Wigwams

So the Native Americans in Great Lakes region, for example, built cone-shaped houses called wigwams using wood and other materials from the forest.

Native Americans in the southwest of America built their houses inside cliffs which made their houses very safe.

Those in the Southern Plains built grass houses which were cone-shaped and were sometimes up to 4 story tall.

Native American Indians Chiefs

Living as Native American Tribes

So the Native Americans lived as tribes. Each tribes had its own geographical area in which it lived, grew crops, built houses, hunted and performed other activities.

So many such tribes lived in different parts of America. Some of these tribes included the Apache, the Cherokee, the Dakota, the Omaha Indians, the Powhatan, the Wichita and the Yavapai.

But there were a large number of these tribes in total. Today, America officially recognized 566 Native American tribes.

When the Europeans started arriving on the eastern coastline of North America, some of these tribes helped them while others considered them enemies.

Relationships with the arriving Europeans

Europeans discovered America in the 15th century and then started arriving on the continent to establish colonies.

At first, the Native Americans helped them with foods and often traded different things with them.

But then the populations of the colonies began to grow and colonies started to take over more and more land.

The Native Americans felt that these newcomers were taking over their land and this often brought them into conflict with the Europeans.

As a result, many wars were fought between European colonies and the Native Americans.

What was the Native Americans food?

Native Americans lived in a natural environment and so, they gathered most of their food directly from nature.

The Native American tribes were of two types – those who moved around often and those who had permanently settled at one place.

Those tribes who moved around usually found their food through hunting and fishing.

They hunted buffaloes, caribou, rabbits and other animals. The tribes who had settled down in one place also hunted but they mostly grew their food through agriculture.

The main crops grown by these tribes included corn, squash and beans. Of these, corn was the most important crop for most Native American tribes.

Native America Fast Facts

  • Native Americans built different types of homes such as Wigwams and Teepees.
  • Native Americans are the original Indigenous peoples who lived in American before the European Settlers arrived.
  • Native Americans led a life that was close to nature and enjoyed living in a natural way among nature.
  • Incredibly there were believed to be as many as 566  tribes living in America at their peak.
  • Native Americans survived by forming bonds and living in tribes.
  • Examples of American Tribes are Apache, Cherokee and Dakota.
  • American Indians Traded with the early establish colonies.
  • Disputes over land would eventually lead to conflict with the different European Settlers.
  • Native Americans were eventually conquered by the European settlers that would go on to colonize the country.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article about Native America and the Native American people who lived in America long before the European settlers arrived on the continent. You can learn more about these Native American People and their lives in the many articles written about them by clicking any of the links at the bottom of this page.