American Indian Culture

American Indians

Introduction

Thousands of years ago, around 1200B.C., the Indians shaped the civilization of America as hunter-gatherers making their way into America through a stretch of bridge linking America and Asia through Alaska and Siberia. The land bridge was a stretch of ecological grazing land serving as a habitat to horses, reindeer, and mammoths. While the Indian migrants pursued their prey across the stretch of land, into North America, their migration marked the birth of civilization in America. Over time, they adjusted to the foreign environment as they moved east and south of the land. Before the arrival of Christopher Columbus on American soil, most of the original inhabitants in American were Indians. However, the arrival

During that period, their culture largely comprised of more than twenty clans and tribes extending from the Apalachee to the Yamasee. Their agricultural activity mostly comprised of corn, beans, and squash farming. Additionally, their architectural skills constituted of the development of massive earthworks in form of monk mounds which formed part of their public works. Evidently, the extent of this structures symbolized a deeply rooted religious culture of the Indians and the authoritative influence of their spiritual leadership. In addition, the Katsinas were used to instill the religious virtues of the clans, from childhood. The Katsinas were in the form of religiously crafted icons of cottonwood and painted artwork. The artistry of this icons was significant among the Hopi craftsmen who mastered the art after years of practice and religious study. On the other hand, the tribes traded locally in exchange for buffalo hide and farming tools, before the arrival of the Europeans. Hunting and gathering, agriculture and domestic animal products were also a form of trade, with the sole purpose of the tribes’ survival. Before the arrival of the Europeans, the native Indians practiced slavery and majorly exploited their captives through kinship dominance, reproductive labor, and diplomacy contrary to domestic and agricultural

During warfare attacks, the Europeans were more sophisticated and well trained in the art of war. Consequently, most of the battles between the two sides were won through interactions which spread infectious diseases that were more lethal than armor since they were unknown to the Indians. On the other hand, during farm raids, the Indians had much to loose because it was most of their fertile lands that went into waste after initial possession and exploitation by the