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Function of religion in societal change
Native American tribes during the 19th Century
Western native american tribes
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Introduction
The Natchez were well-known for their strong central government and their highly evolved religious ceremonies. Moreover, the language of the Natchez does not seem to have any relation to that of any other tribe in the area. The tribe is said to have used the name, “Thelöel,” when referring to themselves, and it is believed that the French may have assigned the name “Natchez” to the tribe because one of the villages bore the name. Likewise, the French named the surrounding area Natchez, as well.
Religious Practices
The Natchez were sun-worshippers. Moreover, their chief was believed to be the direct descendent of the sun and was named the Great Sun. The chief had absolute power within the tribe although he conferred with a council on matters of war.
Furthermore, the Natchez had a code of ethics by which they lived. This code had eight main principles: murder was not allowed except in cases of self-defense, they were to always be sincere and not deceptive, men were only allowed one wife; they were to be completely honest, they were to be temperate and show self-restraint, they were to be generous, charitable and always assist the poor. Moreover, they also believed that the righteous would be rewarded in the afterlife, while the wicked would be punished.
Human sacrifice was also practiced by the Natchez, to the extent that when a Chief died, often his close relatives would willfully be slain to join him. However, sometimes others from the tribe were chosen. Occasionally, the Stinkards would offer their children as human sacrifices in order to obtain a higher ranking in the tribe.
Social Structure and Government
The tribe was divided into four social groups. At the top of the hierarchy were the relative...
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...he End of the Natchez, notes that a “delegation of twenty six Natchee Indians applied to the government of South Carolina for permission to settle on the Savannah River” in 1736.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Albrecht, Andrew C. “Indian-French Relations at Natchez.” American Anthropologist, New Series 48.3 (Jul-Sept. 1946):321-354.
Barnett, James. The Natchez Indians: A History to 1735. Jackson: University of Mississippi Press (2007).
Mooney, James. “The End of the Natchez.” American Anthropologist, New Series, 1.3 (Jul.1899):510-521.
Spurgeon, Ian Michael. “Natchez Revolt” in Encyclopedia of North American Indian Wars, 1607-1890: A Political, Social, and Military History. Edited by Spencer C. Tucker, James Arnold and Roberta Wiener. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO Publishing (2011): 535.
Stanley, Samuel. “The End of the Natchez Indians.” History Today 28.9 (Sept. 1978):612-618.
“Tracing a single Native American family from the 1780’s through the 1920’s posed a number of challenges,” for Claudio Saunt, author of Black, White, and Indian: Race and the Unmaking of an American Family. (pg. 217) A family tree is comprised of genealogical data that has many branches that take form by twisting, turning, and attempting to accurately represent descendants from the oldest to the youngest. “The Grayson family of the Creek Nation traces its origins to the late 1700’s, when Robert Grierson, a Scotsman, and Sinnugee, a Creek woman, settled down together in what is now north-central Alabama. Today, their descendants number in the thousands and have scores of surnames.” (pg. 3)
In “Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership”, Tecumseh and the many Indian tribes in west America spent years fighting for their land and trying to keep their culture alive. The story illustrates cultural aspects of the period through elucidating the important figure
In addition, Social structure was another important factor pertaining to each tribe, Quapaw society was arranged by inherited statuses and relations that were acquired by marriage. Each person in the tribe belonged to a group of descent they received from their father’s side. People were divided into two groups sky and earth people, this also determined who a person could marry.
West, Elliott, Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers and the Rush to Colorado, (University Press of Kansas,
Axtell, James. “Native Reactions to the Invasion of North America.” Beyond 1492: Encounters in Colonial North America. New York: Oxford UP, 1992. 97-121. Print.
Banks, D., Erodes, R. (2004). Dennis Banks and the Rise of the American Indian Movement. Ojibwa Warrior. Retrieved January 20, 2005, from http://www.oupress.com/bookdetail.asp?isbn=0-8061-3580-8
Hackett, Charles W. Declarations of Josephe and Pedro Naranjo. Revolt of the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico and Otermin's Attempted Reconquest 1680-82. University of New Mexico Press, 1942.
Prior to 1830 the Cherokee people in the Southern states were land and business owners, many owned plantations and kept slaves to work the land, others were hunters and fishermen who ran businesses and blended in well with their white neighbors, but after Andrew Jackson took office as President, the government adopted a strict policy of Indian removal, which Jackson aggressively pursued by eliminating native American land titles and relocating American Indians west of the Mississippi. That same year, Congress passed the Indian R...
River and Oklahoma. Before doing the research for this essay I did know some of the information like the translation of the Quapaw name. However I learned more than I ever knew before, it was very interesting to learn more about the Tribe. A topic that could make for a good essay would be learning more about ceremonies and cultural practices so that young tribe members can connect with tribal culture more. Questions I still have about the tribe are how much of an influence did the French have on the Quapaw culture, and I would be interested in learning more about modern history of the tribe after the timeline ends? I feel incredibly grateful to be part of the Quapaw tribe, to be part of an amazing culture that I can learn about. Learning more about the tribe has made me even more interested in the cultural and more grateful to be part of something beautiful. I love that I am a member of the Quapaw tribe it is a huge part of my
Natives were forcefully removed from their land in the 1800’s by America. In the 1820’s and 30’s Georgia issued a campaign to remove the Cherokees from their land. The Cherokee Indians were one of the largest tribes in America at the time. Originally the Cherokee’s were settled near the great lakes, but overtime they moved to the eastern portion of North America. After being threatened by American expansion, Cherokee leaders re-organized their government and adopted a constitution written by a convention, led by Chief John Ross (Cherokee Removal). In 1828 gold was discovered in their land. This made the Cherokee’s land even more desirable. During the spring and winter of 1838- 1839, 20,000 Cherokees were removed and began their journey to Oklahoma. Even if natives wished to assimilate into America, by law they were neither citizens nor could they hold property in the state they were in. Principal Chief, John Ross and Major Ridge were leaders of the Cherokee Nation. The Eastern band of Cherokee Indians lost many due to smallpox. It was a year later that a Treaty was signed for cession of Cherokee land in Texas. A small number of Cherokee Indians assimilated into Florida, in o...
The social hierarchy within the Cheyenne Indians, includes that of the chief, his family, and the common indians. Like modern day, a child was not above his parent, nor was a brother above his sister. The tribe was a family in essence, which resulted in equality amongst the common Cheyenne indians. The family line passed through the father, and while women and men were both treated equally respect was held slightly higher for the men of the tribe, as they were the protectors and providers.
...he gods. Chiefs could act like priests but priests were not allowed to stand in as chiefs. Holy men were thought of as shining stars from heaven and the guardians of their tribe.
advantage of the rich black soil for farming. Corn was their main source of food,
One of the many Native American tribes was the Nez Percé. The Nez Percé were a tribe of Native Americans who had lived in the Oregon territory. They received the name Nez Percé from French Canadians. The Nez Percé also had Tipis which were like portable homes. The Nez Percé were even encountered by Lewis and Clark.
... made dangerous journeys to bring back heads that were very important to their villages. The headhunters were seen as semi-human. They were so respected in their villages that they were compared to gods. The act of headhunting was important, but the ceremonies served as greater importance. They helped to resolve the difference between headhunters and culture heroes.