America, Arizona, red rocks, desert, cacti, February, +28 C, piercing blue sky and dazzling white sun, not a single cloud. The locals call this weather boring, because every day is the same... My friend John and I are traveling in a jeep to the White Mountains - the sacred lands of the Apache tribe, where the reservations are located. Some 50 minutes and we went from summer to winter: there was snow and pine trees all around, as if there were no cacti...

How do Indians live today?

I, like most Russian people who have only seen Indians in movies, had the impression that Indians on reservations live in “wigwams” (the correct name is “teepees”) and wear leather clothes with feathers. Imagine my disappointment when, when I first arrived on the reservation, I saw dilapidated huts like those in Russian villages, rickety fences, rusty cars, bumpy roads covered with rubbish and old tires, and drunken, wide-faced (like our Buryats) men in jeans and baseball caps, with a bottle in hand... “Oh my God,” I thought, “just like in a Russian village!” Maybe we have one big reservation in Russia?” Fortunately, I visited different reservations and a total of four tribes - Apache, Hopi, Navajo and Zuni. And here’s what I noted: in those tribes where the Indians managed to preserve their indigenous cultural tradition, spirituality, there were no problems with drunkenness. They drank themselves to death only in places where traditions had been lost. It dawned on me! We have the same situation in Russia - in the villages people are drinking themselves to death because they have not preserved the traditions of the indigenous, tribal culture of life on earth.

Reservations

Anyone can enter the territory of most reservations - now there are no fences or barriers, there is only a sign at the entrance: “Zuni Land”, or “Hopi Land”. But you can only stay on reservations if you have friends there. Indians don't start casual dating. You need to be introduced by a good friend, then you get into your family. My friend John introduced me to the Indians. He is white, but has worked for many years for charitable organizations on various reservations. John was close friends with several Indian families. The Indians immediately accepted me as one of their own. Apparently, the Russian spirit in me was in tune with the Indian, and they felt it. The closer I became acquainted with the culture and spirituality of the Indians, the more I felt the depth of this tradition, its closeness to the traditions of our Slavic ancestors.

Some tribes still tell the story of how their ancestors came from Siberia from mouth to mouth. The traditional homes of the Hopi and Navajo tribes are six- and octagonal log houses with a smoke hole in the center of the cone-shaped roof. The indigenous inhabitants of Altai have exactly the same traditional houses. But the majority of Indians on reservations still live not in traditional dwellings, but in “caravans” - trailers permanently installed on blocks, or in “bungalows” - cheap frame houses.

In my opinion, it is impossible to eat regular American food in the USA. On the reservations, the food prepared by the Indians was very tasty and similar to ours. It is not for nothing that potatoes, which have become traditional for Russians, came from the Indians. From them tomatoes, corn, pumpkin and tobacco came to us. Tobacco is an example of the misuse of a traditional product. After all, Indians smoke tobacco only during prayer. One Indian told me that if all smokers prayed when they smoke, we would live in a completely different world.

Interestingly, the flying flag of the United States can be seen much more often on reservations than in the rest of the United States. However, US laws do not apply on reservation lands. Therefore, offenders escaping from US justice find refuge on reservations, which significantly increases the crime rate there. For the same reason, you can often see casinos there, which are prohibited in most of America. Each tribe has its own police force and its own laws. Photography is generally prohibited on reservations. But I took several photographs with the permission of the Indians.

Traditions

Like the ancient Slavs, almost the entire ritual life of the Indians is connected with solar and lunar cycles. Thus, the points of the summer and winter Solstice, spring and autumn Equinoxes in their tradition are key and determine the entire course of their lives. According to the lunar cycle, the Indians usually perform the “Sweat Lodge” ritual, or, in Indian, “nipi”. They are offended if anyone calls this ritual an Indian bath. They don’t wash or take steam in the “svetlodcha”, although they pour water on hot stones there, like in a bathhouse. They pray in the "lightboat". Indians pray for relatives, for friends, for enemies, for their people and for all humanity. It is not customary for them to pray only for themselves. At the same time, the temperature in the lighthouse can be so high that it can only be withstood in a state of prayer. This is a rite of internal and external cleansing. Before entering the lighthouse, you must cleanse yourself through fumigation with wormwood smoke. For Indians, wormwood is one of the most sacred plants, the smell of which expels unclean things from the home, from the physical and subtle bodies of a person.

The Indians have a reverent attitude towards the elements - earth, water, fire and air - as if they were living entities. For example, throwing garbage into the fire of a home is considered unacceptable, a disrespectful attitude towards the fire and the house.

Indians are a people of few words. Only they can express themselves so succinctly, deeply and poetically even in English language. “Walk your talk” - they say (I won’t translate it, because it won’t work out so beautifully). Or the phrase “Look towards the Sun and you will not see a shadow” poetically reflects their worldview.

When John and I went to the Indian sanctuary, Spider Rock, on the Navajo reservation in Dae Shay Canyon, our guide was an 82-year-old Indian, Jonesy. John asked the Indian something for a long time and after a significant pause, Jonesy answered briefly: “Yes.” Then John again asked some questions, and each time the Indian answered simply “Yes” or “No.” I did not hear any other words from his lips. Jonesy took us to Spider Rock, where, according to legend, the Spirit of the Spider Woman lived, who taught the Navajo Indians to weave, weave and sew clothes. The spider, like the web, is a positive image among the Indians. Indian dream catcher amulets are made in the form of a spider web. Such an amulet is hung on the window and it is believed that at night it allows only good energies to pass through, and catches bad ones in its net, so that only good dreams can be had. Such “dream traps” are now sold in ethnic souvenir shops in Russia. But I have to disappoint you: almost all of them are made in China. Just like the Russian nesting dolls I saw in ethnic gift shops in Arizona. From a distance they look like nesting dolls...

The special relationship of Indians to the land

They say: “the earth does not belong to us, we belong to the earth.” Deep responsibility for the earth and for the whole Earth is an integral part of their spiritual culture. Indian dances are not just a spiritual practice that allows the dancer to communicate with the Great Spirit (“Wakan Tanka”), but a ritual of self-sacrifice that atones for the sins of all humanity and restores the connection between man and nature. In this ritual, the dancer dances non-stop from sunset to sunrise for several nights in a row, which requires incredible fortitude and courage. If a dancer falls, this is a bad sign - there will be a hurricane, drought or other cataclysm. The Indians know for sure that nature depends on them just as they depend on nature. They believe that the world still holds together thanks to their dances, and that all the earthquakes, diseases and disasters on Earth are due to the fact that people have lost contact with Nature and are raping it.

This is what the Ojibwa Indian prayer sounds like:

"Progenitor,

Look at our brokenness.

We know that throughout Creation

Only the human family has strayed from the Sacred Path.

We know that we are the ones who are divided

And we are the ones who must return,

To walk together along the Sacred Path.

Progenitor, One Holy One,

Teach us love, compassion, respect,

So that we can heal the Earth and heal each other."

For the Indians, Nature is a sacred living book through which Great Spirit communicates with them. A flying bird, a running animal, a gust of wind, the sound of leaves, a floating cloud - all these are living signs and symbols that the Indian reads, just as we read letters and words. When the Indians greet each other, they say: "O metako ash", which means "all my brothers." The Indian says the same greeting when he enters the forest, approaches a lake, or meets a deer. All beings in the sacred circle of Nature are brothers for the Indian.

From the history

When the first whites landed on the shores of America, they ran out of food and were dying of hunger. The Indians brought food to the whites, taught them to grow local crops, and they survived. This day is now celebrated as the biggest holiday in America - Thanksgiving Day. For more than half a century after this, Indians and whites lived in peace. Immigrants from Britain had healthy children and they all survived, while in Britain itself at that time only every eighth child survived. Whites developed the land and were engaged in agriculture. The Indians were hunting. There was a mutual exchange of products. Then the whites fenced off their plots of land. But the Indians did not seem to notice the fences and continued to move freely through them while hunting. The whites did not like this and they began to explain to the Indians that beyond the fence was their own land. This is where it all started! The Indians could not understand how land could be someone’s property? How can land be sold or bought? The war has begun...

We can roughly imagine what happened to America next. I can say that mainly those tribes that adopted Christianity managed to survive and preserve their traditions. They simply incorporated Christianity into their traditions. On the Navajo reservation I visited a Christian temple. The temple was built of logs in the traditional octagonal shape, the entrance is from the East, in the center of the cone-shaped roof there was a one and a half meter hole in the sky, under it there is the same hole in the floor, there is earth. “Heaven and earth are sacred to us,” the Indians explained to me. An icon of Jesus Christ hung on the wall. Christ was red-skinned, wearing a loincloth and with the symbol of the Sun on his blessing hand. The Indians turned to the four cardinal directions sacred to them, Heaven and Earth, and began a prayer in the Navajo language with the words: “Oh, Jesus Christ, son of God, our elder brother, come to us...”

Here I cannot resist telling you an anecdote that I heard from white Americans: One Indian somehow ended up with a high-ranking priest. He taught the Indian Christian commandments, showed him a crucifix and icons. Suddenly the Indian noticed a telephone next to the priest’s chair. “What is this?” - asked the Indian. “And this is a direct telephone line to God,” answered the priest. "Is it true? Can I try it? - the Indian asked. The priest scratched the back of his head and said: “Actually, it’s possible, but not for long, it’s an expensive call over a long distance...” A few years later, this priest was passing through that Indian’s reservation. The Indian was glad to see him and showed him the village, local rituals and traditions. Suddenly the priest noticed an old, shabby telephone at the feet of the Indian. "And what's that?" - asked the priest. “And this... this is a direct telephone to God,” said the Indian. “Can we talk?” asked the priest. “Yes, of course,” said the Indian, “and you can talk as much as you want, this is a local call...”

Most Indians are very jealous of their traditions and protect them from the whites in every possible way. I’ll tell you a real life story on this topic. Traditionally, Indians from different tribes meet at the annual Pow Wow festival. This usually takes place in a stadium, where there is a stand with spectators and a platform on which various kinds of games, competitions, dances, etc. take place. All participants in competitions and dances are usually dressed in traditional clothes made of leather with beads and feathers, as we are used to seeing in the movies. But most of the Indians sitting in the stands are dressed like ordinary Americans in jeans, T-shirts and baseball caps. There are also white people among the spectators, because... this event is open to everyone. So one white man, apparently an adherent of Indian culture, sat on the podium in traditional Indian clothing made of leather and feathers. The Indians looked sideways at him for a long time, then they couldn’t stand it, they came up and said: “Listen guy, we don’t like that you wear our national clothes. Go change clothes." The guy turned out to be no mistake. He changed into jeans, a T-shirt and a baseball cap, went out onto the court and, turning to the Indians sitting in the stands, said: “Guys, I don’t like the fact that you are dressed in my national clothes. Go, change clothes...”

But among the Indian shamans there are also those who sincerely share the depth of their tradition with the whites. Such, for example, is the leader Sun Bear, who founded the famous community “Sun Bear Tribe”, where Indians and whites live together in peace and harmony. Some such shamans also come to Russia, where they communicate with adherents of Indian spiritual culture - Indianists. Russian Indianists also meet annually at their Pow Wow. The sight is, frankly, stunning: a clearing with dozens of “tepees” (wigwams), all people dressed in beaded leather Indian clothes, some on horses with bows, tomahawks and painted faces. Indian dancing and singing to the beat of a tambourine. You won't even see this in the movies! But you shouldn’t come there without an invitation - the Indians (even though they are Russian) are harsh people.

Indians are called Native Americans

They truly preserve their roots, passing on traditions to the next generations. For Indians, veneration of ancestors is not just a tribute of gratitude to previous generations, but a direct living connection with the spirits of their ancestors, to whom they turn for help, support and advice. The Indian knows that his ancestors live in him, and he lives in his descendants. Therefore, there is no death for him, he perceives a single stream of life of his kind, identifying himself with it, and not with a separate period of time the size of life. The Indians have a different attitude towards “death” than that accepted in the “white” civilization. The same great attitude among the Indians and at birth. For example, in some tribes, a child’s birthday is not considered the day of his physical birth, but the day on which the child laughed for the first time. The one who saw this and gives the child a name. The name is given in this way - a person goes outside and sees what the Great Spirit tells him through Nature: Dancing Coyote, Two Bears (the name of my friend), or Playing Wind.

One white American woman once asked me: “Do you have any indigenous people there in Russia?” “Yes,” I answered proudly, “I, for one!” Then, when I returned home to my northern village - the eco-village of Grishino, I thought: “What kind of indigenous person am I? Where are my roots? Fortunately, our ancestral memory is still strong and we can revive and strengthen our roots, our connection with our ancestors, traditions, family. This is what is happening now in Russian eco-villages, reviving the lost connection between Man and Nature, the place of which was determined by our ancestors: Human Nature.

Vladislav Kirbyatev. Ecovillage Grishino

I'm just an Indian. The wind is in my hair. I'm just an Indian. The rain washed away my paint. My strength is in my hands, the dance is in my feet. I will go as long as I have enough strength.

Indians is the name of the indigenous population of America, given to the natives by Columbus, who believed that the lands he discovered were actually India. Nowadays, in many American countries, the name “Indians” is replaced by the word “indigenous people”.

The ancestors of the Indians came from Northeast Asiaand settled both American continentsapproximately 11-12 thousand years ago. Indian languages ​​form a separate group of Indian (Amerindian) languages, divided into 8 North American, 5 Central American and 8 South American families.

Among the Indians of Central America, the main place in mythology was occupied by myths about the origin of fire and the origin of people and animals. Later, myths appeared in their culture about the caiman - the patron of food and moisture and the good spirits of plants, as well as myths inherent in all types of mythologies - about the creation of the world.

When the Indians began to widely use maize crops in agriculture, myths appeared about the supreme female deity - the “goddess with braids.” It is interesting that the goddess does not have a name, and her name is accepted only conditionally, being an approximate translation. The image of the goddess unites the Indian idea of ​​the spirits of plants and animals. “The Goddess with braids” is at the same time the personification of both earth and sky, and life and death.

Several economic and cultural types of Indians that existed at the beginning of European colonization and the corresponding historical and cultural areas are identified.

Hunters and fishermen of the Subarctic (northern Athapaskans and part of the Algonquins). They inhabit the taiga and forest-tundra of Canada and interior Alaska. Three subregions are distinguished: the plains of the Canadian Shield and the Mackenzie River basin, where the Algonquins (northern Ojibwe, Cree, Montagnais-Naskapi, Mi'kmaq, eastern Abenaki) and eastern Athabaskan (Chipewayan, Slavey, etc.) live; the subarctic Cordillera (from the middle Fraser River to the Brooks Range in the north), which is inhabited by the Athabaskan Chilcotin, Carrier, Tahltan, Kaska, Tagish, Han, Kuchin, etc., as well as the inland Tlingit; interior of Alaska (Athabascan Tanana, Koyukon, Quiver, Atna, Ingalik, Tanaina). They were engaged in seasonal hunting, mainly for large game (reindeer-caribou, elk, and in the Cordillera also mountain sheep, bighorn goats), seasonal fishing, and gathering (berries). In the Cordillera, hunting for small animals and birds (partridge) was also of great importance. Hunting is mainly driven and with traps. Tools made of stone, bone, wood; a number of peoples in the west (Tutchon, Kuchin, etc.) used mined (Atna) or purchased native copper. Transport: in winter - snowshoes, toboggan sleds, in summer - canoes made of birch bark (in the Cordillera - also made of spruce bark). They made blankets from strips of fur, bags from skins and birch bark, and the manufacture of suede was developed.

Traditional clothing (shirts, trousers, moccasins and leggings, mittens) made of skins and suede, decorated with porcupine quills and fur, and later with beads. They prepared dried meat, ground and mixed with fat (pemmican), and yukola. In the Cordillera, fermented fish and meat were consumed. The dwelling is mostly frame, covered with skins or bark, conical or dome-shaped from poles tied at the ends or supports with crossbars dug into the ground, in the west it is also rectangular; in Alaska, frame half-dugouts are covered with skins, earth and moss; among the Slavey and Chilcotin, buildings are made of logs and boards in the form of a gable hut.

They led a semi-nomadic lifestyle, concentrating and breaking up into small groups depending on the calendar cycle. Small families predominated. Households (from related small families or large families) were included in local and regional groups. Among the Athabaskans of Alaska and partly the Cordillera, matrilineal clans also existed. Certain groups of Cordillera Indians borrowed elements of the kinship structure from the Indians of the northwestern coast. Drawn into the fur trade by Europeans, many groups began to settle seasonally in villages near missions and trading posts.

Fishermen, hunters and gatherers of the northwest coast of North America. The ethnolinguistic composition is complex: Wakashi (Kwakiutl, Nootka, Bella Bella, Haisla, Makah, etc.), Salish (Bella Kula, Tillamook, Central Salish), Na-Dene macrofamily (Oregon Athabascan, Tlingit, possibly also Haida) and Tsimshian family .

The main activities are sea and river fishing (salmon, halibut, cod, herring, candlefish, sturgeon, etc.) using dams, nets, hooks, traps and fishing for sea animals (nook, makah - whales) on flat-bottomed dugout boats using stone and bone harpoons and spears. They hunted snow goats, deer, elk and fur-bearing animals, collected roots, berries, etc.

Artistic crafts were developed: weaving (baskets, hats), weaving (capes made of snow goat hair), processing bone, horn, stone and especially wood - typical totem poles made of cedar near houses, masks, etc. They knew the cold forging of native copper. They lived in settlements in large rectangular houses made of boards with a gable or flat roof, leaving them during the summer season. There was a prestigious economy (the custom of the potlatch), characterized by property and social inequality, developed and complex social stratification, division into nobility, community members, slaves (slavery of prisoners, debt slavery in the south).

The regions are distinguished: northern (Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Haisla) and southern (most of the Wakash and other peoples to the south). The north was characterized by a matrilineal kinship structure, women wearing labrets in the lower lip, while the south was characterized by the custom of head deformation, bi- and patrilineality. The Wakashi and Coast Salish may also be classified as an intermediate central region. In the north and among the Wakashi, totemism is widespread, among the Wakashi and Bella Coola there are ritual secret societies, also borrowed by the peoples of the North.

Gatherers and Hunters of California. The ethnolinguistic composition is heterogeneous: Hoka (Karok, Shasta, Achumavi, Atsugevi, Yana, Pomo, Salinan, Chumash, Tipai-Ipai, etc.), Yuki (Yuki, Wappo), Penuti (Wintu, Nomlaki, Patvin, Maidu, Nisenan, Yokuts , Miwok, Costaño), Shoshone (Gabrielino, Luiseño, Cahuilla, Serrano, Tubatubal, Mono), Algic macrofamilies (Yurok, Wiyot), Athapaskan (Tolova, Hupa, Kato).

The main occupations are semi-sedentary gathering (acorns, seeds, herbs, tubers, roots, berries; insects - grasshoppers, etc.), fishing, hunting (deer, etc.), among the peoples of the southern coast (Chumash, Luiseño, Gabrielino) - sea fishing and marine hunting (also in the north among the Wiyot). When collecting seeds, special tools were used - seed beaters. To maintain the productivity of gathering areas, regular burning of vegetation was practiced.

The main food product was washed acorn flour, from which they cooked porridge in baskets, lowering hot stones into it, and baked bread. The barter equivalent was bundles of disks made from shells. Weaving (waterproof baskets) was developed; Bird feathers were used as decorative material. Dwellings are domed dugouts, conical huts made of sequoia bark plates, huts made of reeds and brushwood. Ritual steam rooms (half-dugouts) and small barns for acorns (on stilts and platforms) are typical. Clothing - loincloths for men and apron skirts for women, capes made of skins.

The predominant social unit is a lineage (mainly patrilineal), territorial-potestary - a tribe (100-2000 people), which usually included several villages, led by the leader of one of them - often hereditary (by lineage), occupying a privileged position. There were ritual societies. Cases of male (sometimes female) travesty are typical.

The fish-rich Indians of northwestern California (Yurok, Tolova, Wiyot, Karok, Hupa, Chimariko) were similar in economic and cultural type to the Indians of the northwestern coast. The population was concentrated along the rivers, the main occupation being fishing (salmon). There was property stratification and debt slavery. The Indians of the highlands in northeastern California (Achumavi, Atsugewi) had some similarities with the Indians of the Plateau and Great Basin. The main activities are gathering (roots, bulbs, in some places - acorns, etc.), fishing, hunting deer and waterfowl. In northwestern and northeastern California, no signs of clan organization have been identified. In southern California, the cultural influence of the Indians of southwestern North America is noticeable; molded pottery was known among a number of peoples.

Farmers of the forests of Eastern North America. They combined manual slash-and-burn farming (corn, pumpkin, beans, etc.) with hunting (seasonal in the northeast), fishing and gathering. Tools made of stone, wood, bone; they knew cold working of copper and making molded ceramics. Copper deposits were developed west of Lake Superior and in the Appalachians. They worked the ground with sticks and hoes made from the shoulder blades and antlers of deer and elk. Settlements are often fortified. Tattooing and body painting, and the use of bird feathers for decorative purposes and clothing are common. There are two regions: North-East and South-East.

Indians of the Northeast (Iroquois, Algonquin) lived in temperate forests (also in the forest-steppe in the west) in the Great Lakes region. They collected maple sap. Wood processing and weaving were developed. They made boats from bark and dugouts, clothes and shoes (moccasins) from skins and suede, decorated with porcupine quills. Dwelling - a large rectangular frame house or an oval, sometimes round, dome-shaped structure with a frame of branches (wigwam), covered with bark plates or grass mats; in the north there is also a conical hut covered with bark.

The region included three historical and cultural areas. In the east (from Lake Ontario northwest to Lake Huron and southeast to the Atlantic Ocean) among the Iroquois (Hurons, Iroquois proper) and part of the eastern Algonquins (Delaware, Mohicans) the basis of social organization is a matrilineal clan divided into lineages and sublinages, forming family-kinship communities that occupied longhouses.

The Iroquois, Hurons, and Mohicans had a tribal organization; tribal unions arose (the Iroquois League, in the 17th century - the Mohican Confederation); among the Atlantic Algonquins, the main social-potestary unit was the village, the account of kinship was patrilineal or bilineal, territorial groups and their associations arose, led by hereditary leaders, possibly proto-midships (Narragansett sachemy, etc.). Exchange was developed. Since the 16th century, wampum (shell beads) has been used as an exchange equivalent and for ceremonial purposes. Traditional weapons are specially shaped wooden clubs (with a spherical head, a stone or metal blade). In the western region (northeast Mississippi Basin, areas south and southwest of Lake Michigan, Huron, Superior), inhabited primarily by the Central Algonquin (Menominee, Potawatomi, Sauk, Fox, Kickapoo, Muscaten, Shawnee, Illinois and Miami) and partly Sioux (Winnebago), characterized by patrilineal clans, tribal organization with a dual potestary structure ("peaceful" and "military" institutions), semi-sedentary seasonal habitation - in summer in frame houses in agricultural villages along the banks of rivers, in winter in wigwams in hunting grounds camps. They hunted deer, bison, and other game.

There were ritual societies and phratries (like the Iroquois in the east), large families. The northern region (north of the Great Lakes, also southeastern Quebec, New Hampshire and Vermont), inhabited by the Algonquins (southwestern and southeastern Ojibwe, Ottawa, Algonquin proper, western Abenaki), constituted the transition zone to the Subarctic. Agriculture (corn), due to latitudinal climatic conditions, was of secondary importance, the main occupation was fishing in combination with gathering and hunting. A patrilineal localized totemic clan is characteristic. In the summer they concentrated near fishing grounds, the rest of the time they lived dispersedly in small groups. In the west near Lake Superior and Michigan, the harvest of wild rice was important among the Menominee, Ojibwe, and others.

The cultures of the Indians of the Southeast developed in subtropical forest conditions (from the Mississippi River valley to the Atlantic Ocean). They belong to the Muskogees; on the periphery of the region lived the Algonquins of North Carolina and Virginia, the Iroquois (Chirokees) and the Sioux (Tutelo and others).

When hunting, they used a blowpipe. The winter dwelling is round, on an earthen platform (up to 1 m high), log, roof made of poles with clay and grass in between, the summer dwelling is rectangular, two-chamber with whitewashed walls, among the Seminoles in Florida - piled with a gable roof made of palm leaves, among the Algonquins - frame, covered with bark. Kinship structure is based on maternal filiation (except Yuchi). The Muskoges are characterized by the division of the tribe into “peaceful” and “military” halves. The Creeks and Choctaws had tribal alliances, and the Natchas and a number of other peoples of the southeast and Mississippi basin had chiefdoms that arose from the 8th to 10th centuries after the population explosion as a result of the widespread spread of corn. Social stratification developed and a privileged elite emerged.

Mounted hunters of the Great Plains. They belong to the Sioux (Assiniboine, Crow, Dakota), Algonquin (Cheyenne, Arapaho, Blackfeet), Caddo (Caddo itself), Shoshone (Comanche), Kiowa-Tanoan family (Kiowa). They were pushed to the Great Plains from the northeast and west of North America before and during European colonization in the 17th and 18th centuries. Having borrowed horses and firearms from the Europeans, they took up horse breeding and nomadic hunting for bison, as well as deer, elk, and pronghorn antelope. In the summer, driven hunting was carried out by all the men of the tribe. Weapons - bow and arrows, spear (among the Comanches, Assiniboines), stone maces, and later guns. In winter, they split into nomadic communities, engaged in hunting and gathering (red turnips, milkweed buds, thistles, berries, etc.). The tools are made of stone and bone. During migrations, property was transported on drags, dogs, and later on horses.

The traditional dwelling is a tipi made of bison skins up to 5 m in diameter, with a hearth in the center and a smoke hole at the top. Tribal summer camps had a circular layout with a council tent (tiotipi) in the center. Each hunting community occupied its own place in the camp.

Traditional clothing made from deer or elk skin was decorated with feathers, porcupine quills and beads. Characteristic features include a warrior's headdress made of eagle feathers, bracelets and necklaces made of shells, teeth and animal bones. Tattooing and painting of the face and body are common. In the east, men shaved the sides of their heads, leaving a high comb. They painted leather goods (clothes, tipis, tambourines), and made blankets from skins. An important role was played by the general tribal organization and men's unions. The hereditary power of the leaders was gradually replaced by the power of the military elite.

In the east of the Great Plains (prairies), a transitional type was formed that combined horseback bison hunting with manual slash-and-burn agriculture. They belong to the Caddo (Arikara, Wichita, Pawnee) and Sioux (Osage, Kanza, Ponca, Quapaw, Omaha, Iowa, Mandan, Oto, Missouri). Agricultural work was mainly carried out by women, while preparation of fields for sowing, herding horses and hunting were carried out by men. The land was cultivated with a hoe made from a buffalo shoulder, a rake made from deer antlers, and a digging stick. Settlements are circular, often fortified. A traditional dwelling - an "earth house" - was a large (12-24 m in diameter) half-dugout, a hemispherical roof made of willow bark and grass, covered with a layer of earth, and had a chimney in the center. Summer huts were located in the fields. After the crops sprouted, they migrated to the prairies to hunt bison and lived in tipis. They returned to the settlements to harvest the harvest. In winter they lived along the valleys of small rivers, where there was pasture for horses and game. Fishing (with the help of wicker traps) and gathering played a secondary role. Kinship structures based on maternal filiation predominated.

Two other transitional (or intermediate) types are represented by the Plateau and Great Basin Indians. Gatherers, fishers and hunters Plateau (highlands and plateaus north of the Great Basin between the Cascade and Rocky Mountains, mainly the Columbia and Fraser River basins): mainly Sahaptin (Nez Perce, Yakima, Modoc, Klamath, etc.) and Salii (actually Salii, Shuswap, Okanagan, Kalispell, Colville, Spokane, Cor-Dalen, etc.), as well as Kootenai (possibly related to the Algonquins). They were engaged in gathering (bulbs of the camas plant, roots, etc., among the Klamaths and Modocs - seeds of water lilies), fishing (salmon) and hunting. Platforms were built over the river streams, from which salmon were shot with spears or scooped out with nets. Weaving (from roots, reeds and grass) was developed. The dwelling is a round half-dugout with a support made of logs and an entrance through a smoke hole, a gable grounded hut covered with bark or reeds. At summer sites there are conical huts covered with reeds. Transport - dugout boats, in the north (kutenai, kalispel) - canoes made of spruce bark with ends protruding under the water in front and behind ("sturgeon nose") for shallow rivers; Dogs were also used to transport goods. The basic social unit is the village, headed by a chief. There were also military leaders. Some tribes (Modoc and others) captured slaves to sell (to tribes on the northwest coast). In the 18th century, the Indians of the Plateau were strongly influenced by the Indians of the Great Plains, from whom many peoples adopted horse breeding, types of clothing (ceremonial feather headdresses, etc.) and dwellings (teepees), and in the east they switched to horseback bison hunting.

Hunters and gatherers of the Great Basin: Shoshone (Paiute, Ute, Proper Shoshone, Kawaiisu) and Washo, related to California Indians. The main occupations are hunting (deer, pronghorn antelope, mountain sheep, rabbits, waterfowl, and bison in the north and east) and gathering (mountain pine seeds, etc., acorns in some areas), on the periphery of the region (west and east) near large lakes - also fishing. The dwelling is a conical hut or dome-shaped building on a frame of poles covered with bark, grass or reeds, a wind barrier and a semi-dugout. The meat was dried in thin strips. Clothes (shirts, trousers, moccasins with leggings, capes) made from bison, deer, and rabbit skins. They led a nomadic lifestyle, gathering in settlements in winter. There was a small family and amorphous local groups. In the 18th century, they adopted horse breeding from the Indians of the Great Plains; In the north and east, horse hunting for bison spread.

Farmers and pastoralists of southwestern North America (southwestern United States and northern Mexico). Several economic and cultural types are represented in the region; the central place belonged to Pueblo farmers, who have a complex ethnolinguistic composition. The heyday of their culture falls on the X-XIV centuries - the time of the existence of huge multi-storey residential buildings (Chaco Canyon, Casas Grandes). They were engaged in dry-land and irrigated agriculture (corn, beans, pumpkins, etc., and from the mid-18th century - wheat and cotton, fruit trees). They borrowed domestic animals from Europeans. Seasonal hunting and gathering were of an auxiliary nature. Among the peoples surrounding the Pueblo zone (southern Athapaskan - Navajo, Apache) or occupying the south and east of the region (mainly speaking the languages ​​of the Uto-Aztecan family - Pima, Papago, Yaqui, Mayo, Tarahumara and others, and the Hoca macrofamily), along with In agriculture or instead of it, hunting and gathering were important (Papago, Seri, partly Apache). Some Apaches developed agriculture and cattle breeding (Navajo). The Pueblos and Navajos have developed weaving, silver jewelry with turquoise is typical, and many peoples have “sand painting” - cult images made of colored sand and corn flour. Social organization was based mainly on clan structures with maternal filiation, and among the Pueblos also on religious societies.

Indians of central and southern Mexico, Central America, the Greater Antilles and the Andes (Mayans, Aztecs, Mixtecs, Zapotecs, Amusgo, Pipil, Chibcha, Quechua and others). The Mesoamerican, Caribbean and Andean regions are distinguished. They were engaged in intensive manual farming using artificial irrigation (Mexico, Peru), terracing of mountain slopes (Peru, Colombia), raised bed fields (Mexico, Ecuador, mountainous Bolivia), and in forested mountainous areas and tropical lowlands, as well as slash-and-burn farming. They grew corn, legumes, pumpkins, cotton, vegetables, chile peppers, tobacco, in the highlands - mountain tubers, quinoa, in the humid tropical lowlands - sweet cassava, sweet potatoes, xanthosoma, etc. In the central and southern Andes, llamas, alpacas, guinea pigs, in Central America - turkeys, on the coast of Peru - ducks. They were engaged in hunting (in the central Andes - hunting), fishing was of greatest importance on the coast of Peru.

Traditional crafts - pottery, patterned weaving on vertical hand looms, weaving, woodworking (men). In the pre-Hispanic states, architecture, monumental and applied art, trade, including maritime trade, were developed on the coasts of Mexico and Ecuador. In the Andes, copper and gold metallurgy appeared in the 2nd millennium BC, and bronze in the 1st millennium AD. Modern settlements are hamlets (caserias) and villages of scattered or crowded layouts (aldea), surrounding a community center - a pueblo village. The dwelling is single-chamber, rectangular in plan, made of mud brick, wood and reeds, with a high double or hipped thatched roof; in the south of Central America and Colombia it is round, with a conical roof.

For Central America, fireplaces made of three stones, flat or three-legged clay pans, and tripod vessels are typical; for North and Central America (especially Mexico) - steam baths. Traditional clothes made of cotton and wool. Richly ornamented huipilis, serapes, ponchos, women's swinging skirts, and straw hats are typical. The large patriarchal family predominated. In the second half of the 2nd millennium BC, small proto-state associations such as chiefdoms appeared in Mexico and Peru, and in the first half of the 1st millennium AD - large state formations (Mayan, Zapotec, Teotihuacan, Mochica, Wari, Tiahuanaco cultures).

Indians of the South American tropical lowlands and highlands east of the Andes (Arawaks, Caribs, Tupi, Pano, Huitoto, Tucano, and others). Main occupations - manual slash-and-burn farming (bitter and sweet cassava, sweet potatoes, yams and other tropical tubers, corn, peach palm, after contact with Europeans - bananas), fishing (using plant poisons), hunting (with bow and blowpipe ) and gathering. In the floodplains of large rivers, fishing and intensive agriculture (corn) predominated; in the forests on the watersheds, hunting, gathering, and primitive gardening prevailed; in the dry savannas, itinerant gathering and hunting, along with sedentary agriculture in the adjacent forests during the wet season, prevailed. In the wet, flooded savannas of Venezuela, Eastern Bolivia, and Guiana, intensive farming in raised bed fields was found.

Pottery, weaving, wood carving, monumental painting on the walls of communal houses (tukano, carib), and the making of feather jewelry, and after the Spanish conquest, beads, were developed. Main residence - big house(maloka) 30 m long or more, up to 25 m high for large families and huts for small or large families. The Indians of the Brazilian Highlands are characterized by ring-shaped or horseshoe-shaped settlements. Cotton clothing or tapas (loincloths, aprons, belts) were often absent; capes and shirts influenced by the Andean Indians spread in the west. Among the Indians east of the Andes, autonomous communities of up to 100-300 people prevailed; chiefdoms arose in the fertile floodplain lands of the Amazon, Orinoco, Ucayali, and Beni; small wandering groups were found in the interior forest areas. The family is large, matrilocal, in the north-west of the Amazon - patrilocal.

The Indians of the Chaco Plain (northern Argentina, western Paraguay, southeastern Bolivia) have guaicuru, lengua, mataco, samuco and others- main occupations - fishing, gathering, hunting, primitive agriculture (after river floods), after borrowing horses from Europeans, horse hunting was adopted by a number of tribes.

Wandering hunters of the steppes and semi-deserts of the temperate zone of South America - Patagonia, Pampa, Tierra del Fuego (Tehuelche, Puelche, Ona, or Selknam). The main occupation is hunting ungulates (guanaco, vicuña, deer) and birds (rhea), after borrowing horses from Europeans - horse hunting (except for Fuegians). The characteristic weapon is the bola. Leather dressing and coloring were developed. The traditional dwelling is the toldo. Clothing - loincloths and capes made of skins. The family is large, patrilineal, patrilocal. The Araucans of central Chile were more likely to resemble the peoples of the Amazon in terms of social organization and type of economy.

Marine gatherers and hunters of the southwest of Tierra del Fuego and the Chilean archipelago - Yamana (Yagans) and Alakaluf. European colonization interrupted the natural development of Indian culture. After a demographic shock caused by the spread of previously unknown diseases, Europeans occupied many of the lands of the Indians, pushing them into uninhabitable areas. In North America, many peoples were involved in the unequal fur trade; in Latin America, they were turned into dependent peasants (initially, sometimes into slaves). Since the 1830s, the United States began to pursue a policy of relocating Indians to the west (the so-called Indian Territory, since 1907 - the state of Oklahoma) and the formation of reservations. In 1887, the division of tribal lands into individual plots (allots) began. The number of Indians in the USA over two centuries decreased by 75% (237 thousand people in 1900), many peoples (eastern USA, Canada and Brazil, the Antilles, southern Chile and Argentina, the coast of Peru) completely disappeared, some were divided into separate groups ( Cherokees, Potawatomi and others) or united into new communities (Indians of Brothertown and Stockbridge, see the article Mohicans, Lumbee in North Carolina). In many countries Latin America Indians became an important component in the formation of nations (Mexicans, Guatemalans, Paraguayans, Peruvians and others).

The largest modern Indian peoples: in Latin America - Quechua, Aymara, Aztecs, Quiche, Kaqchiqueli, Maya of Yucatan, Mame, Araucans, Guajiros, in North America - Northern Athapascans, Navajo, Iroquois proper, Cherokee, Ojibwe. There are 291 officially recognized Indian nations in the United States and about 200 rural Aboriginal communities in Alaska, and there are about 260 reservations. The largest Indian population is in the states of Oklahoma, Arizona, California, in Latin America - in the mountainous regions of Central and Southern Mexico, Guatemala, Bolivia, Peru, in Canada - mainly in the north of the provinces of Ontario and Quebec and in the western provinces - British Columbia, Saskatchewan , Manitoba, Alberta. The urban population is growing (more than half of the Indians of North America, especially in the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and in South America - the cities of Maracaibo and Lima). Cities arose on reservation territories. In Canada, mainly in the northern and interior regions, the Indians retained part of their ethnic territories, which were also turned into reservations.

Modern Indians perceive European culture and languages. About 50% use their native language in everyday life. Many Indian languages ​​are on the verge of extinction. Some languages ​​(Quechua, Aymara, Nahua, Guarani) are spoken by several million people, there is literature, the press, and radio broadcasting. In the USA and some Latin American countries, since the end of the 19th century, there has been a trend towards an increase in the number of Indians. The standard of living is lower than the rest of the American population. The main occupation is hired work on reservation territories and in cities, in Canada - in logging; Indians in cities mostly maintain ties to reservations. They are also engaged in farming, small business, crafts and making souvenirs, part of their income comes from tourism and renting out their lands. The 1934 law introduced restrictions in the USA. self-government of Indian reservations through elected community councils operating under the control of the government Bureau of Indian Affairs. In Canada, until the late 1960s, about half of Indians retained traditional occupations. In Latin America, people are mainly engaged in manual farming, wage work on plantations and in industry, and handicrafts. Some small groups in Latin America largely preserve traditional culture. In Latin America, especially in Colombia and Peru, growing coca on orders from drug cartels has become an important source of income for certain groups.

The Indians of North America are mainly Catholics and Protestants, the Indians of Latin America are mainly Catholics. The number of Protestants is growing (mainly in the Amazon). Syncretic Indian cults are characteristic - the “longhouse religion” (which arose around 1800 among the Iroquois), the native Church of America (peyotism) (which arose in the 19th century in northern Mexico), Shakerism (in the northwest of North America), the Church of the Cross (in the river area Ucayali, arose in the 1970s), dance of the spirit (19th century), etc. Among the Indians of Central and South America, pre-Hispanic cults are syncretically merged with Catholicism. Many Indians maintain traditional cults. Characteristic are theatrical performances accompanied by dancing in masks.

Since the mid-20th century, Indians have experienced a growth in ethnic and political self-awareness and a revival of interest in their native language and culture. 57 educational centers have been created in Canada, and 19 colleges controlled by Indian communities in the USA. Intertribal and national Indian organizations were formed. The largest: in the USA - the National Congress of American Indians, the National Council of Urban Indians, the National Association of Community Council Presidents, the American Indian Movement - the center of the spread of pan-Indianism - is part of the International Indian Treaty Council, which enjoys the status of a UN non-governmental organization; in Canada - the National Brotherhood (Assembly of First Nations); in Latin America - Confederation of Indian Nationalities of Ecuador, Ecuarunari, Federation of Shuar Indian Centers, National Indian Confederation of Mexico, National Indian Association of Panama, Indian Confederation of Venezuela, Army of the Poor of Guatemala, Union of Indian Nations of Brazil, as well as international organizations: World Council of Indian Nations , Indian Council of South America. Some organizations resort to armed struggle.

This is the world's largest memorial dedicated to the most famous Indian - This is the Crazy Horse Memorial. It is located in South Dakota. And this sculptural composition is dedicated to the most famous Indian leader, who was incredibly warlike. His Lakota tribe resisted to the very end the American government, which took away the land where they lived.

The leader, who bore the name Crazy Horse, became famous back in 1867. It was then that a terrible war broke out between the local Indians and the Europeans who invaded the continent. Only Crazy Horse was able to rally his people. And in one of the battles they even defeated the detachment of William Fetterman. The leader took part in all important battles. And only his faith in the future, a good amount of courage and bravery were able to convince the Lakota tribe of their strength and power. Crazy Horse was never hit by an enemy's arrow.

In the mid-20th century, it was decided to make a giant statue that would depict Crazy Horse in full height. This project was proposed by architect Tsiolkovsky. The master worked on his masterpiece for more than 30 years, but was only able to complete the leader’s head. And work on the statue continues now. However, this does not prevent the memorial from being a popular place for tourists. Moreover, there is a unique museum dedicated to the Indians right there.

The Indians wanted the monument to depict Crazy Horse. The main reason is that Crazy Horse was an outstanding Indian - a brave warrior and a brilliant military strategist. He was the first Indian to use the decoy system. He never signed any treaties and never lived on a reservation. There is a famous story about how Crazy Horse responded to a white trader who mocked him for refusing to live on a reservation, even though most of the Lakota Indians already lived there. The merchant asked: “Where are your lands now?” Crazy Horse “looked toward the horizon and, pointing his hand over his horse’s head, proudly said: “My lands are where my ancestors are buried.”

In 1877 it became clear that the forces were unequal. Continuing the war would simply lead to the destruction of the entire Lakota people, Crazy Horse signed the act of surrender. One day he left the reservation without permission, which gave rise to rumors of an impending rebellion. Upon his return he was arrested. At first, the leader did not fully understand what was happening, but when he saw that he was being taken to the guardhouse, he became indignant and began to resist the convoy. One of the soldiers stabbed him with a bayonet. The great warrior and leader died in a peaceful camp, and not in battle.

We are Indians, brother, our gaze will give us away...

What connects children all over the world with Indians? Chocolate, popcorn, chewing gum and the ability to run freely with battle cries across any space! All of the listed delicacies were invented by the Indians: popcorn, having discovered the ability to “self-explode” in maize grains, chewing gum from the juice of Hevea (rubber), the word “chocolate” was first heard from the lips of the Mayan tribe, and was invented by the Aztecs. The Aztecs discovered that if you crushed cocoa beans into a paste and added spices, you got a drink that was served only to the leader, because it was worth its weight in gold.

Despite such funny inventions, the eyes of an Indian are always sad, they are a sad people, and even when looking through photos in search engines you will rarely find a smiling representative of the indigenous population of America. But incredible natural depth and an amazing desire to preserve their history - this can be found in any Indian.

Indians today

Indians are settled throughout South and North America, from Alaska to Argentina, some of them live on reservations (example: the Navajo tribe), some are full citizens of the country (Mayans, 80% of the population of Guatemala), and others are still They live in the Amazon jungle (Guarani) and have no connection with civilization. Therefore, everyone’s way of life is different, but the traditions of raising children and relationships with adults are surprisingly preserved.

The Indians of North America are mostly Catholics and Protestants, the Indians of Latin America are mostly Catholics. For most Indians in South and Central America, pre-Hispanic beliefs were inextricably fused with Christianity. Many Indians maintain traditional cults. Nowadays, as a rule, these are theatrical performances accompanied by dancing in masks, including during Catholic and Protestant holidays.

Each tribe has its own dialects, many speak two languages, their own and English, but some tribes do not even have their own written language, so the most respected adults and beloved children in the tribe are the elders. They teach wisdom, preserve and tell stories and legends, know the intricacies of any craft - weaving carpets, making dishes, fishing and hunting. They monitor the observance of all rituals, and in wild tribes even the daily routine.

Life traditions

The Indians have preserved the tradition of sitting down, forming a circle, and sharing with everyone what is in their hearts. Some tribes gather in a circle on certain days, while others daily share everything that happened during the day, ask for advice, tell stories and sing.

Since childhood, a song is like air for an Indian; they can talk to nature through songs, express their emotions and convey the history of an entire people. There are ritual songs, holiday songs, and everyone in the Cofan tribe has their own song.

The same “FigVam” that Sharik drew on the stove from the cartoon “Prostokvashino” and that we build when playing Indians is not actually a wigwam, but a portable tipi dwelling used by steppe nomads.

A wigwam is a hut on a frame, covered with straw. Visually, this dwelling looks like a large haystack and is traditional for the Indians of North America. The tribes of the Amazon live in such wigwams or houses on stilts, covered with straw or leaves. Indian peoples on US reservations, for example, the Navajo tribes, who are closer to civilization, live in houses similar to our ordinary Russian log cabins or mud huts.

Let me point out that wigwams are usually built by women and children. In wild tribes, almost all work in the village is considered feminine - cooking, sewing, raising children, all agricultural work, searching for firewood. The man's task is to hunt, to learn military skills every day in order to confidently use a spear, a bow and a pipe with poisonous arrows. Because the necklace of jaguar fangs is a document, the only document of the Indians living in the jungle, certifying his fearlessness. Only boys become shamans; the shaman teaches many in the village and passes on his knowledge, but after his death, one of his young patients becomes a shaman, and not a student, because it is believed that along with the healing energy, all the knowledge of the shaman is transferred to the patient.

The main food is what is obtained by hunting, and in families that engage in farming, the main dishes are potatoes, porridge, rice, chicken, turkey and, naturally, all types of legumes, favorite dishes are pumpkin and corn. Sweet maple syrups and dried wild berries occupy a special place in the Indian diet.

"All children are our children"

Attitudes towards strangers vary among tribes, but “whites” are definitely unwelcome guests for all Indians. As for inter-tribal and clan relations, for example, for the Kofans, the concept of their own and other people’s children does not exist at all. Kofan parents take the name of their firstborn and use it until their wedding. Then they take the name of the next children who are not yet married. Studying family relationships in this case becomes a rather difficult task.

Natural Indian Parenting

Even those Indian women who live in major cities, adhere to the natural course of childbirth. More often they give birth at home, sometimes in the presence of an obstetrician or in a hospital, observing the basic principles of natural childbirth - without caesarean section, stimulants and anesthesia. Tribes where the standard of living does not allow giving birth with the help of an obstetrician, much less in a hospital, childbirth takes place in the sand or in water, often a woman gives birth alone. Indians feel great affection for children and take great care of them. According to people who have studied Indian morals and customs for a long time, “the best character traits of Indians are revealed in the attitude of parents towards children.”

From birth, children are present during any parental activity; the baby is carried in a scarf, a manta (a special sling for carrying not only children, but also food, any things), or in a portable crib made of wood or reed made by the father.

According to the researchers, some tribes did not allow children to drink colostrum and gave breastfeeding only when a steady flow of milk appeared. Children always have access to milk; at any time of the day or night they are not denied feeding and drink their mother’s milk until the milk runs out. Even if an Indian woman has given birth to several children over the course of several years, the older ones are not weaned.

Indian women rarely punish their children, but they introduce them to work early, believing that there is no better way to learn about life. WITH early age Children are taught that being noisy and loud is very bad, that they must respect their elders. Therefore, Indian children are not capricious, not loud and not whiny, very independent and friendly.

Nothing is forbidden to children, and adults are so confident in them that nothing happens to children. The relationship between parents and children is so close that they are truly one. The kids themselves know what they need, and Indian parents allow them to get it and taste life, to live in unity with nature and its laws.

Now Indian “natural parenthood” is a whole science that gained popularity in America and Europe in the 70s. Jean Ledloff, who made an expedition to Indian tribes, was so amazed by what she saw that she devoted her entire life to studying Indian “methods” of raising children, wrote the book “How to Raise a Happy Child” and became the founder of the so-called “natural parenting”.

Before Ledloff, Dr. Benjamin Spock reigned in the world of pedagogy, everyone read his works and “raised children according to Spock” ​​- they fed by the hour, talked about the lack of connection between the child’s health and the type of feeding, did not spoil him, followed a daily routine, prohibited and restricted the child from many things , believing that a child should have authorities. The new theory of Jean Ledloff has turned upside down the idea that one needs to be strict and restrained with a child, wean him early, not indulge his whims, and set his own, adult rules. Ledloff watched the Indians and saw that everything was the opposite for them, and there were no happier children.

Indian supporters of “natural parenthood” adhere to the following basic rules:

Natural childbirth;

During the so-called “manual period” until the child learns to crawl, he can be in his mother’s arms as much as he wants. For this, slings or other devices that make carrying easier are used;

Frequent breastfeeding, at the request of the child, and for at least two years;

The presence of the child in all the affairs of the mother, and later the father, is important so that the child gets used to and observes the activities, socializes faster;

The Indians believe that there is no need to take too much care of the baby. Overly caring mothers teach us to treat the world with fear, as if there are many dangers in it and only them;

Most Indian languages ​​do not have words for time. Until old age, Indians know only the concept of “now.” As, indeed, are all the children of the world. Therefore, you need to treat their requests with understanding, without postponing until tomorrow or some “later”;

Don't criticize or compare children. Moreover, in front of everyone, in private, you can then tell him that some action is wrong and what it can lead to;

It is important to always come to the child’s aid, to be nearby so that he feels protection and love. This will give him confidence for life;

Indians treat all children's desires and actions with respect, which is taken as the basis for the “natural parenting” method.

Both boys and girls up to the age of five participate in family life helping their mothers; after five years, sometimes a little later, fathers begin to teach boys. From this moment on, the separation of the upbringing of boys and girls begins. Girls are taught to respect men, take care of them, and even be afraid of them. In many tribes, initiation rites are performed (girls at 13, boys at 15) when a child becomes an adult. Now these are ordinary holidays with ritual dances and songs.

Favorite games of Indians

Ball game- this is both football and a game similar to volleyball, where the ball is hit with the palms, elbows, and hips;

Flying kites- the Indians even have a holiday of kites, it takes place simultaneously with All Saints Day (Halloween), this is a joyful holiday (!) in memory of dead children. Indians have a very positive attitude towards death; children even play with it, acting out scenes of death. Kites on this holiday have their own characteristics - they are round, reach up to 6.5 meters in diameter and soar in the air for up to two hours.

Chunky- previously a game with a disc and a spear. A stone disk was launched into the sky and the players had to hit it with a spear. Now it's a game of rings and a pole: you need to catch as many rings thrown up on the pole as possible.

Puluk - board game with chips for points.

Today in America it is fashionable to be an Indian. Indian schools are opening, many communities are opening to preserve the culture and traditions of this “sad people,” radio, newspapers, television in several dialects. Those who go to live in big cities have an inextricable connection with the reservations, return there and try to change the difficult situation. The first task is the opportunity to educate Indian children. All “white” teachers working in Indian schools note their intelligence and special disposition to the exact sciences.

Indian wisdom

When the last tree is cut down, when the last river is poisoned, when the last bird is caught, only then will you understand that money cannot be eaten.

In the first year of marriage, the newlyweds looked at each other and wondered if they could be happy. If not, they said goodbye and looked for new spouses. If they were forced to live together in disagreement, we would be as stupid as the white man.

You can't wake up a person who's pretending to be asleep.

The Great Spirit is imperfect. He has a light side and a dark side. Sometimes the dark side gives us more knowledge than the light side.

Look at me. I'm poor and naked. But I am the leader of my people. We don't need riches. We just want to teach our children to be right. We want peace and love.

Even your silence can be part of prayer.

Knowledge is hidden in every thing. Once upon a time the world was a library.

We don't want churches because they will teach us to argue about God.

Why do you take by force what you cannot take by love?

What is a man without animals? If all animals are exterminated, man will die from great loneliness of spirit. Everything that happens to animals also happens to humans.

One “take” is better than two “I will give.”

Don't walk behind me - I may not lead you. Don't go ahead of me - I may not follow you. Walk side by side and we will be one.

Truth is what people believe.

Even a small mouse has the right to be angry.

Strive for wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is the past. Wisdom is the future.

It doesn't take many words to tell the truth.

Love the earth. It was not inherited by you from your parents, it was borrowed by you from your children.

Everything in the World has its own song

Reflections of Indian Elders

“Peace... comes to the souls of people when they realize their interconnection, their unity with the Universe and all its forces, and when they realize that Wakan-Tanka lives in the center of the universe, and that this center is actually located everywhere, inside everyone from U.S".
(Black Deer [Hehaka Sapa], Oglala Sioux)

“Many people hardly ever feel the real earth under their feet, see plants growing except in flower pots, or find themselves far enough from street lights to catch the charm of a star-studded night sky. When people live far from the places created by the Great Spirit, it is easy for them to forget His laws.”
(Tatanga Mani (Walking Buffalo), stoney)

“Training is for everyone, not just Indians... White people have never wanted to learn before. They considered us savages. Now their understanding has changed and they want to learn. We are all children of God. The tradition is open to anyone who wants to learn.”
(Don Jose Matusuwa, Huichol)

“As elders, we in turn must show respect to our young people in order to receive respect from them.”
(Grace Ezek, Nisga'a)

“We create evil among us. We create it; and then we try to call him the devil, Satan, evil. But it is created by man. There is no devil. Man creates the devil."

“We have a biological father and mother, but our real Father is Tunkashila (Creator) and our real Mother is the Earth.”
(Wallace Black Deer, Lakota)

“The spiritual power that I serve is much more beautiful and much greater. We call it wisdom, knowledge, power and gift, or love. These are the four parts of spiritual power. And I serve them. When you serve this power, it makes your mind and spirit beautiful. You are becoming beautiful. Everything that Tunkashila (the Creator) creates is beautiful.”
(Wallace Black Deer, Lakota)

“Silence is the absolute stability or balance of body, mind and spirit.”
(Charles Eastman (Ohayesa), Santee Sioux)

“If you believe in something and you believe in it long enough, it happens.”
(Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

“We are responsible for the condition of the Earth. We are the ones who are responsible for it and who can change it. If we wake up, it will be possible to change the energy. It is possible to change everything."
(Unbatz Men, Maya)

“People need to be responsible for their thoughts in order to learn to control them. It may not be easy, but it is possible."
(Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

“Race and language don’t matter. Barriers disappear when people unite on a higher spiritual level.”
(Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

“In the end, nature will teach.”
(Tom Porter, Mohawk)

"Indian" questions and answers

1) Who are the Indians?

There are millions of people with Indian ancestry, but that does not make them Indians in the eyes of tribes or the federal government. Federal government

considers an Indian to be someone who belongs to a federally recognized tribe. Individual tribes have the exclusive right to determine their own membership. The tribal government sets certain criteria for registration. Some of which require a thorough study of the origin, and some of which simply require the provision of evidence.

As defined by the U.S. Department of the Interior, a Native American is generally defined as a person who has a certain percentage of Indian blood in his veins and who is recognized as an Indian by one of the tribes and/or the U.S. government. There is no single federal or tribal criterion for designation as an Indian. Government agencies use various criteria to determine a person's eligibility for programs and services. Different tribes also have different eligibility criteria. It is important to understand the difference between the ethnological and political-legal aspects of the meaning of the term “Indian”. The protections and services provided by the U.S. government to tribal members are not based on an individual's status as an American Indian in the ethnological sense, but on being a member of a tribe that is recognized by the U.S. and with which the U.S. maintains a special relationship of trust. These special fiduciary relationships come with certain enforceable obligations and duties.

2) What is the origin of the Indians?

Most anthropologists believe that Indians crossed from Asia to North America through the Bering Strait approximately 35,000 years ago. However, most tribes have their own history of origin based on the fact that the indigenous inhabitants of the continent have always lived in America.

3) Why are the indigenous people of America called Indians?

The indigenous population of the United States was first named Indians by Christopher Columbus, who mistakenly believed, when he set foot on the shores of the continent, that he had reached India. Nowadays, many Native Americans prefer to call themselves American Indians to avoid stereotypes associated with Indians.

4) Which is correct: Native American or American Indian?

Either term is acceptable, although there are preferences. The term "Native American" was first used in the 1960s. to define Indians and Alaska Natives. Over time, the term became widespread to include all indigenous peoples of the United States and its territories, including Aborigines, Chamorros (indigenous people of the Mariana Islands), and American Samoans (the 7 eastern islands of the Samoan archipelago) (Native Americans and American Indians are used interchangeably in this document).

5) What is the population of Indians and Alaska Natives?

According to the US Census, in 1997 there were 2.3 million people. This is approximately 1 percent of the total population. Before the arrival of Europeans in North America, there were, according to some rough estimates, more than 10 million indigenous people. By the time the colonists began keeping records, the populations had been greatly reduced due to war, famine, European disease, and forced labor. Approximate number of people who are American Indian and Alaska Native alone or American Indian and Alaska Native in combination with one or more other races: 4.4 million (as of July 1, 2003).

6) Do Indians have families?

Almost two-thirds of the total indigenous population are married, and 27% of families are headed by single women. The birth rate among Indians is much higher than in families living in America, and this is despite the fact that the average annual income of an Indian family is significantly lower than the average annual income of other Americans. Number of American Indian and Alaska Native households: 484,000.

7) Is the indigenous population declining?

The indigenous population is getting younger and growing steadily. Since July 1990, Indians and Alaska Natives have grown by 12 percent, while the white population has grown by only 3 percent.

8) What are the reasons for this growth?

Health care has been greatly improved and life expectancy has increased. In addition, many want to identify themselves as Indian or Alaska Native.

9) Why does the government define Alaska Natives as Alaska Natives rather than Indians?

The native inhabitants of Alaska are the Eskimos (Inupait and Yupik), Alaska Indians (Athabascan, Haida, Tlingit and Timshian) and Aleut. They have their own culture and prefer to call themselves Alaska Natives.

10) Are Native Hawaiians considered Indians?

No, the native Hawaiians, known as Kanaka Maoli, trace their ancestry and language to Polynesians, including Tahitians, Samoans and Maoris. Since 2000, the federal government has not recognized Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders as a distinct group. Native Hawaiians often align themselves with Native Americans in matters of self-government and self-determination.

11) What is a tribe?

Initially, tribes are a society of people connected by blood ties, family kinship and a common language, having their own religion and political system. When members of different tribes were forced to live together on reservations, some new tribal groups formed.

12) How many tribes are there in total?

According to Bureau of Indian Affairs data in 1998, there were 554 federally recognized tribes in the United States (562 in 2003) comprising 226 Alaska Native villages. Federal recognition of a tribe gives it government status and provides it with certain federal subsidies.

13) Do the Indian tribes belong to the same group?

Indian tribes are as different as, for example, the Irish and Italians. Tribes have their own culture, language and traditions. Some of them were once sworn enemies.

14) Which tribe is the most numerous?

In 1990, the Cherokee Nation numbered 308,132, the largest of the American tribes. The majority of the Cherokee live in Oklahoma and the North Carolina reservation (more than 5,000 people). The largest tribal group of Alaska Natives: the Eskimos, number 37,000 people.

15) Are the concepts of Indian people and Indian tribe identical?

Yes, federally recognized tribes are self-governing, and the federal government deals with political entities, not members of a particular race. The political status of the tribes is spelled out in the Constitution: “The Congress shall have power... to regulate commerce with foreign nations... and with the Indian tribes.”

16) How is a tribe recognized federally?

They are approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the US Department of the Interior. Many peoples were recognized as tribes federally through treaties in the 18th and 19th centuries, although several groups petition for recognition as such today.

17) What was the last tribe to be federally recognized?

In 1996, the Huron Potawatomi of Michigan were granted federal status as a Native American Nation. In 1998, 14 more tribes filed applications with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

18) What powers do tribes have as nations?

Possessing national status, they have all the powers of government, except those which are contrary to the fundamental provisions of Congress or overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States. Tribes have the right to form their own government, determine its composition, collect taxes, administer justice, and have the right to commercial activity. The Tribal Nation governs Indian land, its resources, and matters relating to the conduct of tribal members on Indian land.

19) How is tribal government formed?

Most tribal governments have a developed democratic system for electing government members, which was formed long before the arrival of European colonialists. Although similar in structure to the American government, tribal governments are much smaller and have much less power.

20) What is a tribal council?

The tribal council is typically the governing body of the tribe. The head of the council is the elected chairman, president, chief or governor, and is the recognized leader. The council carries out the legislative aspects of tribal government.

21) Are reservation governments and tribal governments the same thing?

No. Tribal governments existed long before reservations were established. However, the governing body on the reservation is the tribal council. In cases where different tribes are on the same reservation, the governments operate separately, such as the Shoshoni and Arapaho in Wyoming.

22) What is a reservation?

Indian reservations are areas of land held by the federal government as permanent tribal lands. The United States developed Indian reservation policies in 1787. Some reservations were created by treaties, while others were created by laws or government regulations. Today there are 314 reservations.

23) Why are they called reservations?

The term "reservation" has its origins in the federal government's acts of land set aside for federal purposes. There are two types of such lands in the United States: military and Indian.

24) Do all Indians live on reservations?

No. More than 60 percent live off reservations, according to census data. However, many people visit the reservations to visit relatives and participate in ceremonies.

25) How much land was allocated to the Indians?

About 56 million acres are on reservations and in trust. The Navajo Reservation is the largest, with 16 million acres spanning parts of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. Most reservations own less than 1,000 acres.

26)What does “held in trust” mean?

Almost all trust lands are on reservations and belong to the United States. Their status is for the use and benefit of the Indian tribes. Tribes have the right to acquire this land, petition the federal government for trust management of it, and protect it from encroachment or seizure. Actions taken with respect to trust property, including sales, are subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior.

27) Who owns the reservations?

The United States holds title to tribal lands, serving as trustee with the Department of the Interior. The tribe or landowner holds the land in trust. Non-Indians also own significant portions of reservation lands, although tribes may exercise jurisdiction over them.

28) What is the federal government's fiduciary duty to Indians?

The federal government's fiduciary duty to the Indians is a legal obligation under which the United States has "assumed the highest moral responsibility and trust" to Indian tribes (Seminole v. United States, 1942). It was first mentioned by Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court John Marshall in the case Cherokee v. Georgia (1831). Over time, the fiduciary relationship doctrine has become cornerstone many other cases considered by the Supreme Court. This is one of the most important principles set forth in the federal Indian Acts. The federal government's trust responsibility to Indians is the U.S. government's enforceable obligation to protect tribal lands, assets, resources, and treaty rights, and the duty to carry out the mandates of federal law with respect to American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. In a number of cases dealing with fiduciary liability, the Supreme Court has used language that implies that it entails legal duties, moral obligations, and compliance with the understandings and expectations created in the course of contacts between the U.S. government and tribes.

29) Did the government try to take away tribal lands?

From the 1880s until the 1930s, Congress traded tribal lands, causing reservations to lose two-thirds of their lands. In 1950, the Eisenhower administration implemented a policy of closing reservations in an effort to assimilate Indians into white society.

30) Do tribal lands have mineral reserves?

The reservations contain 5 percent of the country's oil and gas reserves, 50 percent of its uranium, and 30 percent of its low-sulfur coal. Other mineral deposits include phosphates, crystalline quartz, gravel, sand, potassium and sodium. Even if tribes do not have mineral reserves, they can lease land with them.

31) What is Indian Territory?

"Indian Territory" is a legal term used in Title 18 of the United States Code. It broadly defines federal and tribal jurisdiction over crimes affecting Indians on reservations. But the term is also widely used, denoting reservations and areas with an Indian population.

32) What are the living conditions like in Indian Territory?

Despite improvements in health, education and the economy over the years, Native American communities still lag behind the rest of the country in all sectors. Their income level is significantly lower and their mortality rate is significantly higher than in the country as a whole. People on reservations die from accidents, alcoholism, diabetes, pneumonia, suicide, homicide, and tuberculosis.

33) What is tribal sovereignty?

Just like states, tribes have sovereignty in the management of territories and internal affairs. This tribal status is confirmed by a number of treaties, case law and the Constitution. Scientists believe that tribes are independent from the very beginning, i.e. their emergence predates the formation of the United States.

34) How does sovereignty work?

The doctrine of tribal sovereignty was affirmed by three Supreme Court rulings in the 1800s. They recognize the right to self-government and management of the internal affairs of the so-called “internal dependent nations,” which prevents government intervention but allows Congress to override Indian powers.

35) Is sovereignty largely symbolic today?

Nothing is more important to the Indian government and people than sovereignty, tribal leaders say. This is a fundamental principle of the US Constitution. Lately, tribes have been pushing to regain control of their economies and resources, asserting their rights as sovereign while often clashing with neighboring states.

36) What is sovereign immunity?

This is the ability of the government to determine the conditions under which a claim can be brought. Tribes use sovereign immunity in claims affecting their territories. Congress tried to limit sovereign immunity, however, these attempts did not bring the desired results.

37) Does US jurisdiction extend to Indian Territories?

The United States has neither civil nor criminal jurisdiction over Indian Territory. Since 1988, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, passed by Congress, requires tribes and states to enter into treaties or agreements before opening a gaming establishment on Indian Territory.

38) Should Indians obey the same laws as non-Indians?

Off reservations, Indians are subject to local, state, and federal laws. On reservations, they are subject only to federal and tribal laws. Under a federal law known as the Assimilative Crimes Act, any criminal offense is a federal crime.

39) Are Indians American citizens?

Indians have dual citizenship as tribal members and as American citizens. Congress gave American citizenship to Indians in 1924.

40) Do Indians pay state or federal taxes?

They pay the same taxes as everyone else, but there are exceptions: Native Americans living on reservations do not pay state income taxes. Indians living on trust lands do not pay local or state property taxes. No state sales taxes are collected if transactions occur on the reservation. Indians do not pay income tax on income received from trust lands for the right to grazing and drilling oil wells.

41) What is the relationship between tribal and state governments?

Because the Constitution gives the federal government authority over Indian relations, states generally do not have authority over tribal governments. Tribal governments retain the right to adopt and enforce laws and regulations that are more stringent or more lenient than those of neighboring state(s). However, although tribes have the right and authority to regulate activities on their lands independent of neighboring state governments, in practice they often cooperate and interact with states through treaties and other agreements. The relationship between tribes and states is also an intergovernmental relationship.

42) What are contracts?

From 1777 to 1871, treaties were concluded between the United States and Indian nations. These treaties or agreements between tribal governments and the United States formed the property rights and obligations of the parties. There are 371 treaties that give Indian tribes rights, mostly related to their land.

43) What is in these contracts or agreements?

The treaties promised Indians protection, property, services, self-government rights, and tribal territories in exchange for cooperation and land.

44) Why did the tribes agree to treaties?

Faced with land grabs, losses from war, disease, and a flood of settlers, Indians were forced to enter into treaties and viewed them as serious moral obligations.

45) Were the agreements fulfilled?

Inconsistent federal policies and court decisions have resulted in Indigenous peoples losing some of their civil rights and lands. An early example of this was the Trail of Tears, the march of 14,000 Cherokees from Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee to Oklahoma, although the treaty of 1791 had already designated their permanent lands. About 4,000 Cherokees—mostly children, elders, and children—perished from starvation, cold, and disease along the way.

46) What is fiduciary liability?

This is one of the most important principles in federal Indian law. Legally, it establishes fiduciary obligations on the part of the United States to protect tribal lands, assets, resources, and treaty rights. Supreme Court rulings indicate that fiduciary responsibility entails both legal and moral obligations.

47) Do treaties guarantee special rights to Indians today?

In the Pacific Northwest, tribes have the rights to hunt, fish and subsist as their ancestors did. On all reservations, tribes are entitled to free education and health care from the federal government.

48) Are treaties violated?

Such attempts were repeated several times. More recently, Congress has attempted to limit tribal self-government and expand government powers over tribes.

49)What is the American Indian Movement (AMI)?

AIM formed in 1968 as an Indian rights movement. AIM leaders staged sit-ins and other protests, and in 1972, AIM members from various states marched across the country on the Trail of Broken Treaties. Now DAI continues to be active.

50) What does the Bureau of Indian Affairs do?

The Bureau is the federal agency for tribal affairs. Its mission is to provide services and/or funds for services to the tribes. In the 1800s, the Bureau's primary purpose was to help tribes achieve self-determination. The Bureau of Indian Affairs of the Department of the Interior is responsible for managing 55.7 million acres (22,540,990.27 hectares) of lands held in trust by the United States Government for the benefit of American Indians, Indian Tribes and Alaska Natives.

51) Who can apply for BDI services?

Only persons belonging to federally recognized tribes.

52) What services does BDI provide?

The development of forest lands, the leasing of assets on these lands, the management of agricultural programs, the protection of water and land rights, the development and maintenance of infrastructure, and the promotion of economic development are all the responsibilities of the BDI. In addition, BDI provides educational services to 48,000 Indian schoolchildren. Across the 56 million acres of land held in trust by the U.S. Government, BIA manages more than 100,000 leases with individual Indians owning more than 10 million acres and with tribes owning nearly 45 million acres. In fiscal year 2003, the trust generated rental, permitting, sales and interest revenues of $195 million for 240,000 individual Indian accounts and $375 million for 1,400 tribal accounts. The Office of the American Indian Trust Representative (OSAR) manages $2.9 billion in tribal trust fund investments and $400 million in individual accounts. USDO staff meets with tribal representatives to determine investment goals, limitations, and preferences to achieve maximum returns.

53) Do other federal agencies work with tribes?

Almost all federal agencies work with Indian tribes. The Department of Health and Human Services, for example, works with the Indian Health Service, which provides health care on or near reservations. The Department of Justice works with the Office of Tribal Justice, which coordinates law enforcement in Indian Territory.

54) Can Indians hold elected office?

Indians have the same rights as all other US citizens. Charles Curtis, Crow, was Vice President under Herbert Hoover, Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Republican from Colorado, Northern Cheyenne. Campbell also served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat.

55) Do Indians serve in the US Army?

In the 20th century, five of the soldiers awarded the U.S. military's highest honor, the Medal of Honor, were Native American. Every fourth Indian is a military veteran. The heroism shown by Indians in World War I prompted the government to pass the Citizenship Act in 1924. During World War II, the Navajo Marines used their language as a code that their enemies could not decipher, no matter how hard they tried. Number of American Indians and Alaska Natives who are veterans of the U.S. military: 159,000.

56) Who regulates Indian casinos?

The National Indian Gaming Association, authorized by Congress, oversees bingo, casino and some other forms of gambling on tribal lands. It sets licensing rules, reviews annual audits and approves regulations that tribes develop to run gaming operations. The US Departments of the Treasury, Justice and Interior have their own influence on the gambling business. Indian tribes have their own gaming commissions, tribal police and judicial systems.

57) What is the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act?

A law passed in 1988 allowed tribes to open gambling establishments on reservations if the state on which the reservations were located had already legalized gambling. The law requires states to enter into agreements with tribal governments that plan to open casinos, including establishing slot machines and blackjack. Treaties are approved by the Secretary General of Internal Affairs.

58) Does the gambling business bring in a lot of income?

In 1997, casinos generated a total of $6.4 billion in revenue. But not all tribes became rich. More than half of this income came from six tribes whose territories are located near large cities. (In 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of California, agreed with 10 Indian tribes to build new casinos on reservation territories. The Indians gave their consent and now 25% of the profits from these casinos go to the treasury of the state of California).

59) What place does the Indian gambling business occupy in the gambling industry?

The Indian gaming business is growing rapidly, but it accounts for only 8% of total US gambling profits. (Many casinos located in Indian Territories are a magnet for the criminal underworld and are controlled by the gambling mafia.)

60) Do all tribes have their own gambling business?

About a third of the 554 tribes are involved in gambling, and many of that third are limited to just bingo.

(The Masfi Wampanoang Indian tribe is doing everything possible and impossible to get the opportunity to build a casino in northeastern Massachusetts. Currently, the Indians do not have land for construction. The tribe managed to agree on the issue with local authorities, but the federal government denied the Indians the right to build an establishment.

In a desperate attempt to implement their project in Massachusetts, which recently legalized gambling resorts on its territory, the tribe turned to a 250-year-old treaty with England's King George III, which granted the Indians liberties and the right to their land.

To build a casino, Indians must obtain land leases from federal authorities and then obtain approval from local authorities if they want a Native American casino in their region.

The complaint the Indians filed against the feds said the U.S. "has continually neglected its responsibility to protect the Masfi Wampanoang, leaving the tribe poor and landless."

61) Do tribes pay tax on their income?

No. As sovereign governments, they do not pay taxes on their income to the state or federal government, but casino workers wages pay income taxes like all Americans. States have the authority to levy fees on tribes for the costs of gambling regulation and administration. Some states, such as Michigan, Connecticut and Washington, have formal agreements with tribes to collect additional fees.

62) How many tribes have been helped by the gambling business to get rich?

The gambling business has helped such tribes as the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and the Chippewa, but the Indians are still one of the the poorest strata population.

(Casinos built on Indian reservations bring a lot of income to some tribes, but do not bring significant profits to others. A popular casino like Mystic Lake feeds the entire Mdewakanton tribe, and the Seminole Indians became the owners of the popular Hard Rock cafe chain. American politicians' attitude towards Indian casinos is far from ambiguous, some have a negative attitude towards them, motivating their attitude by religion and the narrow specialization of young Indians, others propose to deprive Indians of all benefits in order to replenish the US treasury, and still others are in favor of maintaining the same situation. It is impossible to give an exact answer to how the gambling business will develop in the future on the territories of Indian reservations; only time will tell).

63) Did some Indians get rich?

The Indian Reservation Gaming Act requires tribal governments to spend revenue on social, economic and charitable causes. Only after this, with the permission of the Minister of Internal Affairs, the balances can be distributed among specific persons. Forty-seven tribes practice this.

64) Why are casinos popular among tribes?

Gambling is generally accepted tradition, which appeared in celebrations and rituals long before the Europeans. For many reservations, gambling is one of the few sources of employment and income. (The majority of Indians are not addicted to gambling. More than 90% of casino income comes from white visitors).

(From the history of the appearance of casinos in Indian territories: “The Oneida people live in the state of New York. In the mid-70s of the 20th century, they lived very poorly. In order to somehow improve the financial situation of the tribe, one of its members opened a salon with bingo in the trailer. The Indian decided to raise the gambling rates above the level specified by law. The authorities became interested in this salon and wanted to close it. But the Indian graduated from Harvard and knew his rights very well. He said that these laws do not apply on the reservation territory. While the disputes were going on, a new Indian casino was opened in the state of Florida. It was owned by the Seminole tribe. Actively playing in this casino, mainly whites, the income of the tribe increased significantly.

The state district attorney has decided to close the Seminole gambling house. In response, the tribe sued the prosecutor, and the famous trial began, which the Indians won. Thanks to this lawsuit, all Indians living in the United States received the right to open casinos on their reservations. Moreover, the authorities passed a law according to which income from gambling on reservations was not subject to taxes.

So the gambling tycoons of Nevada and New Jersey have new competitors. Owners of luxury casinos began to lobby their interests in Congress, and already in 1988 an act was passed to regulate Indian gambling. According to this act, permission to open a new casino was issued to Indians by the state authorities. In some regions, Indians were prohibited from opening casinos, but after numerous trials, a compromise solution was found. It was agreed that the Indians should share their income with the state. Since then, Indians have been able to open casinos, but they must give significant profits from the business to the state treasury).

65) Do all Indians support casinos?

No. Some argue that the gambling business is undermining the foundations of culture and those tribes that already have their own casinos are moving away from the traditional way of life.

66) What are tribal schools?

Beginning in the early 1800s, the Bureau of Indian Affairs assumed responsibility for educating reservation children in Indian schools. Since 1978, the federal government has turned over the management of schools to the tribes, but retained control and funding. Today there are 187 tribal schools with 50,000 students.

67) How many Indian children attend off-reservation public schools?

Approximately 480,000 Native American children attend off-reservation public schools. In some states with large populations, Indian schoolchildren are given time to study the Indian language and native culture.

(In January 2013, in the small American town of Shawano in the northeastern state of Wisconsin, 13-year-old 7th grade student Miranda Washinawatok, Menominee, dared to say three phrases in her native Indian language during a lesson at her school and then translate them into English for classmates... These words are “I love you”, “Hello” and “Thank you”... After this, the girl faced real repression...

When her mother Tanais began to ask the offended and upset girl what had happened, it turned out that the teacher Julia Gurta roughly grabbed both of her hands and, hitting them hard on the table, loudly said that she should not speak the Menominee language, that is, the native language of her tribe, and that doing so is very bad... At the next lesson, another teacher told the girl that she had acted badly, and, in addition, she was deprived of the opportunity to play basketball: Miranda sat on the bench the entire game. The mother's attempt to find out why her child was suspended from the game ended in nothing: the coach said that he knew nothing about this decision... Richie Plass, Miranda's great-uncle, knows well what racism is. He said: “This is ignorance and a form of national intolerance, this is closer to fascism...” Teacher Julia Gurta, who punished Miranda, assistant director of education Dr. Joseph Bound, assistant women's basketball coach Billie Joe Decoin and head Dan, it seems, even wrote a letter of apology, but... As Miranda's mother says, in this letter they did not apologize at all, but tried... to justify their actions! Thus, Julia Gurta argued that students have a responsibility to respect other students, and behavior that creates a sense of elitism “can increase racial and cultural tensions.” And Miranda’s punishment, according to the lady, was in response to the girl’s disrespectful comments and behavior throughout the day...)

68) How many Indians graduated from high school?

According to the 1990 US Census, 66% of Indians who were 25 years old had completed high school. Percentage of American Indians and Alaska Natives age 25 or older among those with at least a college diploma or diploma high school: 75 %.

69) How do tribes use their sovereignty?

In New Mexico, for example, pueblos require residents of the city of Albuquerque to comply with clean water standards that are more stringent and demanding than state ones. In the Pacific Northwest, tribes collaborate with states and the federal government on issues related to fisheries and salmon protection.

70) What are tribal colleges and how do they function?

More than 30 colleges have sprung up since the 1960s. They are located directly on or near reservation territories and provide a 2-year education. Some of them were built with money raised from the gambling business. Teaching at these types of colleges responds to the needs and demands of the indigenous population and is aimed at those students who then continue their education off reserves. The first college, which was completely controlled by tribal authorities, was created on the Navajo tribe in 1968. The reason for the creation of such a Native American college was the large number of Navajo students who did not complete their education at off-reservation educational institutions. That's why tribal authorities decided to establish their own two-year college, Navajo Community College. Among the advantages of this type of educational institute was that “students experienced fewer financial and psychological problems, and also studied the culture and system life values Navajo tribe." Other tribes followed the Navajo example. By 1990, there were already 24 Indian colleges in the United States where students could obtain an associate's degree. Two colleges, Oglala Lakota College and Sinte Gleszka College, provide undergraduate education. A modern Indian college is typically housed in several buildings that have been donated to the Indian community or leased by the tribe. Sometimes other premises are adapted for educational institutions. For example, Little Big Horn College is based in a former sports center, one of the premises of Fort Berthold College is a former post office, and Sinte Gleska College converted a bookstore into a classroom. And only a few Indian colleges have spacious buildings at their disposal. On the Navajo Reservation, students study at a college located in the very center of the reservation: a six-story administration building built in the national style and surrounded by other university departments (dormitory, gymnasium and student center).

However, although in the second half of the twentieth century, Native Americans were able to establish their own educational institutions and locate them on reservations, the number of students that these colleges could accept was limited, primarily due to the fact that the colleges themselves were small. A distinctive feature of tribal colleges is that, along with the general education program, they teach traditionally Indian subjects, which, in the opinion of the reservation population and teachers, will prepare students, on the one hand, for reservation life, and on the other, for communication with non-reservation people. external environment. Thus, three main characteristics of Indian colleges can be identified. Firstly, learning programs Such colleges are always built around traditional Indian culture. Students study tribal language, art and philosophy not as additional subjects, but as core subjects. Secondly, the main emphasis is on teaching those disciplines that are most in demand in the life of a particular reservation. As a result, most graduates do not have much difficulty finding work in a particular Indian community. Third, colleges often host research projects that meet community needs and are sponsored by tribal authorities. This results in Indian educational institutions combining the functions of a college and a research center.

An example is the already mentioned Navajo Community College. Its charter document states that the main task of the college is to improve the educational level of students based on Indian traditions. Among the most important disciplines are the study of tribal philosophy, language, history, culture, professional training that allows graduates to successfully exist in a multicultural and technological society, conducting scientific research that contributes to social and economic development reservation community.

71) How many Indians have higher education?

In 1960, only about 3.5 thousand Indians studied at universities and colleges in the United States; in 1970, more than 14.4 thousand Indians were enrolled in colleges. However, the share of Indian youth enrolled in higher education is still low: in 1970, only 12% of Indians aged 18 to 24 were enrolled in college in the country, compared with 15% of African Americans and 27% of white Americans. Between 1970 and 1980, the number of Indian students in different types US higher education institutions increased by only 12 thousand people. At present, there are a relatively large number of Indians who have even achieved academic degrees. By the mid-1980s, for example, at South Dakota State University, 200 Indians received master's degrees and 23 received doctorates. It is characteristic that they all specialized in the field of school pedagogy and methodology (problems of primary, secondary and higher education, features of adult education, specifics of work in the staff of school administration, etc.).

The need for Indians to diversify their activities was clearly expressed at a forum of Indian scientists that took place in the early 1970s by a Northern Cheyenne Indian, D. Wu-Denlegs. Condemning the fact that on many reservations, almost all positions, from nurses, doctors, teachers and school counselors to managers, BIA staff, etc., etc., were filled by non-Indians, he said: “ If a non-Indian can be taught how to manage and control Indian affairs, why should not an Indian manage himself and other Indians?” . Despite the fact that Native Americans enjoy significant benefits when entering higher education institutions, the level of education among Indians is extremely low. 28 percent of Americans have a college degree; for Indians, the figure is only 16 percent.% Number of American Indians and Alaska Natives age 25 or older who hold an advanced degree (Master's, Ph.D., M.D., or J.D.): 50,500.

72) Do the Indians speak their native language?

The vast majority of Indians speak English as their primary language, although some speak their mother tongue. When Europeans first arrived on the American continent, there were 350 Indian languages.

73) What languages ​​do the Indians speak?

The exact number has not been calculated, but approximately 200 languages ​​are known to be spoken. Indian languages ​​are classified geographically, not linguistically, since they do not belong to the same language family. Number of people aged 5 years and older who speak an indigenous language in North America: 381,000. The most widely spoken of all the indigenous languages ​​of North America is the Navajo language, with 178,014 speakers.

74) Indian languages ​​continue to die out and how are they preserved?

Yes. Mostly, only the elders speak their native languages. Communities are taking care of introducing the native Indian language into school curricula, publishing books and methodological manuals, some languages ​​are taught in universities. Recently, researchers are increasingly talking about the revival of interest among Indian youth in the culture and languages ​​of their ancestors.

75) Did the Indians have writing?

Before European colonization, Indian writing existed in the form of pictography.

76) Do Indians have a religion?

There is no single religion. Each nation has its own religion, its own traditional practices. Many Native Americans believe in a Great Spirit who manifests himself through nature and influences all life. Everyday life is filled with numerous spirits. In the 19th century, Native Americans lost many of their religious practices and were forced to convert to Christianity by colonists, sending their children to missionary schools and banning many practices.

77) How many Christians are there among Indians?

In the 1990s, more than two-thirds of Native Americans reported being Christian. Others combined Christian beliefs with their native religion. There are also Muslims among the Indians.

78) Are Indians now free to practice their religions?

Until the 1930s, the United States banned Native American religious practices, including the Spirit Dance, the Sun Dance, and the peyote cult. In 1978, Congress passed the Indian Religious Freedom Act. Its first section stated that it would henceforth be the policy of the United States to protect the traditional religions of the "American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut, and Native Hawaiian people" in several areas, "including unrestricted access to places of worship, storage and use of sacred objects and freedom to pray through traditional ceremonies." Section two obliges the government to monitor its policies and practices, in consultation with Indian traditionalists, and to report annually to Congress how the act is being carried out.

79) Where do Indians pray?

Followers of Indian spirituality do not consider their practice a religion at all and they do not need any buildings to conduct their prayers, because prayers take various forms, including songs and dances, offerings of tobacco and cornmeal.

80)What is a pow-wow?

The word "powwow" comes from the Narragansett language. It is a celebration of honoring sacred Native American traditions through dancing, drumming, singing and gatherings. Powwows can be held in honor of individuals or for special occasions. More often than not, a powwow is a social event.

81) Can non-Indians attend powwows?

There are ceremonial powwows that are closed to others, but at public powwows non-Indians are welcome.

82) Where do the Indians get eagle feathers?

Eagles are federally protected, but feathers are available for Native American religious practices from eagles that die naturally or by accident.

Translation and additions: Alexander Caksi*Two Wolves*. Text editing: Kristina Makhova.

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The indigenous people of America are the Indians. They have a unique and tragic fate. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that this people managed to survive the period of settlement of the mainland by Europeans. The tragedy is associated with the conflict between the Indians and the white race. Where do Indians live today? How is their life going? Let's take a closer look.

Excursion into history

In order to plunge into the life of the Indians, you must first understand who they are. For the first time in Europe they heard about them only at the turn of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries; even from school history courses, many remember the famous voyage of Christopher Columbus, when in search of India he reached the shores of America.

The sailors immediately dubbed the local population Redskins, and based on the name of the area, Indians. Although it was a completely different continent, different from the one they wanted to find. So the name stuck and became common to a huge number of peoples inhabiting two continents. Then, when asked where the Indians live, any educated European would answer that in India.

For the inhabitants of Europe, of course, the found continent was a valuable find, a road to the New World. However, for many Indian tribes living on these lands for about forty thousand years, such acquaintance was not at all necessary. The arriving Europeans did not want to consolidate relations or bring anything new into the life of the indigenous population - they only treacherously took the lands, thereby pushing the legitimate inhabitants far into the interior of the state, occupying and developing territories suitable for European life.

Over time, the Indian tribes were completely pushed beyond the edge of their original habitat, and their territories were settled by Europeans who arrived from overseas in search of India.

Nineteenth century in Indian history

By the middle of the 19th century, the New Lands were so colonized by Europeans that there were practically no free lands left for the Redskins to live in. Where did the Indians live during this period of time? It was then that the concept of land reservation appeared. Reserved lands were areas poorly suited for agriculture. Europeans did not need such lands, so they were given to local tribes.

Between two different cultures and mentalities, conflicts always arose, which sometimes escalated into outright clashes with victims and wounded. According to an oral agreement between the Europeans and the Indian tribes, it was decided that the Indians had every right to live on the reservation and could receive food and everything they needed from the whites. But such charity occurred extremely rarely.

The treaty also included dividing up the land so that each Indian would be given 180 acres. It is worth remembering that this land was very bad for agriculture. The nineteenth century was a turning point in the fate of the Indians - they lost their rights and almost half of their continent.

New history: changed attitude towards Indians

In the first half of the twentieth century, legislation in the United States of America made North American Indians citizens of the state. Several decades later, such an action on the part of the authorities became a huge step towards reconciliation between warring peoples. The attitude towards this people was radically revised.

The places where the American Redskins lived, like themselves, began to interest Americans not based on profit motives, but because it was part of the cultural heritage of their own country. A spirit of pride in the resilient indigenous people has emerged in the United States. Most citizens began to develop ideas of encouraging the Indians for their tolerance; the Americans were eager to correct the unfair treatment that their ancestors had bestowed on the indigenous population of America.

Where do Indians live today?

Currently, the red-skinned population of America lives in two main geographical areas of the continent - North and Latin America. It should be noted here that Latin America does not represent only South America - it also includes Mexico and a number of islands.

It is worth analyzing the geographical features of Indian settlement separately.

North American Indians

Where do the Indians of North America live today? Let us recall that this territorial area represents two large states, namely the USA and Canada.

Indian habitats:

• subtropics in the presented territory;
• coastal areas of the northwestern part of the mainland;
• California is a famous Indian state;
• southeastern United States;
• territory of the Great Plains.

The main activities of the Indians are hunting, fishing, gathering and harvesting valuable fur. More than 60% of modern Indians live in large states and rural areas throughout the United States. The rest, as a rule, live in state reservation areas.

California - famous Indian area

Western cinema and popular fiction very often paint a picture of Indians living here in California. This does not mean that country music and films are deceiving: statistics provide the same facts.

American censuses over the past decades confirm that the majority of modern Indians live in California. It is worth noting that representatives of this race in this metropolis have long mixed with the rest of the population. Over the years, most of them have lost knowledge of their native language. For example, more than 68% of Indians today do not speak any language other than English. Only 20% speak the dialect of their own people perfectly, as well as the state dialect.

It should be noted that California Redskins have certain benefits, for example, for education and admission to higher educational institutions. But most Indians do not take advantage of the benefits provided. Today, about 65% of children from Indian families receive secondary education, and only 10% receive a bachelor's degree.

Places of Indian settlement in Latin America

There are Indian settlements in South America:

1. The terrain of almost all of Latin America is inhabited by the descendants of the Mayans, Aztecs and those who lived in the geographical area of ​​Central America before the European invasion.
2. A separate unity is represented by the Indians of the Amazon basin, whose main difference lies in their unique behavior, preservation of traditions and indigenous laws.
3. Communities such as the Indians of Patagonia and Pampa also live in this territory.
4. Indigenous people of Tierra del Fuego.

Peruvian Indians

Peru is one of the Latin American countries that is located on the northwestern Pacific coast of South America. Why is this area significant for the Indians? It was on the territory of the state that the capital of one of the most influential countries of the indigenous Indians was located - the Inca Empire. The Indians of South America still consider the country their homeland.

That is why enchanting celebrations are held annually in Peru in honor of the Day of the Peruvian Indians. This day represents a date to remember and preserve the cultural traditions of bygone days. Indian Memorial Day is one of the most colorful and significant holidays for city residents. Guests and the local population can expect a large fair, a demonstration of national cuisine, an interesting festival and live music in every corner of Peru.

Nowadays, it is quite difficult to identify certain geographical areas where Indians live. The majority of the people live together on their displaced lands, preserving cultural traditions, religion and values ​​in life. Others firmly assimilated with the European population, began to fully adhere to American traditions and legislation, and lived in megacities. Most of the latter have forgotten their native language and the history of the great people.