The Abenaki (means “people of the dawn” or “easterners”) are a Native American tribe. They are one of the Algonquian-speaking peoples of northeastern North America. The Abenakis are original natives of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. After European colonists arrived, many Abenakis fled to Canada or moved in with neighboring tribes. Today, Abenaki Indians live [...]
Akimel O'odham means "River People", but are often simply referred to as Pima. The Akimel have lived on the banks of the Gila River and Salt River since long before European contact. Originally they lived in temporary matriarchal villages in order to tend crops, to weave baskets and to trade. Many members of the group [...]
Apache (pronounced uh-PAH-chee), means "enemy" in the language of their Zuni neighbors. The Apaches' own name for themselves was traditionally Nde or Ndee (which means "the people"), but today most Apache people use the word "Apache" themselves, even when they are speaking their own language. The Apache are natives of the Southwest deserts (particularly in [...]
Arapaho (pronounced "Uh-RAH-puh-hoe)" may be a corruption of the Pawnee word for 'traders.' The Arapahos call themselves Hinono-eino or Inuna-ina, which means "our people," but today they also use the word Arapaho (sometimes spelled Arapahoe.) The Arapahos were far-ranging people, especially once they acquired horses. By the time the Americans met them they were living [...]
The Caddo Indian’s homeland was originally a four corners area of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. The term Caddo derives from the French abbreviation of Kadohadacho, a word meaning "real chief" or "real Caddo" in the Kadohadacho dialect. Although the Caddo people existed at the same time frame as the Anasazi of New Mexico, the [...]
The word Cherokee (pronounced CHAIR-uh-kee), comes from a Muskogee word meaning 'speakers of another language.' Cherokee Indians originally called themselves Aniyunwiya, "the principal people," but today they accept the name Cherokee, which is spelled and pronounced Tsalagi in their own language. The Cherokees are original residents of the American southeast region, particularly Georgia, North and [...]
Cheyenne is pronounced "Shy-ANN." It comes from the Dakota Sioux name for the Cheyennes, Šahiyenan, which may mean "relatives of the Cree." In their own language, the Cheyenne call themselves Tsitsistas, "the people." The Cheyenne were Great Plains people, originally native to the area that is now Colorado and Wyoming. Like many tribes, the Cheyennes [...]
Chickasaw (pronounced "CHICK-a-saw) comes from their tribal name, Chikasha, which was the name of a legendary Chickasaw leader. The Chickasaws are original people of the American southeast, particularly Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri. Most Chickasaws were forced to move to Oklahoma in the 1800's, and their descendants live in Oklahoma today. Some Chickasaws escaped [...]
Choctaw is pronounced "CHOCK-taw." It comes from their tribal name, Chahta, which was the name of a legendary Choctaw leader. The Choctaw are original people of the American southeast, particularly Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Florida. Most Choctaw were forced to move to Oklahoma in the 1800's along the Trail of Tears. Their descendants live in [...]
Comanche is pronounced "kuh-MAN-chee. The Comanche Indians, a nomadic offshoot of the Eastern Shoshoni Indians, lived on the North-American Southern Great Plains during 1800-1900s. The name "Comanche", a household word found in many works of fiction, TV shows, videogames etc., is believed to come from the Spanish "interpretation" of their Ute name "Kohmahts", meaning: those [...]
The white settlers called them Creek Indians after Ocmulgee Creek in Georgia. They originally called themselves Isti or Istichata, but began to identify themselves as Muskogee soon after Europeans arrived. Muskogee is pronounced "muss-KOH-gee," with a hard 'g' as in 'go.' Sometimes it is spelled Muscogee or Mvskoke instead. It comes from Maskoke, which was [...]
The term "Five Civilized Tribes" came into use during the mid-nineteenth century to refer to the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole nations. Although these Indian tribes had various cultural, political, and economic connections before removal in the 1820s and 1830s, the phrase was most widely used in Indian Territory and Oklahoma. The term was [...]
The Hopi Reservation is located in northeastern Arizona and is completely surrounded by the Navajo Reservation. Within the Hopi Reservation are three Mesas which contain Hopi Villages: First Mesa: Walpi, Hano, and Sichomoivi Second Mesa: Shongopavi, Mishongnovi, and Shipaulovi Third Mesa: Hotevilla, Bacavi, Moencopi, Kykotsmovi, and Oraibi Considered the "oldest of the native people" the [...]
Kiowa is pronounced "kye-oh-wuh” which is an English corruption of the tribal name, Gaigwu. The Kiowa Indians are the original people of Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas who were forced to move to a reservation in Oklahoma during the 1800's, and most Kiowa people still live in Oklahoma today. Traditionally, Kiowa women were in [...]
The Makah Tribe is part of the Northwest Coast cultural group and continues to live near Cape Flattery at the Northwestern tip of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. They have called the spectacular Neah Bay, Washington area home since time immemorial. The name Makah was attributed to the Tribe by the neighboring tribes, meaning [...]
