Native American Reservations, Explained.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 เม.ย. 2024
- You can watch the new season of Native America now - head to www.pbs.org/native-america.
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How did Native Americans end up on Reservations? We explore the complicated relationship between the Indian Nations and the United States of America. This episode unpacks the legacy of Treaties and their effect on modern legislation. We answer the most important question: why do Native Americans continue to live and grow their families there?
Watch Tai Leclaire breakdown all you need to know about the Reservation system and why “Rez Life” is critical to the Native American experience.
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Lakota here. Once I was talking with some nonindian friends and the topic of reparations came up. "When do I get mine ?", I asked. Confused looks all around. They were talking about black reparations and had no idea of all the broken treaty promises. One even thought that I got money just for being Indian. This turned into a long and hopefully, educational conversation.
Is there any move to offer reparations to different tribes for various injustices?
Reparations is not a competition. Every time ADOS ( not just anyone Black) requests restitution another races comes in and asks " what about us?" as if this is Highlander and there can be only one. This country owes restitution to both. We should be banding together to ask for what is owe not creating a competition about it.
@@stilettodivah 💯
@@stilettodivah"what about us" conversations are usually happening because those groups get forgotten about when it comes to representation and inclusion. It's an appropriate thing to say in conversations like that. Indians are very frequently forgotten about by the public when talking about civil rights and historical atrocities. It's not divisive to insist on being included in the conversation. What IS divisive is to tell those groups that the current conversation isn't about them or be dismissive by saying " it's not a competition".
Would have been nice if the natives did more to aid and free enslaved Africans. They could have gotten rid of the Europeans together.
As a Black American, I can say that your history, and the history of Native Americans in general, were waaaaaay under represented in my education. I'd say about 85-90% of what you covered in this video were news to me, and that's a lot, since I'm such a history geek. I really appreciate the way this series helps to spread awareness in what is basically a big black hole in American history books. More, please!
Aboriginal American
In GA, they taught us that all the natives Died on the trail of tears then moved on. I quite literally would never have known about any other native tribes outside of that one incident if I hadn't researched myself. 90s education at its finest.
We learned so little about native Americans in our public education systems that I lived in Seattle for 6 years. Many of them not even realizing the whole entire city was named after an Indian chief 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️. Hell, almost every city surrounding Seattle is a native American tribe name. Issaquah, Sammamish, Snohomish etc etc. in my mind I don't even think about native Americans being all the way that far out, but duh they literally were on the whole continent. And yes I realized how ignorant that sounds but that's how little they had ever been mentioned in our history classes. And if we're being honest, I bet a lot of people here didn't know that about Seattle's name as well.
We got a lot of work to do.
I’m white I had to teach myself about US history that wasn’t centered about my skin color it was really offensive.
That's by design. This is an illegitimate white supremacist settler colonial slave state after all.
Im a Cherokee tribal member living here in the Nation and even though our people went through hell I think we are on the right path now. Our chief is standing up to our governor and our culture has been revived. Wado for the video.
That's really cool and I'm glad to hear it. I'm hoping in the future the tribes can all leverage more authority over their own people. Makes no sense why things are still the way they are.
As the descendant of a Sàmi man (the Sàmi are an indigenous nation within the modern countries of Norway, Sweden, Finland and portions of Russia) living in the United States, I gotta say that NOBODY in Indigenous Nations has gotten a fair shake, especially Indigenous Americans. Love to my Indigenous brothers and sisters, we are still here guys! ❤
Fuck yeah we're still here
This is crazy as I was watching this video I was thinking about the Sàmi people and similarities between their treatment and American Natives. The Sàmi are so interesting!
Wow what's your history? Never heard of yall❤
@@candyluna2929 The Sàmi are also called Lapplanders, we are the people from the movie Frozen who raise and work the reindeer. Our ancestors followed the caribou similarly to the way the Indigenous North American Nations followed the bison. We also domesticated caribou, which turned them into reindeer; they provided transport, milk and meat, hides, extra warmth, and could pack our summer lodges (very similar to tipis) while we moved to graze and forage.
We spoke different languages than the other peoples of Scandinavia, they tended to make agriculture and livestock the base of their lives, but the soils began to be depleted by centuries of use. Farmers began converting our traditional lands into agricultural plots and livestock pastures and soon there was conflict over the pollution and use of waterways that were sacred to us for thousands of years. Our religious practices were not like the agricultural people (they were predominantly Lutherans or other Christian denominations), we still have Yoiks who lead and advise us. A Yoik is sort of a cross between a spiritual advisor and a mayor of a family clan. We still celebrate and seek advice from the ancestors through our Yoiks, we also incorporate worship of the natural world that provides for us. We might, for instance, offer grain and a cup of vodka to the spirit of our favorite fishing spot to say “thank you” for the meal we catch there.
As land competition increased between us and the agriculture industry we had less and less land to graze and forage on. Farmers wanted our land because it hadn’t been worked to death. The government eventually set up programs to discourage and penalize us for living like our ancestors. We couldn’t speak our language, wear our traditional clothing, continue to produce our indigenous artwork (we use tin coated thread to decorate our clothing and home goods), and we were forced to convert to Christianity and speak the mainstream languages. Our kids went to government schools where we forgot our language, we forgot our ancestors and how to stay in contact with them. The government eventually gave us a choice between moving onto a reservation system or taking one way tickets to the United States where we were told we could get free land from the US government. It wasn’t really free, it was stolen from other Indigenous Nations by the Homestead Act. My great x 2 grandfather lost all of his reindeer and wound up homesteading in Montana, around a lake that is sacred to the Salish and Kootenai Nations. I grew up among them and still love them!
Things are not great for the Sàmi but now they have government representation in Norway and are slowly becoming better organized to rebuild the herds and take back or seek compensation for the land that was stolen. I am hopeful, but it is difficult. Plants without roots don’t grow well and the problem ALL indigenous people face is that the people in power have tried to kill our roots by changing our faith, location, diet, clothing, education, medicine….everything!
@BennyFranks-pj3mg AHo!
My wife and I read about The Great Law of Peace at a museum in Denmark that had an American history section. We were shocked that it was our first time hearing about this. This was mot covered at all here in the United States.
Yes it was
You just weren't paying attention
Or your family didn't have encyclopedias
There is also the Spanish, a shipwreck that ended up in southern tour to Santa Fe from Florida. And from what I hear in Alaska, the Russians poked around up there in the 18th century. You have to realize, that although they might have seemed powerful, these nations had limits and it took allocating the resources from the natives to push further into their territory
US history tends to gloss over the genocides and the atrocities as a footnote, while emphasizing the march of progress.
@Big_Glizzy. Your comment reminds me of how the African slave trade got going. In the early years, Europeans depended on alliances and agreements with local African rulers for access to slaves. Europeans could not venture far into the African interior, because tropical diseases like malaria would kill them. As a result they stayed confined to the coast. At least until the British figured out quinine (tonic water) was an anti-malaria. Also, how we got gin and tonics.
PBS turning into my new source of American Indian information n history.
Miigwetch ❤️
Thanks for providing education about Indian history. As a white person in Wisconsin, I learned almost nothing in school about treaties, tribes, or basically anything related to past or current native peoples.
And that omission was intentional, not accidental.
By design. Good on you for learning on your own.
Litigation around Chippewa hunting/fishing treaty rights in Wisconsin have actually been very significant in broader recognition of treaties
Why would you? That's trivial information.
Its time all white nations accepted our true history and stopped the obfuscation and bullshit. Countries like china are right to point out our hypocrisy.
Generational indigenous orphan, here. Thank you for this. 🙏🏻
I live in Japan. There are two native populations here: the Okinawans and the Ainu. I'm a foreigner living in Japan. I'm sad to say I know more about the Ainu than the Japanese do. I'm a teacher here and, when I mention the Ainu to my students, I get crickets and blank stares, which just shocks me. There is some more knowledge about the Okinawans, but that's because Okinawa is almost seen as different from the rest of the Japanese islands (I'm on Honshu, in the Kansai region... Okinawa is considered an exotic travel location, even though it's technically the same country).
i think it’s also because there’s a us military base in okinawan territory which played a huge role in the pacific wars
ABC here, i similarly often wonder how much mainland Chinese know about the 55 minority ethnicities there & how much Taiwanese know about the Formosan peoples
@@spicydogmemes Currently going to school where a large number of my peers are from China. I often hear them talk about "local languages" and how they aren't really supposed to speak them still, but they do anyway. That while they learn Mandarin in school, they'll speak their local language at home. I hear this and it reminds me of how the US used to treat native Americans and immigrants from non-English speaking countries. When you mentioned the 55 minority ethnicities, it reminded me of these conversations I've had, and it makes me wonder if some of my classmates are actually part of these minority groups. They've just been taught they aren't, and they have to conform to the national standard. Not unlike native Americans and immigrants in the US once had to. I could be wrong, though.
Such a bitter pill to swallow! I am non-native and this makes me sad. I want to watch because I want to know. At this moment, I only have empathy to offer. I am glad that you are making these videos. Thank you.
Same here.
I’m non native and I don’t feel sad at all. They lost, why have any mercy for them?
@DanBlabbers It sounds like you are saying you ascribe to the philosophy that might makes right, and by definition we should not protect anyone who cannot fend for themselves. What do you feel about protecting your elderly relatives, disabled people, children, animals, forests, and your own drinking water and the air you breathe? Is it safe to say any of these things can be destroyed or poisoned and you will say, "Oh well, I lost. Who cares? I will breathe some other air and live somewhere else. Even if I don't have the resources, they won. Oh, well." What would happen if your home was taken, through some means, say arson, or your family murdered during a home invasion, would you then still feel the same, or would you call the police and expect justice? An alternate view is that just because something can be done and gotten away with, does not make it right to do.
@@britaeirikr8609couldn’t have said it better if I tried
@@DanBlabbers you simply misunderstand history. The land wasn’t taken when they lost. They became part of the United States when they lost. The land was taken later, often as a race issue.
It's astonishing that European descendants were able to make the richest country on Earth by stealing this land and yet still refuse to make a modest amount of compensation to the small population of surviving aboriginal Americans.
And yet, if you ask a typical Euro-American (or those who call themselves “mutts”), they wonder why the Indigenous peoples can’t just build up their societies and be successful like everyone else 🙄
Many of my coworkers believe that yes, we should be sovereign, but that means we should also take care of ourselves without help from the Feds. But how do people help themselves when they’ve been denied access to resources that were supposed to be theirs in the first place?
amazing still how much they’ve squandered it. red states are full of poverty and destitution
LOL, u are a FOOL to think the natives didnt set upon their fellow man, lusting for their game and resources before the white man EVER stepped foot on the Americas. they had been conquered by the Europeans for no more of a noble cause than they conquered each other
Every last inch of the Western Hemisphere was taken by violence from the people who were here first. Do you honestly think that the powerful and wealthy people who benefited from this evil would allow the truth to be taught in schools?
@@kertagin1Native Americans are not all indigenous. Lots of them were people who just wanted land. Native American is not a race. It’s a political designation. That’s why Indian is used legally.
I appreciate the inclusion of the map with the label unceded territory for land that was directly stolen because often the Eastern coastal tribes get overlooked in these discussions because of how long ago all ours was taken.
Exactly! When most folks learn about native history, ita 1800s and later which is like apples to oranges
"As long as the water flows and the grass grows"
Nestle, Inc: "Don't worry, we can put a stop to that."
Can you explain the context? What did Nestle do exactly? I am only aware that they deliberately withheld clean water and murdered infants (indirectly).
@@Luci_S I was referring specifically to their business model of buying up fresh water rights and then withholding even rainwater from poor people who don't pay extraordinarily high rates for it. They aren't the only ones: For example, read up on the Cochabamba Water War.
T.Y. my fellow Native American Brother. My family tree & DNA is Creek. I appreciate your teaching of accurate history of our people. My family is from Upper Creek Tribe. In fact, in 1826, my Great (×3) Uncle, was in DC to help create the Washington Treaty, with Pres. Adams. Needless to say, this treaty was broken by US, as have ALL other treaties the US Gov has signed with any Tribes since 1700s.
DNA is an invention of colonizers. The original Indians don’t care about DNA or blood. Purity is a white concept.
Hesci!!
The US govt is, and has always been, by crooks and for crooks. It’s a bit ironic that there is so much racism and anti-immigrant sentiment coming from descendants of white colonizers who, let’s be honest, completely stole the land. If I think about it too long, it really upsets me😢
The Cold Open made question what we’re taught about the US (we never learned about Native Americans in detail) and I’m here for it.
Right!? There are a lot of people that still seem to think all of the influence and idea for democracy came from Romans. Just baffling.
My Mom knew a lot about Native Americans. My husband didn't even realize he was Iroquois until my Mom saw it. Course she's 94 years old and was Validictorian when she graduated. I was raised learning about them and black people. Minorities treated like Slaves and Natives killed from Small Pox in blankets.
Folks like you make me feel seen. I grew up in the Salish/Kootenai Confederation in Montana. ❤
@@brooklynnchick I'm glad. My husband embraced his heritage. Had his Native collection on his wall. Including a dream catcher my GMA left me. Now my son has it all and it's on his wall.
Indians
So many innocents have suffered genocides, broken treaties, etc... but we both indigenous, and not must work together to make things right, and ensure these beautiful cultures and people can life and thrive. ❤😢
As a channel that focuses on a lot of Indigenous content, we really appreciate that your videos are helping to educate more people on TH-cam! Thank you!
I am Puerto Rican with some Taino heritage. This is such an important discussion. Thank you for teaching us about your culture.
Wow thats like finding someone from mexico and they claiming to be olmec.they dont exist.🤦🏽
@@elyaqui5324 not a very nice thing to say. My family traces its roots in the island for quite some time. My great, great grandmother talked about here grandfather with Taino features. Also, DNA testing showed some native blood. I am not saying that I heritage by blood but heritage as in family history.
I wish I knew more but that knowledge was mostly lost with my grandmother. The comment was meant to say that keeping the history and culture is very important.
Im glad PBS picked up this story. Always interested in learning more about native cultures.
Hi I'm a citizen of The Great Muscogee Creek Nation. I appreciate your video and your efforts toward educating people on our history. Thank you. Being publicly educated in the state of Oklahoma it is very embarrassing to say I was not taught the truth in school. I didn't know a lot of the truth until I worked for my tribe and to say I was shocked with disbelief is an understatement. I would love to see you provide more history on the allotments of the five civilized tribes the Cherokee, the Choctaw, the Chickasaw, the Seminole, and the Muskogee Creek. And yes we are still legally called the five civilized tribes. During the Indian removal act or what other people call the Trail of Tears, I wish more people knew the truth about the allotment lies.
Below I've listed a movie that is very informative and accurate and it is the truth. I would be interested in the public watching this movie it's very enlightening, disheartening, and factual.
The Dawes Commission,
Written, produced and directed by Bob Hicks, "The Dawes Commission" films Executive Producer was the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and it was produced by Sandra Denney.
I'm from Sand Mountain in NE Alabama.
Muscogee here, who really appreciates this series
This 10 minute video was more educational than all of my highschool and college state history classes. 😞
It's like this here in Canada in many respects.
Canada and America are a mirror image of each other when it comes to the treatment of Natives.
in what ways is it different?
Hi 👋! your comment is always worth reading.. I pray God will give you a lot of beautiful days and you know God loves us so much!.... So where are you originally from? I'm Keith and I'm originally from Denmark
@@KeithAlexanderWallace Thanks for the kind words Keith! Denmark eh? Cool! I'm from Mississauga Ontario, but now live in Montreal Quebec Canada. Take care my friend! 🖖😎🤣🇨🇦🕊️
I am furious this was not a part of my US public school education. This is ESSENTIAL to understanding the history of this land and how we got here!
Libraries exist for a reason.
Similar in Ireland, throughout the colonisation of Ireland particularly during the plantations laws were passed to restrict where Irish people could live and farm. The most notable proclamation was Cromwell’s which tried to move the native Catholic population to the shitty bog and karst landscapes of the west. To hell or to Connacht was the option given to the native population.
I'm still waiting for my white Irish Catholic slave reparations! 🇮🇪 🤣
Brits were pretty harsh to Ireland and Scotland for many centuries. My ancestors from Ireland and Scotland were brought over as slaves to work the coal mines.
@@ozarkrefugee they actually civilised both the lands 😊 , always try to be grateful
@Krankenwagen571 it's kind of gross to call the atrocities done to millions of people "civilizing the land"
@@qryptid especially seeing it was Irish monks who preserved many ancient Roman texts during the post Roman dark ages. The Aeneid would have been lost if it wasn’t for Irish monks. Ireland was called the Land of Saints and Scholars for a reason.
There were even Haudenosaunee representatives that were on the second floor to assist the self proclaimed "civilized good christians" in the writing of their "constitution."
Modoc/klamath here. Thank you for providing this information and inform the general public about tribal land.
Continue those close ties with the Yurok, Karuk, Hupa, Wiyot,..... you guys inspire the rest of Indian Country.
Thank you, 'm an Italian living in London and I know so little about all this
For those who doubt this history, read Franklin's first draft of the Articles of Confederation. He specifically cites the Hautenashonee as "kindred spirits" to always be respected.
Many native Hawaiians have opposed having tribal status. I don’t blame them. Hawaii was illegally annexed when the queen was forced to abdicate. Having tribal status would simply reinforce the illegal occupation of Hawaii.
Niagara frontier public school kid (Grand Island, NY). We were absolutely taught about the Iroquois. Now, as an adult, I am just now learning about the intricacies of the Tuscarora nation in Niagara Falls struggling for a voice amongst the huge influence of the Seneca nation. It took forty years for me to realize that not all Native Americans have had the same experiences.
I'm pretty sure the Mikmaq didn't hunt buffalo. And I'm pretty sure the Lakota didn't beachcomb for clams and oysters. Indigenous people are as different as the white people who settled in North America.
Thank you my native brother for telling our history.
Take a DNA
Absolutely love this. Too long was Native American history hidden away. Thank you for shedding some light. I'm looking forward to this series!
THANK GOD THE DAYS ARE FINALLY HERE WHERE THEY ARE CREATING CONTENT THAT I HAD QUESTIONED ABOUT LONG BEFORE ANY OF THIS SHIT WAS GOING ON BACK WHEN I WAS A KID!
Reservations and the situation in Gaza have a lot of connections. Can origins do an episode on that topic next please?
+++++
Hmm I don’t think we are ready for that truth
Great idea!
I don't think you know what connections means. Similarities, perhaps.
@@JoyFay because it isn't true
Im Nicaraguan with Nahua ancestry, I stand by all my indigenous brothers and sisters 🙏
Voting has to be accessible for everyone. Shouldn’t there be mail-in ballots?
tell that to Republicans who keep trying to undermine mail voting
Mail-in ballots have been used as a solution for inaccessability to in-person voting, but unfortunaly they pose other issues. In the case of tribal members who don’t speak english there’s no translators available to help like there would be at the polls, so people may make mistakes that cause their vote to not be counted, or they give up on voting altogether. The postal system itself might also make things complicated, they may operate in very specific hours and have much sooner deadlines for people to send ballots in than elsewhere. BTW for anyone interested, American Apartheid by Stephanie Woodard is an excellent book that covers many Native rights issues including voting rights
me: [hears about book]
also me: "WHERE?!
WHERE IS IT?! I WANT IT!"
@faust5423
(I'm ok, this is just normal for me when it comes to learning)
(and I do know where to get the book)
Ty looking forward to the rest of the series
It's interesting to compare and contrast how governments in the US and NZ have dealt with their respective native tribes. Both have treaties, but here ours is seen our NZ's foundational document. Sure, the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti has translation issues, but we also have active process that allows tribes to petition the government and get compensation or redress for past issues.
As a Caucasian white American, I grew up with the image of "cowboys are the good guys, Indians are the bad guys". But today when I look at our nation's history, I realize that's not true. And it changes how I can for example watch old movies like "Calamity Jane" with Doris Day. A charming musical from the 1950s, great song and dance, but one of the songs glorifies how the "black hills of Dakota" are the "home" of the white town folk, and that it's the "beautiful Indian country that they love". Knowing what I know today about Sitting Bull, I can't watch that movie with the same level of innocent enjoyment.
Are you aware that the Lakota actually took the black hills from the Cheyenne?
"Caucasians" are from the Caucasus and there are nations not recognized by the UN, but on the genocide list for eradication. Look at the Chechens, Armenians, Abkhazians, Circassians, Ossetians, these are the Caucasian tribes from the Caspian to the Black Seas.
"The Caucasus , is a transcontinental region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically been considered as a natural barrier between Eastern Europe and West Asia." - Wikipedia.
All Caucasians are white so that's a little redundant, I'd keep it simple and say as a european american. But yeah old stuff is hella racist.
@@antmanatthemoment7233 no I didn't know. Humans are complex, forming alliances and fighting wars or taking each other's possession, no matter what race. But I still see the aftermath of White settlement as a very dominant part of US history, so I wish we would be more aware of all sides of history
@@GeorgeWashingtonLaserMusket yes, I know where the Caucasus is, I just thought "Caucasian white" was the correct term. :) But either case, I'm glad to learn about our relationship with history. My hypothesis is, every human is "racist" in the sense that we trust what we were raised with and often don't trust what we don't know. But we have a choice of how we approach our fears, and how we take on responsibility. I didn't personally take native American land, and shouldn't live in permanent shame about it. But at the same time, I can choose to let down some of my inherited unconscious bias.
Your list of wars was hard to read with white letters on a white background. Interesting topic and I look forward to seeing more in the series.
This deserves so much more attention. How can the a nation this rich fail its native peoples for this long
I was always curious about the history of reservations
This is such important information. More people need to know about tribal nations!
Please PBS, more of these videos!!!! It's so nice to see actual representation on your channel. ❤❤❤❤❤
I see Tai, I click. I love this series.
The sophistication, passion, optimism, and effort of young Tribal folks gives me great hope for a better future in this continent. We have seen a tremendous transformation in oral health (dentistry) because of the indigenous dental therapist movement. We have seen a peppering of representation in government. The more you share like this, the more open the path ahead becomes. All my prayers, all my love, all my power.
A Century of Dishonor by Helen Jackson. Fantastic book and explains every aspect and treaty broken by the American government.
Like doesn't feel right, but this is truth that needs to be shared and addressed.
Thank you for teaching me.
I totally appreciate you doing this video. You did a good job in helping me put the dots together. Thank You!
I'm always having internal conflict due to my paternal grandmother being full blooded Seminole and my mother's side being European countries. So I bothe feel anger for how my paternal grandmother's, and truly my ancestors too, were treated. But then I feel overwhelming guilt for what my other ancestors of European decent did. I feel confused all the time. But I still show pride for my native blood although it may be diluted. And I try to teach all I come into contact with about our history and teach my daughter to feel pride in all cultures that came together in her.
Thank you, PBS! This information is so important. Every US citizen needs to know.
This is beauty of social media. Education from the source. I thank you.
They treated y'all so dirty . I am so sorry
On the Trail of Tears, Cherokee also brought their black slaves with them. Historians estimate 1,500 black slaves were marched to Oklahoma as property of Native American Tribes. I mention this not to diminish the plight of Native Americans. But to remind people how nuanced and complicated history is.
Native Americans are colonizers. That’s why they accepted the governments offer and agreed to be indoctrinated in their schools. There were independent communities of free people who never made deals for land. They agreed to blood quorum which is a colonizer purity concept meant to exclude. It’s o impossible to keep DNA isolated in a small community. The original inhabitants were genetically diverse. So it’s clear Native Americans see another group of colonizers. They don’t even live in accordance’s the values they teach
Lose the fight and play the victim card 😊
They have a record of each black family still and received more some real indians
@@Krankenwagen571 Are you always so racist?
@@charcat1571 we ain't livin a fairy tale
Thank you for this series
Always knew of the deep connection and inspiration from the native tribes. GREAT to see you bring it to light! Rich history.
Please keep this content coming. ❤
Love this explanation I learn something new 😊
Insightful, eye opening, educational. Thank you for sharing.
"It's ceremony. It's commumity. It's beauty & love, and sometimes it's trauma & pain"
As an African American, I related a lot to this. I was having a discussion recently about what defines Black American culture & what I came up with touched on a lot of the same points. I think that because of Native & African Americans' history of disenfranchisement & oppression, we share common things that have helped to preserve our communities through hardship. Love, togetherness & community. Shared trauma & memories of what our ancestors endured. A pride in the histories & the cultures we've managed to keep alive despite efforts to snuff them out.
I feel a strong sense of fraternity with Indigenous Americans, as well as groups like the Irish, Pacific Islanders, South Asians, etc, and I think it comes down to the fact that even though we all have very different backgrounds, we know what its like to live in a world that was shaped by the oppression of our peoples & what its like to rise up in the face of that & keep living. Thats another thing that unites Blacks, Natives & others I mentioned; not only surviving in the face of adversity, but still having joy & spirit. Theres no feeling like hearing men banging on the circle drum & singing their hearts out, or everyone at the cookout dancing & enjoying life. That spirit of love, togetherness & expression defines us
I’m native Oneida and agree wholeheartedly! I get that other minority groups have experienced some hardships but none compare to that of native/ African Americans. The fact that I gotta press one for English is very telling.
As a great man once said.
“You gotta take the power back!”
I love PBS
Thank you for this information.
Very interesting. Look forward to the next episode.
2:30 Imagine the European settlers had learned to respect Americans 100 years earlier in 1860, instead of 1960. Then this land would still belong to the Americans.
Nothing changed in 1960
This land still belongs to Americans. Wars and conquest happen, and have been happening, for thousands of years, and the Indians aren't innocent victims in all of it.
The American Continent has been under new management for centuries. It's probably time to move on.
Or, just sit there complaining in those hell holes called "Reservations" and hope the US gubmint will finally do the right thing out of the goodness of it's heart. Good luck with that.
Th natives of America should have a constant place in the government. Is it their lands they should have the final say what should happen in their lands. Free all natives of the world from colonial powers
Fantastic information - especially the scroll on string part about all the wars.
When I lived in NM, I became quickly engrossed in Native American culture. From exposure working in hospitals from both patients and co-workers, to having to literally embrace its culture for the benefit of my ex-wife, who was going to school at the time and part of their curriculum was an exposition into Native life.
What I heard and saw from the people there was a spectacular paradox. They had such pride in their culture and heritage, yet many lived off government money, rarely working or gaining higher education. They would be so open and willing to share their borders with travelers, but many homes were ramshackled and unkempt. As I grow older, I understand more the value the people there had was in life and experience over wealth, but it's still so shocking how unwell the lands are, the people are, and their treatment is today.
I would truly like to see the US own up to its obligations to the Indians. What if tribes could re-establish their ancestral lands and on those lands a portion of taxes paid in those areas would go to the tribes instead of the IRS. This could pay for the promises in the treaties and also, in a way, give the People back their land. At least they could benefit from its tax resources.
Make America Turtle Island Again!!!!!
That's not a Democracy, that's a Republic. Which is what America is as well. It's a critical distinction.
Thank you for educating!!! This was very interesting
❤❤❤
so you're saying that the USA does actually have a comprehensive welfare state, it's just limited to Indian territory and illegally underfunded? I'm from Aotearoa and the Treaty of Waitangi is similar in many respects to some of the treaties you have signed with the US govt. Right down to endless litigration trying to get the treaty(ies) upheld... Kia Kaha, my friend.
It’s like that across much of the new world/lands settled by European powers. Hell natives in the Amazon still often come into conflict with ranchers and companies wanting to take their lands.
Thank you so much!!! This was very educational and important!
I’m elated to see this covered!😊 proud Oneida from NY✊🏼
How can I, as a benefactor of my ancestor's actions/inaction, do more to empower Native people?
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To live and past your culture n traditions to your loved ones , kids n grandkids. So they know where they come from who they are, how we got here. Tell the stories of our parents, our people, our ancestors. Never let die and vanish into thin Air. That is how we empower our Nation as a people , children of The First Nations upon this land we call The America's from the north to the south from shining sea to sea we are children of The First Nations.
Research and learn the law and take the government to court to enforce the treaties that have not been honored.
Kek@@quincybirwood2629
Hispanics (we come from the natives Americans anyways), native Americans and blacks NEED TO UNITE. ❤❤❤❤
Hispanic is a white washing term, where if you teach a native Spanish, it erases their identity. Also, there are plenty of white Hispanics who love to pretend they're not white when it's convenient but magicly become white when it benefits them.
You're a Mestizo.
You're mostly Native American and European with some African.
@heraldomedrano1417 that's not what my dna said but ok. Doesn't matter. All descendents of people who suffered the consequences of 1492, unite.
Hispanic means speak Spanish.
Mexico etc ARE America, so people with geographical origins there are Native Americans. DNA doesn’t include legal definitions of nationality.
Im grateful this History is being shared to the world
Wow thank you for this and starting this channel, we need so much more education like this fundamentally, so allies can help advocate for Native American issues and rights etc❣️
We had a councilor at our school that was native american. We asked a huge favor: would he ask some kids to come to our school and explain what life is like on the reservation. He told us "if ANYONE else had asked" hed have said no, because "white folks just want use to dress up and dance" but he knew we were asking for exactly what we wanted.
I wonder if the folks that came have the same love for the res that the woman in your video speaks about. The kids were MISERABLE. Being in our school for a day made it worse because it showed them even MORE they were missing/lacking than they even knew. They hated the res and only had terrible things to say about it. Issues ranged from having nothing to do to not having running water in most areas.
I dont romanticize reservations because ive never met a person living on a reservation or that had lived on one that missed it and wanted to go back. Maybe if you know... EVERYTHING about reservations was different, but that was alarming to hear. Even just watching res dogs makes it seem like its impossible. Its "loved" like the worst area youve ever escaped is loved maybe? Idk
I am from the Dominican. They wanna make it seem as if thr tainos were extinct...bs. we descend of them and of the africans too. We are the true children of Jacob/Israel
Great topic. I would love to see more!
very important information, thank you for educating!!!
to be fair we are all suffering from a broken healthcare system. We need universal healthcare to cover all Americans which includes Natives as Americans. I'm a white guy and I don't have access to healthcare.
there's something so familiar about this, like the US is supporting it happening right now... just can't quite put my finger on it 🤔🍉
Awesome presentation
Thank you
Indigenous peoples should not have special treatment in the eyes of the Gov/State. They are US citizens and should be treated as such. America is a melting pot and some Indigenous peoples live in segregated communities yet complain about not being connected.
This was already done. Termination era of the 1950s. Disastrous. Reservations were liquidated by the government for far under market value and given to white owned corporations while the indigenous people were sent to the city slums.
I have to seriously press x to doubt on the whole "Founding fathers copied the Iroquois democracy" spiel. Sources please? Direct evidence other than "they kinda existed side-by-side at the same time, so proof by association"? Modern democracy was clearly based on the democracy models of ancient greece and the roman republic, which were models for political thinking since the Renaissance (the enlightenment period is literally called "classicism" for a reason). If it is all true, would love a video detailing on which parts were adopted specifically from the Haudenosaunee. If not, an apology for spreading misinformation would be nice. Native american or not, actual truth must be spread.
Well, you must have missed the influence Native Americans had on the Renaissance / Enlightenment. There is a great chapter about this in the scholarly book The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow (chapter 2 I think).
Very informative and eye-opening video
Thanks PBS for always showing the disparity in the history of the grounds we walk on.
PBS is Garbage
Why
Such a funny mindset: "We, natives, are the first NA democracy - and these Americans have stolen all of our ideas and never represented us in the history!" Just because you were first doesn't mean you get to claim everything was based of you. You were not a basis for the American democracy, it were Greeks with their ancient democracy, Romans with their Roman Law and the Republic, British with their Magna Carta and later even French Revolutionary ideas. Native Americans had only a part in this, not a driving force. All of this plus quirky face expressions show that you are trying to push a certain narrative and not educate about the matter.
You are talking out of your ass and pushing an agenda of your own. You are deliberately misunderstanding what this video is about, or you didn't pay attention to it and just posted a comment because the idea of this video alone triggered the shit out of you
Much love and respect for all native tribes in the Americas. We, my ancestors probably, stole their land and abused their people. Nothing makes up for it.
Marxist here im highly inspired by the spirit of the native americans you have face so many hardships and you are still going strong
Thanks bro. Love and hope to you from a Liverpool man. There has been no worse crime against humanity.
Thanks ❤