It should be mentioned that many years before Europeans found America, a viking named Leif Erickson set his foot in America. Life Erickson was an explorer from Iceland. Around the year 1,000 AD he led an expedition to the North American continent. He reached part of the continent and called it Vinland. The exact location of Vinland is still debated, but it is believed to be somewhere in Canada. Unlike Christopher Columbus, Leif Erikson didn’t have a long presence in America.
Years later Christopher Columbus accidentally found America, but it was more of an invasion than discovery. In the years when Christopher Columbus lived Europeans wanted to find sea routes to the Far East including India. Columbus wanted to lead an expedition to find a shorter route to India in order to trade gold and spices. Finally, the royal family of Spain decided to patronize him. In August 1492 Christopher Columbus started his journey with three ships and after two months in the sea he reached the Bahamian Islands, but he imagined he was in India. When he first met the native people he called them Indians by mistake. After this discovery people as well thought that Columbus had reached India. It took them some time to realize that the discovered lands were not part of Asia, but a new continent. One of the most influential figures in this realization was Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian explorer. In 1503 he confirmed that he had reached a new continent and called it the new world. Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci both wrote letters describing the natives and the new lands. However, it is not certain whether Amerigo Vespucci really made the journey or not.
Christopher Columbus describe the Indians as good looking, intelligent, and well-built. He also called them timid, fearful, and without religion. He believed that they would make good servants. In parts of his letters we read: “But when they see that they are safe, and all fear is banished, they are very guileless and honest, and very liberal of all they have… They manifest the greatest affection towards all of us, exchanging valuable things for trifles, content with the very least thing or nothing at all. I gave them many beautiful and pleasing things which I have brought with me, for no return whatever, in order to win their affection and that they might become Christians and inclined to love our King and Queen and Princes and all the people of Spain; and that they might be eager to search for and gather and give to us what they abound in and we greatly need.”
Amerigo Vespucci described the Indians as naked, without religion, cannibalistic, and peaceful. He described Indian women as lustful. He also emphasized their respect for nature. In part of his letters we read: “They have no clothes either of wool, flax, or cotton, because they have no need of it; nor have they any private property; everything being in common. They live amongst themselves without a king or ruler, each man being his own master, and having as many wives as they please. The old men make them do what they please, and incite them to fights, in which they mutually kill with great cruelty. They slaughter those who are captured, and the victors eat the vanquished for human flesh is an ordinary article of food among them.”
While Christopher Columbus was collecting documents, Amerigo Vespucci was creating literature, and eventually America was named after Amerigo Vespucci for his great writings.
The Native Americans’ Ideas on Nature and God
Many native American tribes have a deep respect for nature, viewing it as sacred and essential to their spiritual beliefs and cultural practices. They see themselves as caretakers of the land, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all living beings and the need to live in harmony with nature. Nature plays a central role in their ceremonies and storytelling, with animals and plants symbolizing strength and wisdom. Iroquois, for instance, consider other living creatures as relatives, believing in the spirits and intelligence of nature. Nature for Native Americans is not part of life, it is life itself. Rivers, mountains, animals, and even the wind are all seen as sacred beings eat with their own spirit. The eagle for instance is revered as a messenger of the divine, it’s flight symbolising the bridge between the earthly and spiritual realms.
Native American tribes hold diverse believes about the divine, often seeing nature as sacred and filled with spiritual energy. Some believe in a single, all-powerful deity known as the Great Spirit or Creator, while others view intermediary deities and spirits as messengers between humans and the divine. Ceremonies and rituals play a crucial role in honoring the spiritual realm and maintaining harmony with the natural world.
The Story of Thanksgiving
Squanto was a member of the Patuxet tribe, who lived in the area that is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. After being captured and taken to Europe as a slave, Squanto eventually made his way back to North America, only to find He’s tri be decimated by disease. A large number of native Americans were killed by the diseases that Europeans brought with themselves. The Europeans’ bodies where immune to the diseases but the Native Americans had weak bodies against illnesses and this caused their death.
After that Squanto encountered the pilgrims who had settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Squanto played a crucial role in helping the pilgrims survive in their new environment. He taught them how to cultivate corn, catch fish, and navigate the land. With his guidance, the pilgrims were able to establish successful crops, and forge alliences with local native American tribes. In the fall of 1621, after successful harvest, The pilgrims held a fist to give thanks for their blessings. This event is often considered one of the early instances of what would later be known as Thanksgiving. Squanto and other Native Americans were invited to join the feast, while symbolized cooperation, friendship, and mutual respect between the settlers and the indigenous people.
Native American Tribes Today
There are many names even American tribes that are still alive today, each with its own unique culture, traditions, and history. The size and financial situation of the indigenous groups leaving in the United States today can be difficult to track down as the statistics are not always reliable and clear. Mexican American Indian, Navajo Nation, Cherokee Nation, Sioux, Ojibwe, Choctaw, Apache Nations, Lumbee, Pueblo, Muscogee Nation, Yup’ik, Haudenosaunee Nations, Inupiat, and Blackfeet are the Native American tribes that are currently active and thriving. According to the latest surveys, their populations are estimated to range between 26,000 and 500,000 individuals.
Books and Movie Adaptations about Native Americans
The Absolutely True Diary diary of a Part-time Indian
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maryam Saadat
