Native American Heritage Archive Page

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The Origin of Earth - Before the beginning, water was everywhere. But no people, animals, or earth were visible. There were birds, however, who held a council to decide if it might be best to have all land or all water. "Let us have land, so we can have more food," said some of the birds. Others said, "Let's have all water, because we like it this way."

Beloved Woman - The traditional Cherokee society was matrilineal (tracing family relations through the mother) and thus, women held leadership roles. Women of great influence became known as Ghigau meaning Beloved Woman, the highest role to which a Cherokee woman could aspire. The name also translates into War Woman and was often awarded to courageous women warriors.

Celebrities of Native American Heritage - A list of well known celebrities that are known to have Native North, Central, or South American, Alaskan, or Hawaiian ancestry.

Culinary Contributions from the New World - Among the plants developed by Indians of North and South America prior to European contact are maize, beans (kidney and lima), and potatoes, now among the leading foods of the world. Other important items, such as peanuts, squash, peppers, tomatoes, pineapples, apple, strawberry, vanilla bean, sunflower, and avocados should also be on this list.

English Words with Native American Roots - There are more Native American words that have been adopted by English than one might expect. There are, of course, the obvious words like moccasin and tepee. Then there are the not so obvious, like Chicago and Seattle.