American Indian
First Nations member
American Indian refers to the indigenous peoples of the Americas, particularly those of North America, or a member of these peoples.
The term distinguishes from India's inhabitants, though it perpetuates Columbus's geographic error.
Native American is now often preferred in formal contexts, though many indigenous people use American Indian themselves, and it remains standard in legal and historical contexts: the American Indian Movement, American Indian reservations.
Indigenous Southeastern nation
- NavajoSouthwestern indigenous people
- SiouxPlains Indigenous nation
- ApacheSouthwestern indigenous nation
- OjibweAlgonquian-speaking indigenous nation
Choctaw · Hopi · Iroquois · Seminole · Mohawk · Cree · Zuni · Algonquin
Ceremonial tribal gathering
- totemSpiritual clan symbol
- dreamcatcherHoop-and-web sleep amulet
- kachinaCarved ceremonial spirit figure
- smudgingMaking blurry marks
wampum · potlatch · ceremony · beadwork · moccasins · headdress · regalia · storytelling
Advance arrangement to hold
- treatyBinding pact between nations
- self-governanceIndependent management of affairs
- tribal councilIndigenous community's ruling body
- federal recognitionGovernment's formal tribal acknowledgment
land rights · sovereignty · blood quantum · water rights · fishing rights · hunting rights · jurisdiction · allotment
Conical pole-and-hide shelter
- wigwamDomed bark-covered shelter
- longhouseElongated communal dwelling structure
- puebloCommunal adobe village
- hoganNative American earth dwelling
wickiup · adobe · earth lodge · birch bark · buffalo hide · communal housing
Family line of descent
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- descendantsThose who come after
- genealogyStudy of family descent
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
traditions · elders · oral history · ancestral lands · sacred sites · artifacts · tribal identity · family tree
Cherokee
Indigenous Southeastern nation
- NavajoSouthwestern indigenous people
- SiouxPlains Indigenous nation
- ApacheSouthwestern indigenous nation
Ojibwe · Choctaw · Hopi · Iroquois · Seminole · Mohawk · Cree · Zuni · Algonquin · Shoshone
powwow
Ceremonial tribal gathering
- totemSpiritual clan symbol
- dreamcatcherHoop-and-web sleep amulet
- kachinaCarved ceremonial spirit figure
smudging · wampum · potlatch · ceremony · beadwork · moccasins · headdress · regalia · storytelling · drumming
reservation
Advance arrangement to hold
- treatyBinding pact between nations
- self-governanceIndependent management of affairs
- tribal councilIndigenous community's ruling body
federal recognition · land rights · sovereignty · blood quantum · water rights · fishing rights · hunting rights · jurisdiction · allotment · self-determination
teepee
Conical pole-and-hide shelter
- wigwamDomed bark-covered shelter
- longhouseElongated communal dwelling structure
- puebloCommunal adobe village
hogan · wickiup · adobe · earth lodge · birch bark · buffalo hide · communal housing
ancestry
Family line of descent
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- descendantsThose who come after
- genealogyStudy of family descent
bloodline · traditions · elders · oral history · ancestral lands · sacred sites · artifacts · tribal identity · family tree · repatriation
- SmithsonianNational Zoo, Natural History Museum, Hope Diamond, Wright Flyer, Spirit of St. Louis
- Indigenous cultureancestors, ancestry, ancestral lands, ancestral lineage, animal totems
American Indiancolonizer
One who occupies foreign land
conquistador · settler · colonist · pioneer · pilgrim
Indian, America, American, Indigenous, Americans, Native Americans, Americas, Amerindian, Native American