Native Americans
Original U.S. inhabitants
Native Americans are the indigenous peoples of North America—those whose ancestors inhabited the land before European colonization.
The term emerged as a more respectful alternative to "Indians," which resulted from Columbus's geographic confusion.
Native American is standard in formal contexts, though many indigenous people prefer specific tribal names (Navajo, Cherokee, Lakota) or the term American Indian, which some consider more historically grounded.
Native American communities have fought to protect sacred sites.
1830s forced indigenous relocation
- Wounded Knee1890 massacre location
- Little Bighorn1876 Montana battle site
- Sitting BullLakota spiritual leader
- Crazy HorseLakota war leader
Tecumseh · Sacagawea · Pocahontas · Squanto · assimilation · boarding schools · removal · allotment
Ceremonial tribal gathering
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
- beadworkStrung ornament craft
- moccasinsSoft leather slip-ons
- totemsSpiritual clan symbols
dreamcatcher · headdresses · basketry · quillwork · weaving · pottery · drumming · flutes
Social group sharing ancestry
- clanRelated group sharing ancestry
- councilAdvisory deliberative group
- chiefTop-ranking leader
- elderSenior figure of authority
confederation · sovereignty · treaty · reservation · Indian Territory · self-determination · tribal law · consensus
Formal event marking occasions
- shamanIndigenous spiritual healer
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
- sacredWorthy of reverence
- vision questRite seeking supernatural guidance
medicine man · spirit guide · smudging · pipe ceremony · sweat lodge · eagle feather · sun dance · kiva
Indigenous Southeastern nation
- NavajoSouthwestern indigenous people
- SiouxPlains Indigenous nation
- ChippewaGreat Lakes indigenous nation
- ChoctawSoutheastern Native American nation
Apache · Iroquois · Seminole · Cree · Mohawk · Hopi · Shoshone · Blackfoot
Family line of descent
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- descendantsThose who come after
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
- genealogyStudy of family descent
legacy · ancestral lands · blood quantum · enrollment · oral tradition · elders · repatriation · cultural preservation
Canada's non-Inuit indigenous peoples
- aboriginalIndigenous to a place
- pre-ColumbianAmericas before 1492
- original inhabitantsFirst to occupy land
- land-basedSituated on earth
Inuit · Métis · tribal nations
Trail of Tears
1830s forced indigenous relocation
- Wounded Knee1890 massacre location
- Little Bighorn1876 Montana battle site
- Sitting BullLakota spiritual leader
Crazy Horse · Tecumseh · Sacagawea · Pocahontas · Squanto · assimilation · boarding schools · removal · allotment · broken treaties
powwow
Ceremonial tribal gathering
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
- beadworkStrung ornament craft
- moccasinsSoft leather slip-ons
totems · dreamcatcher · headdresses · basketry · quillwork · weaving · pottery · drumming · flutes · pictographs
tribe
Social group sharing ancestry
elder · confederation · sovereignty · treaty · reservation · Indian Territory · self-determination · tribal law · consensus · matrilineal
ceremony
Formal event marking occasions
vision quest · medicine man · spirit guide · smudging · pipe ceremony · sweat lodge · eagle feather · sun dance · kiva · sage
Cherokee
Indigenous Southeastern nation
- NavajoSouthwestern indigenous people
- SiouxPlains Indigenous nation
- ChippewaGreat Lakes indigenous nation
Choctaw · Apache · Iroquois · Seminole · Cree · Mohawk · Hopi · Shoshone · Blackfoot · Algonquin
ancestry
Family line of descent
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- descendantsThose who come after
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
genealogy · legacy · ancestral lands · blood quantum · enrollment · oral tradition · elders · repatriation · cultural preservation · identity
First Nations
Canada's non-Inuit indigenous peoples
- aboriginalIndigenous to a place
- pre-ColumbianAmericas before 1492
- original inhabitantsFirst to occupy land
land-based · Inuit · Métis · tribal nations
- Americas HistoryAmerican Revolution, Aztec Empire, colonial era, colonization, Columbus
- US HistoryAmerican Revolution, US history, Civil War, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln
- ancient societiesMaya civilization, Mayan civilization, Aztec Empire, Inca Empire, African kingdoms
- ethnic groupsJews, Arabs, Chinese, Irish, Greeks
- frontier Americapioneers, settlers, homesteaders, homesteading, sodbusters
- Great PlainsGreat Plains, high plains, High Plains, grassland, grasslands
Native AmericansEuropean settlers
Migrants from Europe establishing colonies
colonizers · settlers · immigrants · newcomers · colonists
Native Americanscolonizers
Those who establish foreign control
conquistadors · colonial powers · colonial settlers · invaders · white settlers
Native Americanssettlers
Those who establish homes
homesteaders · pioneers · frontiersmen · squatters · land speculators
native, nation, national, international, nationality, nationwide, natives, nativity, nonnative