B5 ACAD 2014 Improving Instruction of the Utah State Core. What can Native Americans Teach us?

Online WA Native Americans: Utah's State Social Studies Core should include a more comprehensive study of Native Americans

All teachers in the State of Utah, must use the Utah State Core to dictate what they will teach. The core requires educators to do the following when teaching Native Cultures
Explore life among the various American Indian nations prior to European exploration of the New World.
Identify the major regional American Indian nations of North America
Write a persuasive essay to an educator, school board member and/or legislator explaining why the teaching of Native Cultures must be included in the Utah State Core. Please follow the format provided on the webpage to prepare, write and publish your essay.

Native American Media & Podcasts

B5 ACAD 2014 Improving Instruction of the Utah State Core. What can Native Americans Teach us?

9/19/2014

100 Comments

All U.S. History teachers in the State of Utah, are required to use the Utah State Core to dictate what they will teach. The core requires educators to do the following when teaching Native Cultures
Objective 1
Explore life among the various American Indian nations prior to European exploration of the New World.
Identify the major regional American Indian nations of North America.
Examine the cultures of American Indian nations; e.g., languages, beliefs, traditions, and lifestyles
Given the amount of content they are required to teach the majority of Social Studies teachers have eliminated or simplified the teaching of Native Americans within their curriculum.

Write a persuasive essay to an educator, school board member and/or legislator explaining why the teaching of Native Cultures must be included in the Utah State Core. Explain what you believe we can learn from studying Native cultures. Use specific historical examples to support your essay. Explain why you believe sharing Native stories and culture is important, and how a study of these cultures can enrich us today.
Please follow the format provided on the webpage to prepare, write and publish your essay. Completed essays are due October 25th, 2015.

Access to previous essays/ Archives

The question you will address is posted above, the instructions are on the right. Please review both PRIOR to posting your completed essay.

100 Comments

Abigail Peterson

10/2/2014 01:29:11 am

Abigail Peterson B5

What can we learn from the Native Americans? Most people believe that Native Americans were stupid, non-civilized people. But the opposite is true. Through this essay I hope to prove through example and teaching that Native Americans were very much civilized in ways people do not realize, and we could do well to learn a few things from them. First, the Eastern Woodland knew how to use their environment to survive. Second, Native Americans made strong, lasting governments. Third, the Inuit and Plain knew how to use everything that they had.

The Eastern Woodland people had a very smart way to construct houses. They would take young, live, trees, and gently bend them to be the frame of their round wigwams. They used strips of durable bark to bind everything together. Because the trees were live, they grew large roots underground, and when a storm comes, the house could withstand it. We could and already have token meaning and use from this. Though we do not use trees like the Eastern Woodland, we use deep foundations to hold down our buildings.

When the Iroquois came up with the confederacy, they knew that they needed to join the tribes in the area so they would stop killing each other, and be able to have a stronger force to protect themselves. Five tribes in the Eastern Woodland area joined together to form the Iroquois League. The tribes were the Mohawk tribe, the Cayuga tribe, the Oneida tribe, the Onondaga tribe, and the Seneca tribe. It had a way to elect leaders, make decisions, and even join or leave the confederacy. If we would have looked at this when we made our constitution, we could have avoided some hardships we went through as a country.

Native Americans used what was provided. Some cultures would ask the animal to forgive them for killing them. In the Inuit culture, they hunted large sea animal, like whale and caribou. They ate them, used them for clothes, and even to build their houses. Their roof and sides of houses were made of whalebone and walrus skins. They did not waste the things they had. The Plains Indians depended on buffalo for clothing, shelter, and food. They had buffalo runs to get as many buffalo as they needed. They made sure to use as much of the buffalo as possible, storing the food for as long as possible. We could learn from this, and could apply it to money. We could learn to be more money smart as country.

To conclude, the Native Americans had a lot to contribute. They had smart ways to build lasting homes, they had very civilized government ideas, and they knew to save up what they could. I hope by now you can tell how civilized the Native Americans were, and what important things we can learn from them.

Leslie Day

10/6/2014 08:05:30 am

Good job!

Jessica Craig

10/9/2014 11:20:11 am

Your manuscript was eminently imposing. I liked your wordage.

Zoe Clair

10/2/2014 09:00:15 am

Zoe Clair B5
The Native Americans are thought to be irrelevant and just a pain, but they are not and here’s why. They used their natural resources better than we do. The things they taught and believed in are very good things. Native Americans were good, peaceful people just going about life most of the time. There are very many wise things we can learn from them.

The way Natives lived involved all the earth. For example, some tribes in the Eastern Woodland region used the growing trees to build homes. That way there home was attached and secured with the trees. When they planted crops they used a rotation cycle. The corn they ate sucked nutrients from the earth so they planted crops after to give life back to the earth. Everything the Natives had around them they used. Such as the California fished and the Plains used all parts of the bison they would hunt. We can learn to use all that’s available.

The things Native Americans taught and believed in are good teachings. They believed in familes and harmony. The Northern Coastal Natives had totem poles to get in touch with their ancestors. One story tells of how we need to work for things. The story talks of how the people could lay around and get syrup, so one man changed the trees so they had to make syrup. In the Iroquois confederacy different tribes worked together to be stronger. They could travel among each other and help. Native Americans have something it seems for all of us to learn.

It was not really fair how they lost their land. Native Americans did not start out just attacking, they fought to protect themselves and their land. Even though they fought they did not die from that. The explorers brought unknown diseases that killed Natives. Many tribes were wiped out within years from diseases. Native Americans did scalp their prisoners but it was not their idea. When the French killed natives they scalped them and sold the scalps. Then the Natives began scalping.

Native Americans are good people we can learn from. They used the land to its full extent. We can learn from their good ways. Finally it was not fair how their downfall came. Native Americans are and were good people. Before we can judge them we need to fully understand all about them. Native Americans really are full of good teachings and wise knowledge.

Jessica Craig

10/9/2014 11:22:31 am

I liked how your essay was an anecdote.

Trey Shumway

10/2/2014 10:35:03 am

Were Native Americans actually a complex people? The Native Americans had complex societies. They were also the masters of their environments. The Natives had many different complex religions. Native Americans had complex societies, they were the masters of their environments, and they had many religions.
Native Americans had very complex societies. One of the greatest examples of how complex they were was the Iroquois confederacy. The confederacy acted much like congress today. The North West coastal group had an event called a potlatch, which was a way of showing your wealth off. The Eastern Woodland Native Americans had a social ladder much like in Europe, the chief, then his children, the nobility, and lastly the commoners.
Speaking of the Europeans, the Native Americans had complex religeons much like the Europeans. For example the North West culture believed that totems are a place where you can communicate with your ancestor's spirts. The Eastern woodland culture had many believes, one being their belief that a women fell from the sky and the animals saved her. After saving her they went and got earth from the bottom of the sea and placed it on turtles back, so they believe the earth is actually on a turtle. The Eastern Woodland also believe in the story of Loot-Wit were loot-wit’s people were lazy and eating the syrup from the maple trees. So loot-wit poured water into the maple trees making it much harder to get syrup.
Besides from trees the Native Americans were able to use all of their environment to make their life easier. The plains Indians caused hundreds of bison to jump off of cliffs, by tricking them into thinking the alpha bison was making a stamped, and then lead them off the cliff. Many natives grew corn, beans and squash. These are known as the three sisters, they were called this because corn took nitrogen from the soil wile beans and squash put it back in. Making them the perfect set of crops. Lastly the Eastern Woodland culture often cleared out the brush from under the trees making it much easier to hunt.
To answer my original question of “Were Native Americans actually a complex people?” I would say yes they were. The Native Americans had social systems and nations. They also believed in many unique things. Lastly they could shape and form their environment to make it easy to live in. Native Americans were very unique and intelligent, whether their shaping their environment, worshiping their religions, or being a part of a organized nation.

abby gray

10/5/2014 05:00:42 am

I like how you said that native americans were "Masters" of their envrionment. They really were!

Michael Worsley

10/5/2014 12:27:17 pm

"Native Americans had a social ladder much like in Europe, the chief, then his children, the nobility, and lastly the commoners."
One of the things I think really sets them apart from other stereotypes.
Great Work!

Jessica Craig

10/9/2014 11:37:21 am

I thought that your essay was laudable. I liked how you used a lot of Native American references.

Jessica Craig

10/20/2014 01:16:59 am

I also liked how you transitioned from one paragraph to another.

Lucy Pratt

10/3/2014 09:00:45 am

The unique culture of Native Americans was almost completely destroyed when the English settlers came and spread diseases. Fortunately we still have artifacts that teach us about what they were like and they are not worthless pieces of knowledge or junk. Native Americans had lots to contribute to our American society and history. We can learn from how they respected the earth and nature, how Native Americans made many discoveries, and how the Eastern Woodland helped set the example of our nations government today.
Unlike most English settlers, Native Americans were very much a part of nature. They had respect for the animals and did not hunt for fun. The Great Plains Indians main source of food was Bison. Bison also provided them with movable temporary homes called tipis as well as clothing. The Plains Indians relied heavily on bison and did not waste any of it. The Native Americans who were part of the Eastern Woodland area did not tear down forest to make living in them easier, they used it as part of their homes and made small grassy areas for hunting. Today in the world there are problems with the environment and pollution. Using the example of the Eastern Woodland Native Americans we can have more respect for the environment.
Native Americans did many things that have changed our world today. First they hybridized corn, tomatoes, and peanuts. Corn has changed America. We use corn meal, corn syrup, corn starch and much more because we can get a lot more from it then we can wheat. Second, Native Americans were not uncivilized there is evidence suggesting that Native Americans were doing brain surgeries and people were living from them. Third, Native Americans built houses that were very efficient. The Eastern Woodland people had houses with the main support being a tree trunk. When the tree was young they would bind it to make it grow curved and used it to make a stable home that would sway in the wind and not collapse. These inventions have been beneficial to America, for example, the buildings we make to help structures withstand earthquakes.
Native Americans have taught us about society and government. Eastern Woodland Native Americans had a democracy like ancient Rome only it was a little different. The Iroquois confederacy was made up of six Native American tribes living in the Eastern Woodland area. The Iroquois confederacy was based off a constitution like our American government today. Unlike ancient Rome, the Iroquois confederacy was much more successful and only women could vote. In Europe the parents got to decide what their child's name was for their whole life. Some Native Americans gave their child a birth name and when the child was seven to nine years old they would choose a name that represented who they were. Native culture is important to study because of what we can learn from it.
The culture of Native Americans was a unique one. Things the Native Americans had to contribute were their respect of the environment and animals, the inventions they created, and their example of the Iroquois confederacy. They were very different from Europeans and I believe that is why many people think the Native Americans culture is strange and unusual. The truth is Native Americans had a unique, diverse, and complex culture that has enriched the world today.

Jessica Craig

10/7/2014 08:59:11 am

I really like the words you chose.

Abigail Gray

10/5/2014 06:18:16 am

Abigail Gray B5
If you only know Reservation and television Indians, then you cannot even consider saying that you know about Native Americans. First, Native Americans had complex cultures. Second, they were very different from each other, and other beings of the world. Third, they have enriched today’s society. Native Americans had complex and unique cultures, and have enriched today’s world.
To start, Native Americans had very complex cultures. They had functional governments. The Iroquois Confederacy is the name the Europeans gave the eastern Woodland Indian’s government. They elected official leaders, and had ways for Native groups to join, and leave. Most of the Native Tribes had a set religion and belief about how the earth was created. The Eastern Woodland natives believe that a woman fell from the sky land, and that some earth was placed on a turtle’s back, and that was how the world was made. The Native Americans also had set rituals and gatherings. The northeast costal Indians had cultural gatherings called Potlatches, where people could show off their wealth. They had even more complex ways of life, these are just a few.
Second, Native Americans had very different cultures from each other. They had different homes depending on their region. The southwest Indians had adobe homes, the Eastern Woodland Indians had a wigwam, the Great Plains Indians had the tepee, and the Inuit Indians had the Igloo. They all had different cultural beliefs. The Eastern Woodland believed that the earth came from a turtle’s back; the Inuit believe that a woman living in the sea controls the current, and the southwest belief that after the Creator created the world, he brushed the dust off of his hands, and created the man. All of the Native Americans wore different clothing. The Inuit people wore vests and pants made from animal skin, the Southwest made their clothing from cloth woven from cotton, and the Plains Indians made their clothes from buffalo skins. There are many other differences between the tribes.
Third, Native Americans enriched society as we know it. They brought us many crops that are our day to day staples. They modified corn and tomatoes so that they are big enough to eat. The Eastern Woodland Natives brought us government. They had a fair way of electing, since only men could be in office, women voted them in. They also taught us to have individualism. The children would get a birth name when they were born, and then they would choose their own name when they were of age. Without the Native Americans, we could be an entirely different society.
In conclusion, Native American cultures had various complex cultures. They were unique, and were very different from each other. They have also changed the way we do things in today’s society. Native Americans were so culturally complex and unique, and they have definitely enriched our society and lives. Without them, we would never be so technologically advanced and would not be who we know ourselves as today.

Whitney Beckstead

10/7/2014 10:55:39 am

Great job Abby! I love your essay! I can tell that you took your time on it. Great job!

Hayden Harward

10/5/2014 07:16:16 am

Native Americans
Hayden Harward B5
What do you think of when you hear the phrase “Native Americans”? The people that ride around on a horse with bow and arrows, wear braids, and live in teepees? Yes some Native Americans do these things, but that’s the stereotypical Native American. There is actually a lot more to them than you might think. Each tribe has their own diverse people and cultures, they have different beliefs and religions, and they have a structured way of life with government. Overall, Native Americans were a civilized people with unique cultures and beliefs.
First, Native Americans have diverse cultures and people. Each tribe wears different kinds of clothing. Their clothing was often determined by where they lived. The tribes in California often wore more light weight clothing made of cloth and thin animal skin. Compared to the Pacific Northwest tribes, who lived where it is colder, in Alaska and Canada wore thicker clothing made of heavy animal skin. They lived in different kinds of homes as well. Most believe all Native Americans live in teepees, but really, they all had unique homes depending on where they lived. Most lived in more permanent homes, unlike teepees for tribes that were nomadic. In the Southwest tribes they lived in Adobes made of mud and clay. The California and Eastern Woodland Indians lived in dome shaped homes. They also had different environments that they had to adapt to and grow food from. But most tribes lived off of mainly the three sisters; corn, squash and beans.
They each had different beliefs and religions. They had unique beliefs of where they came from. For example, the Dine Story of Creation. There were multiple worlds created, each with a different and essential variable to living. One was of light, one of water, one of animals and nature, and then the final world where they all came together to form the world we had today. Then their God made the people and put them in the world. They also had different ideas of where the world came from. Like Earth on a Turtles Back, where the muskrat swam down to the bottom of the ocean to get some earth to catch the women falling from the sky. He got the earth and swam back up to the surface, where the turtle offered his back to put the earth on. When the earth was placed on his back, it grew and grew until it was the world, and the woman landed on it and that’s how the earth began. Some Native Americans believe that the sun came from a grandmother spider and a bird. The animals kept trying to get the sun on the other side of the world to put in the sky for all to see. However, each animal failed. Finally the grandmother spider tired, she wove a web and took the sun in the web back to the other side of the earth. The bird offered to take to sun up the sky and that’s how the sun got there. They had many unique beliefs and religion.
Native Americans had a structured way of life and government. They had a democracy, for example; the Iroquois confederacy. It was an alliance of several tribes. They also had a decision making governmental body, much like congress today. They had elected leaders with a way of voting by the people. When a male leader was to be elected to women did the voting so the women had a part of the voting process. A lot of tribes had laws and standards. In the Haudenosaune Empire, there was lots of war and bloodshed. Until one day when the Great Peacemaker came to put peace in the land. He made moral standards and laws for the people to follow for the people to be united. Most Native Americans were a very civilized and peaceful people.
So you now know that Native Americans were actually very unique and each tribe has a diverse culture. People commonly believe that Native Americans don’t have a religion, but they do. They have Gods, an afterlife, and other beliefs of how the earth came to be. People also think that they were wild and savage like, but in reality they had a structured government and way of life. As you can see, Native Americans have a rich history with lots to contribute, and they’re most likely not what you thought they were.

Audrey Spaeth

10/5/2014 01:41:05 pm

I love your first two sentences. They definitely caught my eye!

Audrey Spaeth

10/5/2014 01:36:04 pm

Have you ever wondered how to become an amazing American? Along with other things, following the Native Americans example can help you become amazing. Native Americans have taught us how to get the most out of our land. They knew who they were and always strived for their personal best, but also knew that they needed to work together. Women were also a big part of Native American Government. These three things show how Native American beliefs and ways of living can teach us how to be the best we can be.
Native Americans have taught us how to get the most out of our land. They have taught us how to productively grow food. The Wampanoag showed the pilgrims that if you put fish in the soil, it will help the corn to grow. Today corn is one of the world’s most widely used food staples. Native Americans have also taught us how to use food in as many ways possible. The Great Plains Indians used every part of bison that they could. They used the meat, bones, skin, everything! Finally, Native Americans have taught us how to use our natural resources wisely. The Eastern Woodland Indians used wood for a lot of things, because it was what they naturally had an abundance of. We can follow Native Americans example and get the most out of our land.
Native Americans knew who they were and strived for their personal best, but also knew that they needed to work together. They knew who they were. In some tribes, children were given a birth name, but when they were about seven to nine years old, had the opportunity to choose their own name. The name usually described who they were, so the children would never forget. Native Americans also strived for their best. Pocahontas taught herself English, and was fluent by the time she was ten years old. Even though Native Americans knew themselves, they also knew that they needed to work together. Pocahontas realizes this with her tribe and the Europeans. She knew that if they worked together, they could achieve much more. Native Americans can teach us to know the importance of who we are and do our best, but that we also need to work together.
Women were a very important part of Native American Government. In some tribes, women were the main leaders. Weetamoo was chosen as the religious and spiritual leader of her tribe when she was seventeen years old. In other tribes, everyone was equal. They used Meritocracy, where everyone (men, women, and children) were able to vote. In other tribes, women did not lead, but chose who led. Only men could hold position in the Iroquois Confederacy, but only women could vote. Native Americans can teach us to treat women as an equal to men, as women were an important role in Native American Government.
Native American beliefs and ways of living can teach us how to be the best we can be. We can do this by following their example. They have taught us how to get the most out of our land. They also knew who they were and strived for their personal best, but also knew that they needed to work together. Women were also treated equal to men as they were a very important part of Native American Government. As we continue to learn more about great Native Americans, Americans today can follow their example and together become amazing Americans.

Nicholas Greger

10/6/2014 01:07:53 am

Nicholas Greger B5
Native Americans have been destroyed by incoming explorers. Native American religion, languages and stories have been gone and lost away in time. Travelers from what the Natives seemed as a strange land, have said that they were “savage animals who had no understanding of any human decency” but Native Americans have had established many things, things that may have not been seen by the Europeans. Native Americans had a huge understanding of the world around them. The way the animals move and live, and also how plants and they, as a people, have lived in many harsh conditions. Native Americans had governments and established communities which worked together and fought against each other over the ages. Native Americans have set a pathway for a more modern America and a more modern world. Native Americans are vital for human society, they have taught us many things. The way to live around each other, how they changed their environment for more efficient and a better quality of life.
Native Americans had a huge understanding of the world around them. Many Native tribal groups had medicinal practices that were often successful. They had performed surgeries and had many herbal remedies that improved the way that they lived. Native Americans have changed crops. Maize and other crops such as beans (legumes), squashes and others. Native Americans have created efficient crops that supplied themselves and required little to no matience at all.
Native Americans were well civilized. Native Americans have established communities and religions. Some specific examples are the Iroquois League which consisted of 5 fathers. It was a union between nations that have lasted for ages. Many ways of how the league was run has been adapted into many modern nations. (Point Three)
Native Americans have shaped the way to a more modern world. Native Americans were well adapted, although it did not look like it. They have created formal unions and social governments, many of which their ways are being used today. Native Americans have lead the way to more efficient crops and styles that gave them huge returns. They had lead the way to ensuring a self-declared and an independent America from their mother over the seas.
Native Americans have enriched us as a country, although some people may not have seen it. They have had a huge understanding of the world around them, by them. They had created unions and nations that some of which are lasting today. Native Americans were not savage beasts, but they were intelligent. They had formed unions. Created a true democracy. Native Americans have been more advanced. Their legacy that has shaped the modern world that we live in today has had an everlasting mark. The formation of a United France and a United States of America. India’s independence from Great Britain. Native Americans were more than a people on pages, but they were an essential part of history.

Bethany Enger

10/7/2014 11:01:30 am

Woah! That hook is short, crisp, and right to the point.... Good Job!!

Olivia Pendrey

10/6/2014 01:27:45 am

Native American Essay
Olivia Pendrey B5
What if I told you that most of everything that you know about Native Americans is false? Native Americans are a more advanced and complicated people than you think. Most of the Native Americans have a functioning government. The Native Americans are a very deeply religious society. They are not anymore warlike and treacherous than Europeans and Asians. The Amerindians were very advanced but culturally different than Europeans.
Most Native Americans had a functioning government. The Iroquois League had the women vote for chief, they also obtained the power to remove a chief from his position. The Norwest Coastal tribe crafted totem poles and believed that departed loved ones dwell inside the totem. Southwestern tribe made a kiva. The Kiva was for religious ceremonies and services.
That leads me to another topic. Amerindians are deeply religious. The Eastern Woodland tribe had a story of an old man whom represented winter and a young man whom represented spring. And that is how seasons change. The Inuit’s had the story or Sedna, the women under the sea. That is how we got whales. The plains tribe had the story or grandmother spider who stole the sun for the other side of the earth. Plains believe that is how we change the day or get summer.
The Native Americans are not anymore warlike and treacherous than Europeans and Asians. They fought for their land and homes. The Europeans became racist because their cultures are different. Native Americans were a civilized people. They had advanced medical knowledge, they performed successful brain surgeries.
The Amerindians had several functioning civilizations, they had many religions, and were not savages. In the end. The Native Americans cultures are more than what you realize. They are different from the modern stereo types that people label on them today.

Hannah Morgan

10/6/2014 01:30:45 am

Some people say Native Americans all wear feathers and braids, that they all live in tipis, and that they all enjoy scalping and killing people. This is false. Not all Native Americans are warlike, and treacherous. Native Americans are not confined to reservations, and they don't all live in tipis. Each Native American tribe has a different and unique culture and religion. Native Americans are culturally different, and individual.
First of all, Native Americans are no more warlike and treacherous than you or I. They only fought to defend their homes, and their families. They didn't start fights just because they met people that were different. They only fought because they were forced to. Now you may be thinking of scalping. Fortunately, I have a counter argument. Scalping was a french practice, not a Native American practice. The Natives only started doing it because they wanted to deal out what was given to them. These people destroyed their homes, their families, and their lives. They were just dishing out some of the Europeans medicine. They were also just trying to survive. That is not a crime. We do it to. These were just innocent people with lives, and they were just like us. They just had different cultures.

Leslie Day

10/6/2014 09:08:28 am

This is very well thought out, but I think you need a few more paragraphs.

Cameron Watts

10/6/2014 07:53:31 am

Native Americans
Cameron Watts B5

When most of you think of Native Americans, you probably think of half naked strange looking people running around throwing tomahawks and scalping people, but Native Americans are very different than that. To start off, scalping wasn’t even a Native American practice. The Natives actually had a very complex and advanced society and had much to offer. Here are the reasons that this is true. They had advanced homes, they have made many contributions that have changed the world, and the Natives were surprisingly civilized.
First, they had advanced homes. The Eastern Woodland Indians lived on the East coast, which meant that they had to deal with hurricanes and hurricane force winds. To make homes that could withstand these storms, they would use live trees us support and birch bark to waterproof their homes. Another example of advanced homes are the tipis used by the Plains Indians. They were a nomadic people, so naturally they would take their homes with them. The tipi was specially designed to be easy to take down and transported. What makes the Native Americans even more advanced is that their homes were effective and they didn’t even use the advanced tools we have today.
Next, the contributions that the Native Americans have given have changed the world. The first example for this is hybridized corn. Corn is used in just about everything today such as corn syrup, corn starch, etc. Corn didn’t used to be the juicy sweet delicacy that you sink your teeth into today. Corn used to only have five or six kernels, but through natural selection, the Native Americans made corn the tasty treat you eat today. This is the same story with tomatoes. They were small and undesirable but were also made scrumptious by natural selection. The Native Americans also presented the idea of government and democracy and being voted for because of merit.
Last, the Native Americans were very civilized, even before the Europeans arrived. Chichen Itza was on of the most powerful Maya cities. They had sports teams and their own sport called Ollamaliztli where the two teams would have to hit a rubber ball through stone rings high on the walls. The only downside to this game is that the losing team would be put to death. There are also signs that there was advanced medical practices that took place there such as brain surgery. Another civilized culture was a Pueblo Bonito, a five story Native structure located in New Mexico. It was inhabited by the Early Pueblo and Anasazi indians. There are many petroglyphs and signs of trade. There were some things found there that were made up to 1,200 miles away.
I think the Native Americans had a very complex society because of their advanced homes, the contributions that have changed the world today, and that they were very civilized and had their own unique cultures. Just because the Natives had a different culture and society doesn’t mean they weren’t effective in their societies and had a lot to contribute. In conclusion, the Native Americans were very advanced and had complex cultures.

Ellie Hart

10/6/2014 08:58:33 am

When you hear the word “Indian” do you think of tipis, buffalo, paint on the face? If you said yes, you are wrong. Not all Native Americans are like that. Native Americans are all different and unique in their own ways. They have taught us varieties of new things through their life and their own way of living. Native Americans have taught us how to work with our environment to grow crops and create shelter using our surroundings. They have shown us how everyone is equal and how everyone should be treated. Native Americans beliefs have taught us a new way to look at life. Many of these things have changed the way we live today.
How have Native American beliefs and the things they value have shown us a new way to look at life? They believed in working for things they’d want or needed because working for things helps develop appreciation for those things. The Monohabozo and the Maple Tree story talks about how we can't let things get in our way and keep us from working for the things that we need. When we work for them we appreciate much more. This is a great lesson to learn. The Great Plains Indians often shared the story, How Grandmother Spider Stole the Sun. This story is about how many animals united together in order to still the sun to create light. This story can teach us the lesson that when we work together we can accomplish and do big things. Native Americans often valued that. It also shows that a little sacrifice can create a small change for everyone to benefit from. Native Americans also valued each other. They did not judge, they did not care how you looked, but they worked together to create bigger and better things. That is something most of us can learn.
Native Americans knew how to cope and work with their environment, which plays a big part in their lives. In most of the tribes in the US they used the three sisters (corn, beans and squash) and planted them together. The corn took monoxide out of the ground and then the squash put monoxide back in ground and the beans didn't change anything. It was a great combo to grow crops fast. The Englishmen did not realize that. The Native Americans were quite on top of everything and knew how to work with their environment. The Wampanaug tribe in the Eastern Woodland area burnt forests to make hunting a lot easier. The Native Americans homes were very efficient. All around the US there are many different homes that have different layouts and materials than others. For example the people on the East Coast had a lot of earthquakes and tsunamis. So they use willow trees that have bendy branches and trunks to support their houses. In the Great Plains tribes they traveled a lot around the areas so they lived in tipis that were portable. By learning how to cope with your environment you can create a much more successful life as the Native Americans did.
The Native Americans believe that everybody is equal. They valued individualism. The Native American tribes created the Iroquois's Confederacy. The Iroquois Confederacy was confederation with several tribes which allied together. It is a decision-making governmental body much like Congress today. The Weetamoo tribe had elected politically and religiously a woman chief of their tribe. They believed women have the same power as men and that women could vote for their Chiefs. Pocahontas is another great example of their belief of women rights and equality. Pocahontas worked as an ambassador between the English and Indians. Four presidents are related to Pocahontas. She is much appreciated for her accomplishments. Yet who was she? She was a woman. The Native Americans also believed in the idea of individualism. They believed at the age nine you can choose a new name to show who you are and who you want to be. Unlike Englishmen, they believe that you can choose who you want to marry, in fact they believed you shouldn't marry anyone in the family. The idea everyone is equal has changed our lives today.

Ellie Hart

10/6/2014 09:01:28 am

I didnt copy and paste the whole essay so please ignore this one and read the other:) Thanks!

Ellie Hart

10/6/2014 09:00:11 am

Native Americans
Ellie Hart B5
When you hear the word “Indian” do you think of tipis, buffalo, paint on the face? If you said yes, you are wrong. Not all Native Americans are like that. Native Americans are all different and unique in their own ways. They have taught us varieties of new things through their life and their own way of living. Native Americans have taught us how to work with our environment to grow crops and create shelter using our surroundings. They have shown us how everyone is equal and how everyone should be treated. Native Americans beliefs have taught us a new way to look at life. Many of these things have changed the way we live today.
How have Native American beliefs and the things they value have shown us a new way to look at life? They believed in working for things they’d want or needed because working for things helps develop appreciation for those things. The Monohabozo and the Maple Tree story talks about how we can't let things get in our way and keep us from working for the things that we need. When we work for them we appreciate much more. This is a great lesson to learn. The Great Plains Indians often shared the story, How Grandmother Spider Stole the Sun. This story is about how many animals united together in order to still the sun to create light. This story can teach us the lesson that when we work together we can accomplish and do big things. Native Americans often valued that. It also shows that a little sacrifice can create a small change for everyone to benefit from. Native Americans also valued each other. They did not judge, they did not care how you looked, but they worked together to create bigger and better things. That is something most of us can learn.
Native Americans knew how to cope and work with their environment, which plays a big part in their lives. In most of the tribes in the US they used the three sisters (corn, beans and squash) and planted them together. The corn took monoxide out of the ground and then the squash put monoxide back in ground and the beans didn't change anything. It was a great combo to grow crops fast. The Englishmen did not realize that. The Native Americans were quite on top of everything and knew how to work with their environment. The Wampanaug tribe in the Eastern Woodland area burnt forests to make hunting a lot easier. The Native Americans homes were very efficient. All around the US there are many different homes that have different layouts and materials than others. For example the people on the East Coast had a lot of earthquakes and tsunamis. So they use willow trees that have bendy branches and trunks to support their houses. In the Great Plains tribes they traveled a lot around the areas so they lived in tipis that were portable. By learning how to cope with your environment you can create a much more successful life as the Native Americans did.
The Native Americans believe that everybody is equal. They valued individualism. The Native American tribes created the Iroquois's Confederacy. The Iroquois Confederacy was confederation with several tribes which allied together. It is a decision-making governmental body much like Congress today. The Weetamoo tribe had elected politically and religiously a woman chief of their tribe. They believed women have the same power as men and that women could vote for their Chiefs. Pocahontas is another great example of their belief of women rights and equality. Pocahontas worked as an ambassador between the English and Indians. Four presidents are related to Pocahontas. She is much appreciated for her accomplishments. Yet who was she? She was a woman. The Native Americans also believed in the idea of individualism. They believed at the age nine you can choose a new name to show who you are and who you want to be. Unlike Englishmen, they believe that you can choose who you want to marry, in fact they believed you shouldn't marry anyone in the family. The idea everyone is equal has changed our lives today.
In closing, The Native American culture has greatly impacted today’s social and economic structure. Their beliefs and what they valued have changed our lives today. Although there are many more facts and details, these points can show how Native Americans are important and without them our country wouldn't be what it is today.

Jessa Lethbridge

10/6/2014 09:11:51 am

When you first think of how we benefit from people in the past, who do you think of? My first thoughts are always the early European settlers, but when you think about it, there are many valuable things we can learn from the Native Americans that lived here before us. Although most of the Native American population died as a result of European Expansion, we can still learn much from how they lived their lives and through their stories and beliefs. One thing that we can learn from them is the lessons they taught through cultural beliefs and stories. Another thing that we can learn from them is to only take what we need, and not what we want, especially from nature. Finally, we can learn how to have respect and organization in our communities. To conclude, we can learn many great things from the Native Americans, some of which are the lessons taught through their stories, to only take what we need, and to have respect and organization in our communities.
The Native Americans had many cultural beliefs and stories that they would use to teach lessons to their tribes, and those same lessons and stories can benefit us today. One of the things we can learn from their stories is the importance of not fighting with one another, and they taught this through the Northwest story Loo Wit The Fire Keeper, in which there were to brothers that always fought, and because of that, they got fire taken away from them, and when they still fought, were turned into mountains. Another important lesson that they taught through stories is that you don’t have to be the biggest or the strongest to accomplish what you set your mind to, and they told this through the Eastern Woodland story The Earth on Turtle’s Back, where in part of the story, they were trying to lift the Earth out of the water, and where many animals failed, the small muskrat was able to do it. The third lesson that you can learn from the Native American’s stories is that you appreciate more what you have to work for, and if everything is given to you, you take it for granted and become idle and lazy. The story that teaches this is Manabozho and the Maple Trees, where the people had trees that produced thick maple syrup, and they would just lay under the trees and let it drop into their mouths, becoming lazy, and Manabozho realized this, so he thinned out the maple syrup so they would have to work for it and would appreciate the syrup more after they’ve had to work for it. To conclude, there are many great Native American Stories that teach valuable lessons that can benefit us in many ways, like the story of Loo Wit the Fire Keeper, Manabozho and the Maple Trees, and The Earth on Turtle’s Back .
Another thing that we can learn from the Native Americans is to only take what we need and not what we want, and to use what we have instead of wishing that we had more. The Native Americans did this in many ways, and one way that they would use what they had to their advantage instead of wanting more was that the Inuit made their homes of whalebone and wood, so when they would kill a whale, they’d use every part of it that they could, so they wouldn’t have to take more. Also, the Indians would use the environment around them to their advantage, planting their crops near the rivers, and using their surroundings to help them hunt. They also maintained and took care of the environment around them, and only took what they needed from it. One way that they did that is that they would clear out brush and maintain the woodland around them. To conclude, From the Native Americans, we can learn to take what we need and not what we want, and use what we have the best that we can, like the Inuit using whalebone for their houses, Native Americans planting their crops near the rivers and using their surroundings to their hunting advantages, and clearing out and maintaining their forests.
Something that the Native Americans did that we can learn from and use is that many of their communities were organized, and they showed respect for one another. Many Native Americans would have well planned and organized governmental bodies, like the Iroquois Confederacy, which was a peaceful decision making governmental body that united many tribes and spread peace through the land. Also, many Indian tribes were connected with one another within the tribes, in the sense that many of them believed that they were all connected and family, and they respected women in their tribes. Finally, many tribes organized their communities in classes, like the Eastern Woodland, who had a pyramid set up of classes, with their chief at the top. In conclusion, many Native Americans had well organized communities and governments and showed respect for one another, like in the Iroquois Confederacy, the Eastern Woodlands’ social pyramid set up, and their connections with each other within the tribes.
To conclude this essay, the Native Americans h

Jessa Lethbridge

10/7/2014 07:12:30 am

Here is the last paragraph of my essay. I just realized that it got cut off.

To conclude this essay, the Native Americans had many great stories, traits and lessons that can benefit us in our lives today. One way that we can learn from them is through their stories and beliefs, which can teach us many valuable lessons. Another is looking at how many of them took only what they needed and not what they wanted, and used what they had in as many ways as possible. Also, we can look at their communities and learn much from the organization of them, and the respect that many of them showed for each other. The Native Americans, although many of them died as a result to the European expansion, can still benefit our society greatly today, because of the ways that they lived their lives, their stories and beliefs that are shared today, and their way of living. I believe that we can learn much from the Native Americans that lived before us.

Trent Stevensonj (T-RizzleRex)

10/7/2014 10:10:06 am

Nice and long. Goo Job

Jessica Craig

10/7/2014 10:11:38 am

I really like the approach you took to inaugurate your treatise.
(I like how you started your essay.)

Bethany Enger

10/7/2014 11:00:00 am

Okay, I agree with Jessica and the fact that she have translation is just to hilarious!

Jessa Lethbridge

10/9/2014 09:43:00 am

This Essay is amazing! This Lethbridge girl totally knows what she's doing! No, not really, I just wanted to comment on my own paper.

Leslie Day

10/6/2014 09:22:55 am

You may not know it, but much of what you think you know about Native Americans is actually false. They were very resourceful people. They were advanced and complex. They are also very religious. Native Americans were very resourceful and complex, and had many beliefs.
Native Americans were very intelligent in the way they used nature. They made homes that would withstand their climate. The Eastern Woodland made their houses using living, rooted trees for the frames of the home. Because they did this, their homes could survive strong winds. This group also changed their environment to accommodate wild life and people. They would clear the forest floor of brush so animals could graze and it would be easier for the Natives to hunt them. They also came up with the genius idea of growing the three sisters: corn, beans, and squash. This crop puts nutrients back into the soil so that they never have to be relocated. So, Native Americans were very resourceful and intelligent.
Native Americans were advanced and complex. The Eastern Woodland had a caste like system with the chief, his children, nobility, and commoners. They also had a government long before the Europeans came along. This was called the Haudenosaunee, renamed the Iroquois nation, which is still active today. Another example of how Native Americans were advanced is the Mayan. They were performing brain surgeries as early as 2000 BC. Some people were even surviving the operations. So, Native Americans were a very sophisticated and complex people.
Native Americans were very religious people. Each region had its own creation stories. Some of us may believe in evolution or an Adam and Eve story. Each of their stories is unique. The main reason people don’t think they are religious is that they aren’t Christian. Most Europeans coming over to America were. They didn’t fully understand why Native Americans believed how they did. Cultural differences often cause misunderstandings. So, Native Americans, although not Christian, were religious.
In conclusion, Native Americans were very intelligent, advanced, and religious. They manipulated their environment. They have a government system and social classes. They were very religious; having creation stories and other beliefs. So, Native Americans are probably different than you thought they were in many ways. You may not know it, but much of what you think you know about Native Americans is actually false. They were very resourceful people. They were advanced and complex. They are also very religious. Native Americans were very resourceful, complex, and had many beliefs.

Michael Worsley

10/6/2014 09:52:54 am

Native Americans were culturally diverse and knew how to survive using all of their resources.
They were culturally diverse in their religious practices, social organization, and war techniques.
The Native Americans could obviously survive, and when they did it, they really thrived using all of the Land. They cultivated and brought many new resources to the world like corn, tomatoes, and chocolate. Overall, the Native Americans were great influences to the world and when 96% of them died off, the world lost one of the greatest parts of it. The Native Americans were culturally diverse and none of them were the same. I think that there are a lot of universal stereotypes about Native Americans. Everyone thinks that they ride horses, eat bison, wear breads, live in teepees, and wear giant headdresses. That is definitely not the case. They all had different religions, gods, and other traits. One thing that I found interesting is their social ladder and organization. They usually had a chief, his children, noble type people, and then commoners. Which is very similar to that of Europe’s. They all lived in different places, and had access to all different resources. Native Americans knew the land & could survive and live in America in peace. They were excellent Farmers, hunters and fishers. They knew every trick in the book when it came to things like growing crops, Tracking animals, and places to fish. They had high efficiency in using all of their resources well. They would use almost every Single part of the animal, and when they hunted, they only took what they needed in order to survive. Plus, All of their hunts, crops, and trips were extremely well planned out. They took many precautions to make sure that things went as planned. The Natives of this continent had many unique resources that have changed the world majorly in the days that we live in currently. They grew, cultivated, and harvested things like corn, tomatoes, and Choco. Think about it, Corn is the most efficient crop on the planet. We use corn in our everyday lives more than we know it. Corn is in about every single thing that we have. They also had special ores like gold, silver, and copper. Even though they did not find these things valuable, they have much worth today and their land is still being used. Not only that, but they had advanced government practices. The Iroquois Confederacy is a great example of groups of people uniting to end a lot of their problems. It’s a democracy in its finest. Native Americans were culturally diverse and had many unique differences, practices, and styles of living. They also knew how to survive and thrive in the land that today we call America. They contributed so many Different and awesome ideas, techniques, and resources. They brought some of the greatest things that America has to offer to America. Native Americans were so unique in so many ways and our world has been utterly changed because of them.

Alec Harmon

10/6/2014 11:29:15 am

Alec Harmon B5

Do you think that talking about Native Americans is boring, or unnecessary? Native Americans are critical for out society to learn about because they provide so much information for us that it could be vital for us to study them in the future. Native Americans provide different theories of creation for us, which all have some science to prove it. They used techniques in life that we can learn from that could change some major factors included in our day to day life. Their children learn from them, and if stories aren’t passed on between the parent and the offspring, we must teach them about their exciting and historic past, because many children learn from their history.
Native Americans have many different theories of creation, same with people living today. One that is quite familiar to people living now is that of the Earth on Turtles Back, where a turtle hosts the Earth on his back, supporting life. Another is that DNA from the Middle East has been found in Native American bones, and since one of the only means of transportation in the day was a boat, there couldn’t have been any other way that they got here. One other is that of the Bering Strait, when during the last ice age, the water level had fallen, revealing a land bridge connecting present day Russia, and Alaska. There are many theories of Native American origin that we can learn from, because one of them is bound to be right, telling us where we came from.
Native Americans had many techniques that they used in their life, that could shape and influence our society into making major changes. They were highly advanced in the field of agriculture, and studying this aspect of their lives, could change the way we currently eat, making healthier foods for us with more nutrients that we can gain from it. They also used herbs to put in medicine, and although we already use herbs in some medicine today, we could study their medicines, and possibly find cures for some things we have not found a very steady cure for, such as the common cold, cancer, and other diseases that destroy us. Native Americans were also very environmentally friendly, and although they didn’t have cars, trains, airplanes, and other things that pollute the air, we could look at all the tools they used, and change some of our tools, to more modern day tools that they had. Native Americans have many techniques that we can learn from, that can change our entire look on life.
Children learn from their parents, and if they have Native American heritage that they are not teaching their kids, children can make bad choices, that can dishonor the family, while if they knew about it, they would try harder in their choices, school, and all aspects of their life. If we stop learning from Native Americans, the important things that they did and their traditions will stop being done, because the family will be embarrassed that they have Native American heritage. We have so much to learn from them, and if we stop what are we doing to the future? Children can make different choices than their ancestors did, but if their heritage is honorable, then they won’t make bad choices. Children learn from their parents, but if they know about their Native American heritage, our future society will be so much better, but that can only happen if keep studying them.
Native Americans play big roles in our life, and can change out thoughts about anything. Native Americans have different theories about their creation, all can be proved, and we can know where we came from as well. They used techniques that can influence our lives now in big ways. If we keep studying Native Americans, people won’t be ashamed of their Native American heritage, and will teach their kids that, their kids will more than likely make better choices, and our future society will be much better. It is important to learn about Native Americans because they provide key stepping stones for our society.

Grace Lundwall

10/7/2014 07:58:43 am

Grace Lundwall B5

Most people have heard the stories- Native Americans are angry savages who aimlessly wander in the wild. This idea is unfair and completely wrong. Native Americans used their resources, had diverse religions and values, and lived in an organized life with government and structure that we have much to learn from. We have much to learn from them because of the way they lived their lives.
The early Native Americans used the resources from the land to benefit themselves in many unique, interesting ways. Almost all of the tribes here planted corn, bean and squash. As a trio, these are called the three sisters. Without them planting and teaching the first Europeans about corn, bean and squash, we wouldn’t have many of our modern day foods. The Plain tribe used buffalo for nearly everything to keep them survive. They used bison for food, shelter and clothing. They lived off the land and invented new ways of using things from nature. For example, all tribes successfully used bones and teeth for tools. They were able to create and build homes such as the wigwam and the long house .
They Native Americans had diverse religions, beliefs and values. We learn this from origin stories such as Grandma Spider and Earth on Turtles Back. This shows us Natives had a deeper knowledge then would appear and they believed on a greater power beyond this Earth. We know that they believed in life after death. From studying Native American grave sites, we have seen they bury their dead with beads, meaningful possessions, servants, food and clothing. Obviously they would not do this unless they believed the dead went somewhere else. And lastly, they had values such as respect, honestly and many more that enforced their lives. The North West coast tribe had potlatches where people would come to celebrate. The host of the Potlatch would give away parts of his wealth to gain respect from others. As we can see, Native Ameicans had a deeper understanding of life then their common stereotypes.
Native Americans lived an organized life with structure and government. First, they had different ways of electing their tribe leaders. For example, in a few tribes, the women observed which men they believed was most honest. Also, in some tribes gender didn’t matter and the women were elected as the leader. Next, tribes in the Northeast joined together to join and Form the Iriquois League. This provided safety to all of the tribes, it was much more peaceful and benefited many tribes. And lastly, this race was able to survive for a very long time. They had mastered keeping everything in it’s right place. The common stereotype is that they just killed everyone and ran through the wilderness. There is really so much more structure then you think to the Native Americans life.
The Native Americans used working skills to live off the land and use the resources that they had to completely benefit their lives. All tribes had separate religion, beliefs and values that many of us do not know about. And lastly, they had very organized societies with governments. In the end, by looking over all of these tools and ideas Native Americans used to help them survive, we can learn very much from them.

Ashley Elwood

10/7/2014 08:23:30 am

Ashley Elwood B5
There are a lot of things we can learn from Native Americans that will help us today, but what are some of those things and why would they help us? One thing they teach us is how to use our environment better and not be so wasteful. Another thing they teach us how to have better trust with other groups of people. They had important values that we could learn from. They’re not the stereotypical Indians people think of them as; they are much, much more.
The first thing I thought we could learn from natives was how to use the environment better. They would use 3 plants known as the 3 sisters, corn, bean, and squash so they wouldn’t have to move out their farms and use so much land. They would also use every part of an animal, nothing was wasted, they would use the bones of the animals even the brains, they did not waste. The Native Americans didn’t take more than they needed, they would take what they needed and if they needed more they would get it rather than taking all of it, they wouldn’t cut down the whole forest for 1 winters supply of wood, so they knew not to take more than necessary. So we could learn how to preserve our land better like the Indians did.
Every culture has a government of some kind, and the natives had a good one. The Iroquois Confederacy is a great example, there were many different tribes in this confederacy and they all got along and never went to war, their 200 mile “longhouse” was very strong and we can learn from that. They would form strong alliances and help each other out in times of war. They had trust in their allies which made them strong. Their trust with other tribes is something the people now can learn from.
The last thing that I believe the Indians did that we can learn from is their values and respect. When they would kill an animal they would apologize for what they had done. They respected the dead as well, the Pacific Northwest made totem poles for the dead and burned them when the Europeans tried to take their family members totem away. They respected the land that they lived on and were grateful for everything that they had. What they valued and respected can teach us a lot about what to respect.
Those were only a few things we can learn from the Native American people, there is so much more that is important to learn about. We can learn how to use the environment better. We can also learn trust. And another thing we can learn is values and respect. The Indians were wise and did a lot of things we should be doing now, hopefully we will learn and do what they did someday.

Trent Stevenson

10/7/2014 10:07:55 am

Trent Stevenson B5

Native American Essay

A lot of people today believe that native americans are, and were, warlike and not intelligent. The opposite is true. Natives were very intelligent, and without them the European settlers would have never survived. They knew many things, among them was the knowledge to build something out of nothing. They learned how to adapt, to even the harshest environments. They also taught to preserve, so I believe that we should preserve them, more specifically, their religion.
First off, natives knew how to make things out of nothing, to create, and they taught this. Their genius was shown through many things, one of which was through their canoes. Instead of having to labor hard with an axe, they used controlled fires to burn it out. Their weapons, were made of rocks and shells, sharpened as sharp as, if not sharper, than steel weapons. Even their houses were a stroke of genius. Every single Native home was made to withstand their environment, like having grown trees being the frame of their house in the Eastern Woodland’s homes to withstand hurricane force winds. All of the previously mentioned are all genius.
Next, them natives had a way to adapt, and survive in almost any environment. There were natives EVERYWHERE. This one fact proves that they could and did adapt to everything. There were some natives that lived in the north pole, while some lived in the desert, and even some who lived on the coast. They had to make clothing with the animals they eat, which is different everywhere, and the hardest in the north pole. All of this, and i don’t believe that they are given enough credit for this.
The last thing is that native’s taught to preserve so we need to preserve their culture too. The native’s used their culture for many things. The inuit had a medicine mando a ritual to bring the animals to them when hunting. They used their religion to explain things they couldn’t explain any other way. If we don’t preserve this, why preserve christianity, judaism, or confucianism? Some might make the argument that nobody believes in the natives religion anymore, but a lot of people do.
I conclude that Native’s were very important and had a lot to give to society today. The natives were, and are, an extremely intelligent people, and they could learn to survive in almost any environment through using this extensive knowledge. They taught how to preserve, and we need to honor this, and preserve them.

The End

Bethany Enger

10/7/2014 10:57:29 am

There are multiple stereotypes for Native Americans, but which ones are true? No one Native American tribe was exacly the same. These people were intelligent, bright, and have truly improved this world. The Natives of America were a very advanced agricultural people. Native Americans were a truly unique, intelligent, and advanced civilization that have helped shaped the world today as we know it.
To be honest with you, no one tribe was exactly the same to another. In reality, there are estimated 520 separate tribes in America. Most of these people had different religious beliefs or why things happen the way they do. One example of this is the comparison of the Eastern Woodland and the Southwest Indians. The Eastern Woodland believed there ancestors were a Sky People, and the Earth is actually a giant turtle. The poeple of the Southwest's faith is that they believe the first human was made from the dust of the creators hands after finishing all of their spirits. There is also the fact about how these tribes lived. The Plains Indians were very dependent on bison to make their homes, clothes, and for food. The Pacific Northwest lived in long houses that could hold familes at a time. The location of the tribes also effects there individuality. The diets of the Eastern Woodland were mainly the Three Sisters(corn, bean, and squash), meanwhile the California Natives' main food was fish. All of these facts show no tribe is alike. How does this lead to there intelligence though?
If you think about it, the Native Americans were pretty smart. The Natives formed a way to govern themselves. The French called it the Iroquois League. This is structure of government that we currently use today. Again, the sense of individualism comes into play again. When a child was born, they were given a name. When they were of age, the child had a test and created a name for his or herself. When doing this, it is basically showing they are the ones choosing the path of their lives. You may be wondering how these people came to be in America. The truth is, there are multiple explanations as to how they got here. One of these very likely conclusions is the Natives were cleaver enough to make boats and sail here. Clearly, this shows that Indians are not at all as dull as stereotypes say they are.
Not only were they bright, they also were wizards when it came to agriculture. When the Native Americans got hold of maize(corn), which was very small in size, they used their skills to form the everyday corn we see today. Corn is also know as one of the Three Sisters. Corn is full of vitamins and nutrients, but at a price. The soil that helps the corn grow is drained of nitrogen. Some Native Tribes do not like the idea of continuously moving around for the dirt. The other sister, bean and squash, help solve this dilemma. Bean and squash put nitrogen back into the ground. This way tribe don't have to be nomadic. Another way to show there superiority in agriculture is their green thumbs. Native Americans took care of their forests. They created small, controlable fire to clear the grounds to make the bigger trees around them grow bigger and healthier. Not only does it help with the trees, but with wild game as well. Not having all the weeds and brush on the ground made less hiding places for the game. Overall, these Indians were ture magicians with agriculture to breeding, growing, and cleaning.
Can you know see where stereotypes can be wrong? Every single tribe is origanal, one of a kind. How can all 520 tribes be the same? Native Americans were extremely bright if they could create a government that we, as of now, base off of. These warlocks of the forest helped keep agriculture strong and healthy. In conclusion, Native Americans are a very distinct, ingenious, and more advanced people than we realize.

Kaden hardcastle

10/7/2014 11:47:51 am

Who really were the Native Americans, did they all ride horses, and live in teepees, and wear braids in their hair? They actually lived in amazing societies that are structured much like today. They were masters at adapting to any environment they encountered, from hot and dry, to snowy and cold. They had religious stories with morals and standards in them. The Native Americans weren’t all the same, they had different cultures and very unique lives.
Native Americans lived in different societies together, some of which are structured just like our current society. The Eastern Woodland Natives lived in complex societies. Normally they were divided into classes, consisting of the commoners, the nobility, the chief and his children. They also formed the Iroqouis Confederacy. Congress today is structured just like it, because it included a decision-making governmental body. The Plains Natives also worked together to get things done. They would cause a stampede in a herd of buffalo. They would have two riders on the sides of the stampede to direct the buffalo towards a cliff. The one who caused the stampede would then hide on a ledge under the cliff, while all of the buffalo would jump off of the cliff and die, right where the rest of the tribe would be waiting. The Native Americans lived in did live in societies, just like we do.
The Native Americans were masters of their environments, and were able to use the resources they found to the best of their abilities. Depending on where they lived they could build their shelters out of just about anything. The Southwest built their houses out of adobe and stone, to fit the dry environment. The Inuit made igloos, and houses made with animal skins. A lot of the other tribes used the all of the wood in their area to build strong homes, wigwams and longhouses. They also used their environment for food. Some of them were able to harvest the three sisters, corn, bean and squash. A lot of them hunted to get meat. The Inuit even hunted a lot of bigger animals, such as caribou, whale, polar bears, seals and walrus. Almost all of the tribes were able to gather berries, even the Inuit gathered them in the spring when they were able to grow in the cold environment. The Plains Indians were able to use one main resource for almost everything they needed. They used buffalo for food and shelter. They would make teepees out of the buffalo skin, and used the meat for food.
The Native Americans also had a ton of great religious stories that had lessons to them. One of the stories was the Maple Trees. A chief found his friends all lying on their backs, almost lifelessly, just letting the maple syrup drip into their mouths. He decided that he couldn’t let this happen, because they would become lazy. He changed the trees, and made it so the syrup was watery, and that you could get very little syrup from collecting a lot of the watery liquid. This teaches us that we shouldn’t be lazy. We need to work hard to achieve the things which we desire. Another story is about Loo Wit. There were two brothers, who were made chiefs and given land by the Creator. But they fought and fought continuously. Then the Creator took fire away from them, because they couldn’t stop quarreling. Then, Loo Wit said she would share her fire with them, if the Creator made her beautiful. When her wish was granted, she shared her fire with both tribes. Both of the brothers wanted her hand in marriage. She couldn’t choose between them, and there was more fighting, so finally, the three of them were turned into mountains by the Creator. This story teaches us that we shouln’t fight, that we should have peace. Fighting never achieves anything. The final story is Spring Defeats Winter. When winter comes, he sends all of the forest animals scurrying away, bringing dread to the forest. He then builds his house and lives there. But then Spring comes, and confronts Winter. Winter was to old, and Spring was more powerful, so he is defeated. Spring melts the snow and makes the forest a good place for the animals to live again. This story explains that we should always have hope, no matter what, and that in the end things will be better. The Native Americans were religious people, who lived by the standards set in their stories.
The natives were unique, people with different cultures, and we can learn these things from them. They did live in societies, some of which congress is shaped like today. They lived just about anywhere, and were able to sustain themselves with the land. They had Religion, which was explained through their stories. The Natives were amazing people, and we can’t just have all of it lost in the past.

Kennedy Morris

10/7/2014 12:01:00 pm

There are many things we can learn from Native Americans. Some Natives had advanced technology for the time period. They used the environment to their advantage. We can learn important life lessons from their stories. Native Americans did many things that we can learn from.
The Aztecs and Mayas had advanced technology for the time period. There has been evidence that brain surgery was performed on an Aztec Native and he survived. A portion of the skull had been removed and replaced, they can tell he survived because the bone had started to heal. Some native also had a written language, such as the Aztec and Maya Natives. Some of the written languages have been in the form of hieroglyphs. Some natives even had calendars. Their calendars are called calendar stones. Some Native Americans had technology that was advanced for the time period.
Natives used whatever they could find to help them survive. They made stable homes with what they could find in their environment. A good example is the Eastern Woodland Natives, they used the bark of trees to make their homes and used other trees to support them. They also made clothing out of their resources, to keep them warm. The Plains Indians made clothing out of buffalo hide. Finally, they used their environment to get food. The California Indians hunted sea mammals. They also fished and gathered berries. Native Americans took advantage of their environment to survive.
Native Americans have stories that teach important life lessons that still apply to us today. A Native story called Manabozho and the Maple Trees teaches us not to be lazy. Another story they have is called Loo-Wit it teaches how beauty isn’t everything and war isn’t always the answer. Lastly, they have a story called Spring Defeats Winter its message is there is always hope, spring always comes after winter. Native American stories have important life lessons.

Native Americans did all sorts of things that we can learn from. They had some advanced technology. They also used all the resources they could find to survive. Lastly, they taught important life lessons through stories. It’s important to learn about Native Americans to keep the past from repeating itself and to make our lives better.

Hailey Henline

10/7/2014 12:34:53 pm

Do you think of people who are not religious or live in tepees when you hear about Native Americans? If you do, then, you might be interested in learning about their cultures and beliefs. Native Americans have beliefs that help them throughout their lives. The Native Americans had a unique system of government and way of choosing their leaders. They valued and empowered women. Native Americans are complex, diverse, and unique. Their beliefs helped them be different than other cultures.
Native Americans had beliefs that helped them throughout their lives. They have a belief where a woman named Loo Wit turned into a mountain because two men were fighting over her. The Native Americans were told that if they did not treat the earth with respect or share it, Loo Wit would show how unhappy she and the Creator were with them. They have a story that tells of a chief who saw his villagers lying on their backs letting the tasty syrup drip from the trees into their mouths. The chief thinned the syrup by pouring water on the trees. After that, his villagers had to work hard to get a little syrup. Another belief is about a group of animals that lied in the shad, but they wanted to have the sun shining above them. They tried several times to get a piece of the sun, but each time it did not work. Eventually, Grandmother Spider made a bag of webs and put a piece of the sun in it. The Buzzard placed it on his head, and he flew high into the sky, so they could share its light. The Buzzard sacrificed the feathers on his head, so they could have the sun shining high in the sky. The Native Americans learned to treat the earth with respect and hard work would bring great rewards. Their beliefs helped them be better people and make good decisions.
The Native Americans had unique systems of government and ways of choosing government. In other countries you were either a land owning man, or you were born into the job, but the Native Americans voted to decide who their leader would be. The Native Americans who wanted to be in charge had to be the best to lead, or he was not allowed to rule. Some of Northeastern tribes formed the Iroquois Confederacy, a confederacy of six nations. The confederacy was well-planned and better defined than any other Native American confederacy. Other tribes made a decision making government much like Congress today. The government stressed ceremony, ritual, and structure over individual leadership. Different tribes had strong systems of government and often included women in leadership roles.
Native Americans valued and empowered women. In some tribes, only women were allowed to choose who they wanted to be the leader of the tribe. The women chose who they thought would be for the job or who they liked. Pocahontas is a great example because when she was a very young girl, she was smart enough to know that the Native Americans and the Europeans needed each other. She learned English and moved back and forth between the Europeans and the Native Americans, so they could create a trade and trust between the two. Weetamoo was just the opposite; she fought against the Europeans, and she was elected as a political and religious leader. Weetamoo allied her tribe with others to force the Europeans out of the Americas. Women were important to the Native Americans, and they contributed to many things that they do.
In conclusion, Native American beliefs helped them throughout their lives because they learned to created fair ways to choose their leaders and had different systems of government. Those who led had to be the best at what they did, and they could vote on their leaders. Woman were valued and empowered by Native Americans. Only they could vote, and some rose to power because of how good they were. Native Americans are different than what some people think they are; they are special and complex. Everyone can learn something from them.

Maxwell Jardine

10/8/2014 12:10:34 pm

Loved your essay Hailey :)

Makayla Pett

10/7/2014 12:47:21 pm

Why do we learn about Native Americans? How can this help us? Native Americans valued the world and its creations. They were very civilized and unique in their lifestyles. They manipulated their environment to best fit their needs. Native American cultures were complex, unique, and enriched the world we know today.
Native Americans valued the world and its creations. Some Native Americans believed that the animals were part of their creation, causing them to be kind to the animals. In the story “Earth on Turtles Back” animals carried up earth from the bottom of the water so the sky woman could have a place to live. The earth was placed on the Great Turtle’s back, and it grew into the Earth we know now. Some other Native Americans believed that the land had emotions, and it once lived as people before us. In the story “Loo-Wit, The Fire Keeper,” two brothers are given land for their people, and at the river where their land connects, a bridge stands to resemble peace amongst the people. But once the people started fighting, the creator darkened the skies and took away fire. The people grew cold and begged the creator for fire again. So the creator went to Loo-Wit, the only person fire remained with, and promised to give her whatever she desired if she would give the people fire. She wished to be young and beautiful. The next day Loo-Wit stood at the bridge as keeper of the fire. Because Loo-Wit was so beautiful, the two brothers fought over who would marry her. In anger, the Creator turned them into mountains. Today they are known as Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood. Loo-Wit felt horrible that her beauty caused others pain, so the Creator turned her into a mountain too. Today she is known as Mt. St. Helens. Now it is believed that even though she sleeps, she is still aware of the actions of the people. Others believed that the ocean was controlled by a living being. One story of Sedna tells the story of a once beautiful young girl. Her father cut off her fingers, which turned into some of the beasts of the sea. Having no fingers to hold on with, she fell into the sea. It is said that she controls the waters and the seas.
Native Americans were very civilized and unique in their lifestyles. They had complex political governmental bodies similar to our government today. In the Iroquois confederacy, a man was appointed a political and religious leader. Since only a man could be the leader, only the women could vote so they could still have a say in the government. Native Americans had very complex and artistic living structures entirely different than other structures around the world. Buildings varied from longhouses, wigwams, and tipis, to even mounds for different purposes such as living structures, religious, or political buildings. Some Native Americans strongly valued individualism and finding yourself. Some would be able to choose their name that defines who they are and what they want to become. They weren’t forced into a specific path in life; they had a choice of who they would be.
Native Americans manipulated their environment to best fit their needs. They used the land in the most productive ways possible. One example of this was they way they avoided crop rotation. They grew corn and beans together in a tri-pod so the nutrient amount in the soil would stay the same. Native Americans grew plants to get the best amount and results. They figured out ways to genetically alter plants and get larger amounts of crops. This made the crops far more efficient. Native Americans also stored food in ways that kept it fresh for long periods of time. Some made traps to keep large fish in. The fish could stay alive and fresh, but remain in the trap as a large supply of fish.
Native Americans had a strong value for the world that we may not have understood. They cherished the creations of the world and were kind to the animals. They were very civilized in their cultures and lifestyles. They manipulated the nature around them and lived in a way that was beneficial for them. Native Americans were very complex and enriched our world today. We can learn so much from them and the way they lived.

Kylie Takahashi

10/7/2014 01:12:20 pm

You must know a lot about Native Americans, but most of what you know is probably wrong. Native Americans had a better agriculture and understanding of it. They respected all animals, and loved most of them. Native Americans used and took care of nature instead of destroying nature.There is so much you could learn to help you be healthier and keep the world healthier, and if you share it the whole world could be better place.
Native Americans had better agriculture and understanding of it. Most tribes were mostly farmers and did little hunting. They would eat mostly crops and some fish which made them very healthy. They also made corn and tomatoes bigger. They were much healthier than the settlers. The had a very healthy diet. They ate mostly crops, their main source of protein came from beans. They didn’t eat much meat. They had only as much as needed, and asked for forgiveness from animals they killed.
Native Americans respected all animals and loved a lot of them. They ate something different then most people. They ate mostly crops and some fish. Their main source of protein was from beans not meat and poultry. They really showed how much they loved animals. When there weren’t enough crops they would ask for forgiveness from the animals they killed. They really showed respect for animals. When they did kill animals they only killed as much as needed.
Native Americans would help and use nature rather than destroy nature.They would set fire to the woods, but not to get rid of the trees. They would get rid of the brush and keep the trees and the grass. They used trees to their advantage not even needing to cut them down. They would build house next to new tree. Then the tree would grow around it so their house didn’t blow away in storms.They even used nature to make an environment for animals, so that when they needed food, it wouldn’t be far away.
Native Americans were so better at understanding agriculture and had a better one two. They respected all the animals and loved most of them. They would help and use nature instead of destroying nature. You can learn so much from Native Americans, You can learn to be healthier and make the world healthier, and if you share it the world would be a better place.

Beth Bagley

10/7/2014 01:17:47 pm

WAY TO GO HASHI THIS WAS REALLY TRULY AMAZING

Elizabeth "Beth" Bagley B5

10/7/2014 01:16:25 pm

Beth Bagley B5
Native Americans; almost everyone knows of them, but not everybody knows about them. The original people of America were not indeed “Savages” as many people like to call them. Many of these native tribes are categorized as the same tribe, but that statement if not true. Lastly, the Native Americans were successful, what can our society learn from them to become more prosperous?
The first people of America were not “savages”, they were/are a civilized people. Contrary to civil belief Native Americans did have a government, it was a democracy, and a very advanced form of government, the Iroquois League was a very lager and fruitful example of a democratic government. The reason many of our people believe that the Natives were uncivilized is because that is how it was documented, but the only documents in which everyone reads are the papers that the English people wrote; they were strongly biased and so everyone reads a strongly biased opinion. Although the Natives had a written language, the colonists chose to overlook the fact they had provided proof, because they wanted brand all natives as “uncivilized”. Because they had a written language, a government, and homes that proves they are just as civilized as everybody else.
Just like today, not every neighbor is the same, everyone has different beliefs, ancestors, and different personalities, so categorizing everyone as the same family, would not make sense. The native people of America all had different religious beliefs, as we look into their different creation stories, we can see some people thought the earth was made out of a turtle, that a possum brought us the sun, etc. that goes on to prove that not even religion was the same across the land. Again, another different is the geographical location of every single tribe. Some lived in the mountains, some lived ocean side, some lived in the desert, and some in the forest, meaning that all of their resources would vary. In the end, not one person is the exact same as the other, so how ca you categorize the sun and the moon as the same object? Not one tribe was exactly similar, because no one tribe is of the same everything.
Native Americans were an effective people for the most part; some things our society can learn from them include: diet, honor code, and government. The diet of a native consisted of natural food without chemicals. Besides trading, everything they ate was home grown and extremely healthy. Another item of business we can take into consideration, is that the natives respected everyone and thing; children were usually considered just as important as adults, which is different from our current society because youth are almost always considered naïve. The government of many tribes was also really fair, unlike now days, you did not need wealth to win the title of president, you were simply elected by the women and if you were not fit to rule after some time, someone else was elected. It is strongly felt by the author that the Natives of America were a successful people.
In conclusion, every tribe was a civilized tribe (in some way), with a system of organization. Not every tribe was alike, everyone differs today, and it was like that back then, too. Our society has so many things to learn about Native Americans, they were an extraordinary group of people. The original tribes of America, although from the past, have many things both untold, and knowledgeable that our community has to learn about.

beth bagley

10/7/2014 01:25:44 pm

HEY SORRY THIS WAS MY ROUGH DRAFT AND SO THE ONE BELOW IS THE FINAL COPY IGNORE THIS ONE PLEASE.

Beth Bagley B5

10/7/2014 01:24:50 pm

Beth Bagley B5
Native Americans; almost everyone knows of them, but not everybody knows about them. The original people of America were not indeed “Savages” as many people like to call them. Many of these native tribes are categorized as the same tribe, but that statement is not true. Lastly, the Native Americans were successful, what can our society learn from them to become more prosperous?
The first people of America were not “savages”, they were/are a civilized people. Contrary to popular belief Native Americans did have a government, it was a democracy, and a very advanced form of government. The Iroquois League was a very large and fruitful example of a democratic government. The reason many of our people believe that the Natives were uncivilized is because that is how it was documented, but the only documents in which everyone reads are the papers that the English people wrote; they were strongly biased and so everyone reads a strongly biased opinion. Although the Natives had a written language, the colonists chose to overlook the fact they had provided proof of language, because they wanted brand all natives as “uncivilized”. Because they had a written language, a government, and homes that proves they are just as civilized as everybody else.
Just like today, not every neighbor is the same, everyone has different beliefs, ancestors, and different personalities, so categorizing everyone as the same family, would not make sense. The native people of America all had different religious beliefs, as we look into their different creation stories, we can see some people thought the earth was made out of a turtle, that a possum brought us the sun, etc. that goes on to prove that not evey religion was the same across the land. Again, another difference is the geographical location of every single tribe. Some lived in the mountains, some lived ocean side, some lived in the desert, and some in the forest, meaning that all of their resources would vary. In the end, not one person is the exact same as the other, so how can you categorize the sun and the moon as the same object? Not one tribe was exactly similar, because no one tribe is of the same everything.
Native Americans were an effective people for the most part; some things our society can learn from them include: diet, honor code, and government. The diet of a native consisted of natural food without chemicals. Besides trading, everything they ate was home grown and extremely healthy. Another item of business we can take into consideration, is that the natives respected everyone and thing; children were usually considered just as important as adults, which is different from our current society because youth are almost always considered naïve. The government of many tribes was also really fair, unlike now days, you did not need wealth to win the title of president, you were simply elected by the women and if you were not fit to rule after some time, someone else was elected. It is strongly felt by the author that the Natives of Americans were a successful people.
In conclusion, every tribe was a civilized tribe (in some way), with a system of organization. Not every tribe was alike, everyone differs today, and it was like that back then, too. Our society has so many things to learn about Native Americans, they were an extraordinary group of people. The original tribes of America, although from the past, have many things both untold, and knowledgeable that our community has to learn about.

Brooke Symkoviak

10/7/2014 01:53:02 pm

The Native Americans that actually lived are not the stereotypical ruthless savages that they are usually thought of as. They were complex societies that have a lot to contribute to our world. Sadly, they were killed quickly after the European colonists got here as a result of diseases. Here are just a few of the things that we could learn from them. First, Native Americans have a complex society that taught everyone to work together. They also learned how to manipulate their environment according to their needs. Lastly, their ideas of how people should live their lives were different than those of the rest of the world. Native American cultures were unique and complex. There are many things that we can learn from them that would enrich our lives today.

Native American societies were complex and taught everyone to work together. They had a working government and democracy. The Haudenosaunee democracy had a grand council with representatives from each tribe. Men and women worked together in politics so everyone was happy. In some cultures like the Haudenosaunee democracy only women could vote and only men could rule. Some Native Americans realized that their survival depended on helping others. One good example of this was Pocahontas. She realized that even different cultures need to work together and trust each other.

Native Americans learned how to manipulate their environment according to their needs. They learned to farm in a way that was best for their needs. They planted corn, beans, and squash in the same area to balance out the nutrients in the soil. The Natives made hunting easier by changing the land. They burned all of the weeds, and planted grass in the forest for an optimal hunting environment. Other Native American tribes used existing landforms to their advantage. The Plains Indians use certain cliffs to kill buffalo. They had kids heard buffalo to a cliff and all the buffalo would jump off and die.

Native American ideas of how people should live their lives were different from the rest of the world. Native Americans had an idea of individualism. When children became a certain age, they went out in the wild for a few days. In those few days they communicated with spirits that told them what their names are. They also realized that certain ways of marrying would cause problems for their children. They were allowed to marry whomever they wanted, noble or commoners. Native Americans had a good idea of nutrition and how to stay healthy. They were all healthy and fit while the Europeans were fat and unhealthy.

Native Americans had a unique and complex cultures. They can teach us many things that will enrich our lives. Native American societies taught everyone to work together. They learned how to work with the environment to make their lives easier. Native Americans have an idea of individualism that set them apart from the rest of the world.

Brooke Symkoviak

10/7/2014 01:58:37 pm

Sorry... submitted the wrong first sentance! here is the final version... The Native Americans were not the ruthless savages that they are often incorrectly stereotyped to be.

Jessica Craig

10/20/2014 01:23:42 am

I liked how you used interesting words in your essay. It was concise.

Jessica Craig

10/7/2014 02:00:22 pm

Were the Native Americans as interesting as the Europeans? Most people do not realize the integrated beauty of the Native American culture and lifestyle. They only know the stereotype of an “Indian”. The true Native Americans were far more complex, adapted, and advanced than meets the eye. Native Americans possessed a very witty nature about themselves, which they used plentifully. They adapted to be able to coincide with the natural environment around them. Finally, the culture of Native Americans was very different from other cultures, such as European. Collectively, Native Americans were smart, adaptable, and different in lifestyle and culture.
Native Americans were very intelligent. California Native Americans once had more than one hundred languages in the area where they lived. The Southwest Natives figured out how to get plumbing in their cities. This was long before Europeans also figured it out. The Plains people wisely used every single part of the bison they could possibly use. There are many more clever peoples who executed many other incredible feats, but the Haudenosaunee Democracy (also known as the Iroquois Confederacy) deserves a bow of astonished acknowledgement for the accomplishment of their objective- to create a peaceful society with a democratic government to be able to endure alongside each other in unity. The Eastern Woodland people developed a democracy, commonly known as the Iroquois Confederacy. This highly refined government learned to live in peace with one another, which Europe is still working on. The national news is proof of that. Scotland recently attempted to recede from the United Kingdom. The five major tribes in the Iroquois Confederacy stayed strong and supported one another. The Iroquois Confederacy also lived in unanimity with their surroundings.
Native Americans learned to live with the appropriate environment surrounding them. They used the materials and resources they lived around to live in comfort, trade for otherwise inaccessible riches, and to survive as a prospering nation. For example, one group of Native Americans, commonly called the Inuit, lived in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic area of the world. They adapted to that region when nobody else could. They survived blizzards, snow, ice, cold, and in one of the harshest climates on our planet. On the other hand, the Great Plains people had to endure heat. The Great Plains Native Americans had to adapt to the desert, as well as the Inuit. They learned to live using mostly bison as their food, clothing and homes. From the Eastern Woodland to the Pacific Northwest, Native Americans live in and with their environment using harmony and balance between themselves and the world in which they live in. Europeans couldn’t figure out how to do that; they learned to live while exploiting their habitat. Once again, this proves how divergent Native Americans and Europeans were.
Native American culture was very different from European culture. Europeans dress, believe and live differently from Native Americans. In Europe, the leaders (of a country, territory, etcetera) were men, seldom were these majestic rulers women. In many Native American tribes, Native women often wielded power. For example, a young girl named Weetamoo led her tribe against the European newcomers. She was of powerful leadership and is markedly remembered for it. Another young girl named Pocahontas is typically more prestigious, rather than Weetamoo. Pocahontas brought peace and solidarity to the Powhatan people and to the European immigrants. Another example of the Natives’ differences is the clothing. Native Americans wore animal skin clothing and shoes. People tend to be biased towards their culture/religion. Native Americans dieted differently based on the geographical features surrounding them. Many tribes ate what are known as the Three Sisters: corn, beans, and squash. Almost all the tribes ate some sort of local animal meat. Other people may not agree with what the Native Americans’ culture is, but it is important still to some.
Native Americans were an interesting group of people. We could learn much from their extensive knowledge, which most of which has been disappointingly lost- due to more than one variable. Their show of bravery to survive in the harshest climates on Earth is inspiring to the human race. Even though their culture may be different on many levels from some other nations, the human race should still respect their culture and lifestyle. Conclusively, Native Americans can teach humans a lot about life and living it.

Brooklyn Kotter

10/7/2014 02:22:09 pm

Native American Essay
Brooklyn Kotter B5
What do you know about Native Americans? If the only information you have comes from television almost everything is incorrect. While society mostly portrays them as uncivilized, inferior, and warlike, that is not the case. While some may have been that way not all were the same. One of the things that you can say is that Native Americans were inventive, smart, and contributed many things to the world. They provided numerous ideas and inventions. We can learn from how they worked with the land, and when we read about their belief stories there is much that we may gain.
They contributed many ideas and creations. Firstly, Native Americans made different foods better. They changed corn, or maize, and made it bigger and better. It was much smaller than it is today. They also altered tomatoes and peanuts, as well as other things. They helped develop today’s government in a way, too. Most went by meritocracy. That is a form of government based on your ability or skill, who is best for the job. Unlike in some places where it is based off of those with family connections rather than talent. In the United States we elect the president rather than just having family relations judge who is in charge. They also brought individualism with how they named their kids. Children would get birth names and when they were at a certain age, maybe seven to nine, they would get to choose their own name.
Most can learn from how they worked with the land they had. For one thing you can look at how they dealt with their crops, if you are a farmer you could try out different ways they used. One thing they did was crop rotation. Basically, if you have four squares of land you only plant something in three of them, then the next time you leave a different plot open, and so on. Many Native Americans used the land to their advantage when hunting. An example of this is bison cliffs. They would herd the bison over to a cliff using a runner. That runner would jump over the cliff but hide in a safe little cave. The bison would fall off and hit the ground. Most of them would die in the process but if they didn’t the Native Americans waiting below finished them off. They would get a lot of bison from this. That was very smart of them to use the land like that. Also, I can’t think of a single Native American home that doesn’t use parts of nature. The most commonly used is wood, for support or shingles and such. Other things include grass or mud. Homes were dependent on where they lived and what they had, some Inuit even made igloos to live in. If those listed aren’t good use of resources then what is?
Native American belief stories teach us about some important aspects of life. Like friendship, love, or respect. Some show the bad in being greedy or jealous, for example the story of Loo-Wit the Fire-Keeper. A shortened version of the story would be two brothers ruled different areas. They were greedy and jealous and they fought over the land. Loo-Wit got turned into a beautiful woman and they fought over her, too. The story ends with the brothers being turned into Mount Adams and Mount Hood. Loo- Wit was turned into Mount Saint Helens to keep the peace. It told of how it was not good to be envious and argue. Many have the lesson as sacrifice and honor. For instance How Grandmother Spider Stole the Sun. Different animals helped in getting the sun into the sky. Some got hurt doing so but they were honored. You might find some stories where the moral is to not be lazy. This is shown in Manabozho and the Maple Trees. Everyone was lazy drinking sap from the trees so Manabozho made it so they had to work for the sweet syrup. We can all take this lessons into our lives.
In conclusion, we know that Native Americans created many helpful things. They have taught people from the way they worked with the land and did not just ruin it. Finally, the stories and legends about what they believe teach great lessons that are very useful. Anyone and everyone has something they could learn from educating themselves about true facts about Native Americans. They have really enriched our lives from their knowledge.

Ashley Elwood

10/9/2014 07:43:39 am

oh my gosh brookyn so amazing
its so fandiddilydangdongtastic

Lauren Melville

10/7/2014 02:34:21 pm

When Europeans found the "New land," they also found new people. Many folks today think that these settlers in colonial times were more advanced than the natives, because they had different technologies and faiths. Even if we know that isn't the case, there are many ways to be more advanced than someone or something else. One group of Native Americans can be considered more successful than another in different ways. They knew how to farm foods and handle their environment in ways that those from the east had never seen, or understood. When you think about it, they left a lot behind for us, even if they didn't mean to.
Having a lot of resources, like food, can be considered successful. The northern coastal tribes lived between the Pacific ocean and Cascade mountains. There was plenty of food to sustain them, and that was just by foraging. As with all history, geography played an important role with how the natives interacted. The Iroquois confederacy, also known as the Haudenosaunee empire, is an alliance of various tribes that in Pre-Colombian times dominated the east coast. They were closely clustered, and allowed them to have such a close relationship. Another major power in ancient America was Cahokia. This was a city at the heart or the continent, and was able to trade with many people from many places because of the rivers. They were incredibly wealthy in that way.
Cahokia, and many other non-nomadic tribes, grew their own crops for food. They knew how to manage them incredibly well. Certain crops, like corn, sucked out the nutrients in the soil very quickly. These crops had to be rotated, or planted in a new location, which the Natives did very well. They also had a very healthy diet in most regions, Like in Eastern coastal cultures. There, they grew the three sisters: Corn, beans, and squash. These three foods had most if not all of the essential nutrients for a healthy diet. Speaking of corn, Native Americans were able to genetically alter it and other foods like tomatoes so that they would grow in greater amounts.
These new foods amazed Europeans, and some were essential to the settlers' survival. try to imagine a world without corn today! Corn syrup, flour, even used as a building material. Native like Squanto taught the European settlers how to farm the corn, bust he wasn't the only famous figurehead that most of us have heard of. Most people know about Pocahontas, who was interested in Colonial settlers, and helped them out once she understood them. Also, many native cultures built amazing structures that are beautiful even when in ruins, like the ones in Chacchoben. Those ruins, made by the Mayans in their time, are very famous today and attract many tourists.
Too many people take for granted and give stereotypes to the Native Americans, and don't appreciate how diverse and advanced they really were. Even though we might have certain technologies, they had different ones and ways of seeing the world. They were very agriculturally advanced, and left much legacy behind. We only learned a little bit from them, and we still have a lot to learn from them.

Brenna Frampton

10/8/2014 01:13:33 am

Brenna Frampton B5
As we sit down in history class, we listen to the lectures of our teachers. Some of them can be interesting, and some of them can be not so interesting. In our classes we seem to study Native Americans quite a lot. We might ask ourselves, are Native Americans even relevant anymore? What do we even learn from them? I think that we can learn mounds of things from these interesting and intriguing people. Firstly we can learn how to use things resourcefully, second how to be connected with the earth, and lastly how to live efficiently in everything we do. This seems like a lot of relevance to me.
Native Americans were extremely resourceful. They used every part of their natural resources; they plains Indians would use every single part of the buffalo. They even modified their natural surroundings, like making huge “parks” in the forests of the eastern United States. They grew so much, it was almost crazy. The tomatoes, pumpkin, corn, bean, and squash were just some of the amazing and very healthy crops they grew. This seems like using your resources to a full potential to me.
They were very much connected to this Earth, and they showed it. I think this might be one of the most important things that Native Americans can teach us, how to be connected. First thing is, they believed in spirits. The Inuit Natives prayed to their totems to talk to the spirits of their ancestors. They knew that someone was there for them. They also knew everything had a spirit, life, and a name. Before they killed the animals they were going to eat, they would pray to their gods thanking them for the food, and also they would ask that the animal’s spirit would not suffer. They also understood we are connected in circle, in hoop, that never ends. They taught their children the story of Grandmother Spider and how she and her animal friends were connected and related. They were just connected to the Earth through spirit, and that’s something I hope to achieve one day.
Natives did everything efficiently, if it wasn’t efficient, they modified it until it was. They grew and caught things so well. They grew their tomatoes on these stilts so the crop could grow more fruit. They also made these intricate traps to catch fish. It would hold fish in it until you wanted to eat them. They built their houses so efficiently. They used a tree in the Eastern Woodland tribes to build a house, but the thing was the tree could still grow while being used for the house. This made their housing hurricane proof. Unlike some cultures, Natives had a very well working government system. In one part of the U.S, the Native women were in charge of voting for who they thought was the best leader. In another part, there was a system called the Iriquois Confederacy. A bunch of tribes banded together to keep peace and to govern their people. It worked so well for the Natives. All of these tactics were extremely efficient, some of these things we may need to take to mind.
Looking back at our history we can see how much Native Americans helped and affected our country. We can learn so many good themes from them. Natives used all of their surrounding like food, clothing, nature, and more very resourcefully. They knew how to be connected with this Earth in spirit. Everything in their life was efficient. So yes, I believe that Native Americans are still extremely relevant. I truly think that Natives can teach us so much more than we ever thought they could.

Jake Shepherd

10/10/2014 10:40:29 am

Native American Essay
Jake Shepherd B5
We, as humans, believe that we are the most intelligent things on Earth. We think that people like Native Americans could only teach us how to ride horses, shoot a bow and arrow, and build and live in tipis. We don’t think they could teach us anything important for our time. But if you think this, you don’t know how wrong you are. Natives might not be as advanced as us, but they had their lives almost down to a science. They could’ve taught us and our world so much to make the world a better place. I believe they could’ve taught us more about religion through stories and the story morals! They could’ve taught us about how to eat healthier diets and live longer! They could’ve taught us to be productive without all the pollution in the air from cars and factories! This is only a little of what they could’ve taught us, but we can still learn a lot from these unique and amazing people.
They had so many good stories that connected to how the Native’s believed certain events in life happened, such as how they were created, how they got an ocean, why they got the land they got, why things in nature came to be, and so much more. Their stories also had morals that could’ve been interpreted differently by different people. Different people could even come up with multiple different and good morals, and take them differently than one another. One of my favorite Native American stories is the Eastern Woodland story of how Spring defeats Winter. The story goes like this. Winter comes and freezes everything; snow and his friend, Northern Winds, follow him everywhere he goes. Winter makes a house of ice and settles in it for the winter. All the animals leave and for many months, Winter and Northern Winds stay in the fortress of ice. Eventually, it starts to get warmer. Northern Winds has to leave because it gets too warm. Winter is confused on what is happening and he sees a young man bringing flowers and animals wherever he went. Winter’s fortress melts and Winter goes away because Spring defeated him. This story is how the Eastern Woodland people believe spring comes after winter, which is how it connects religiously. A moral to this story is that good things will always triumph over evil; but that is just one of many different morals in this story.
They had a lot better diets than the Europeans had at the time. The main foods that most Natives had were corn, beans and squash; in some tribes also known as the three sisters. They also hunted for meat, but they didn’t have it all the time. The corn, beans and squash provided all they needed to have long healthy lives. Corn is a vegetable, giving them the nutrients from that food group, the beans gave them protein, and the squash is another vegetable they had. They had other foods but these were the main ones that most Native’s had. When certain tribes hunted, they had certain ways to do it. They kept the forest clean, and had trees planted in a certain way, to make hunting easier and more efficient. Whenever new sproutlings sprouted or overgrowth grew, they would pull them like weeds so that the trails they took were not overrun. They were very good hunters and were very successful this way.
Native Americans did not have cars and factories, but they were still very efficient in what they did. When they traveled most Native’s had boats and they went down rivers and lakes. They had clothes that were very able to be worn, without factories. They didn’t have electricity and they didn’t burn coal, but they still had light and entertainment. For entertainment, they danced, sang songs and played games. The California or Northwest culture even had parties called potlatches, where they would basically show off their wealth, and give away items to gain respect from others. Some Natives, such as the Plains Indians rode horses to get around, which is where most people get the Natives on horseback idea. But as I said before, most Natives traveled by rivers and lakes on boats. To get clothes, most Natives hunted animals for their skins and meat. The Natives would then usually soak the skins in some sort of dye and leave it to dry for about a day. Then they would soak them again and leave them to dry for another day. This made the clothes hard and durable. So even though they didn’t have electricity and factories and cars, they were still very able to do things.
Natives may not have been the most technologically advanced people, or the most fancy, or rich, or even powerful. But they were very religious, smart in how they did things, able to solve problems, and so much more. Native Americans could’ve taught us so much, and they still can. Natives are still all around us, living around us, learning with us, and working with us. Their cultures were so unique from all others, yet similar in many ways. If we take the time to study all of these Native

Gabe Hall

10/22/2014 06:54:48 am

Contributions of the Native Americans

There are many who say that Native Americans were all the same, that they had nothing to contribute, I am here to prove all of them wrong. Native Americans actually had over 520 culturally distinct tribes, each with its own contributions. In fact the cultures themselves were contributions. Native American cultures and the way that these people lived taught us about how the environment around them was, and how they survived and lived in it. Natives also introduced vital foods to us like corn, they also basically taught us what we now know as genetic engineering. The Native Americans also gave us their government: the Iroquois Confederacy.

I would like to first discuss the contributions of the Native American cultures themselves. They Natives’ cultures showed us the way that people lived on this continent before europeans settled here. The Native Americans had many different cultural lifestyles, in fact, there were over 520 culturally distinct tribes. Their cultures tell of the way that they lived and why they lived that way. Religious and cultural beliefs and practices tell us what they believed and the way that they dealt with simple, and difficult situations, or how they explained something. And finally, they way that they lived also tells us about the environment that they lived in, for native beliefs often have correlation with the environment they lived in.

Second I would like to cover the topic of food. As you all know, food is vital to our very existence. Some foods are so important, the world would be a very different place than we know it to be now without them. One of these foods is corn, corn is one of the most important foods in the world, and the Natives introduced it. Corn has over 4,200 uses, and enjoyed all over the world. They Natives introduced beans as well, which are an amazing source of protein. And one of the Natives’ most important contributions: the practice of genetic engineering. Not exactly the way you might be thinking, with chemicals and other unnatural alterations, but simply by only planting the seeds from the plants that yielded the most food. Year after year the food got better and more fruitful. The Natives enlarged and enriched corn and tomatoes and other foods that we use very often today.

The Natives have contributed so much more than this, but the last thing I would like to discuss in this essay would be their government, the Iroquois Confederacy. By studying this organization, we can see how the native people of this continent once governed themselves. The confederacy was composed of five tribes, and they are relatable to a representative government today. Not very important, but now a part of modern day culture, the Iroquois gave us a popular sport, lacrosse. And lastly, the Iroquois gave us their culture, which included their art, music, dance, stories, beliefs, legends, etc. That tell us more about how these people once lived.

The Native Americans gave us countless contributions, in this paper I only had the opportunity to discuss a few, but my hope is that your outlook on the Natives may have changed. They were not all the same, they each had very distinct and different cultures. These cultures taught us of the way that they lived and where they may have lived. They gave us very important foods and practices to enhance our foods. Finally, they gave us their government, from which we know now the way that these people governed themselves. In conclusion, all cultures of the Native Americans were amazing, and they continue to enrich us. They not only have shaped the Natives’ worlds, but the world we know today.

Gavin Zurmely

10/15/2015 09:45:29 am

Native Americans have lived on this continent for millennia. Yet somehow most teachers fit 30,000 years of experience into two days. That is a crime. Many people say that there isn’t much to learn about the natives; instead, we should be saying what is there not to learn. Native’s struggled in the wilderness for a long time; they know how to use their surroundings correctly and effectively without destroying the environment, as well as fully and happily. Native’s have been stereotyped and have had their social figures mostly ruined through rumors and Hollywood. We need to change that. Finally, Native Americans suspected and theorized about things 30,000 years ago that we have only began to investigate in recent times. Overall, Native Americans have many things to teach us and we have many things to learn about them.
First off, Native American’s knew how to live life to the fullest. They were culturally diverse through all their tribes, and yet were still able to accept other tribes and create alliances and nations, though their beliefs weren’t always perfectly in tune. The trade network showed this. For example, the Cahokians likely had a different creation story than the Eastern Woodland Natives, yet still accepted trade with the tribes of that region, showing an acceptance in different beliefs and values. They also knew how to use the land effectively without destroying it. The Eastern Woodland Natives figured out that growing corn, bean , and squash not only created the perfect diet, but also allowed the Earth to stay healthy and allow them to grow more crops. They also knew how to get the Birch trees to create their homes while still living by bending branches to form the outside of their house. The post-columbian Plains people had to depend on the Buffalo to survive, and they rocked ‘em. They used literally everything the Buffalo had to make clothes, shelter, transportation, and what they couldn’t make into those things they ate. No joke, they considered the tongue of a Buffalo to be a delicacy. They were very dependent on the Buffalo. The Native Americans also knew how to live simply and peacefully. They never took anything more than they needed to. They kept as much alive as possible, and when they did kill wildlife, they prayed for forgiveness and for the animals spirit to be safe where it was going. The living birch houses also showed this point, as they kept the trees alive as long as they could. The Native Americans lived like this, as it was the easiest way to live fully.
Secondly, Native’s were stereotyped to be viewed as something that they aren’t. Many people these days think that Native’s were barbaric and uncivilized. In truth, the American government was actually based upon the government of the Iroquois League. The Native’s were only fighting the settlers because the settlers were taking land from them. No other reason were they fighting and invading the settlers villages. And the belief that native Americans slaughtered women and children en masse is just plain false. The Native Americans were not sexist either. Their women were actually held in very high standards. They were usually quite powerful throughout the tribe. Take Sacagawea, for instance. She persuaded her dad single handedly to help the settlers. And she wasn’t a full fledged adult when she did it, either. If that is not power, then I don’t know what is. And thirdly the stereotype that most Native Americans just sit around on reservations getting drunk or high. That is completely false. Less than 25% of Native’s live on reservations today. Don’t believe me? The owner of Famous Dave’s is actually Native American, as well as other famous people. One of them is Van Barfoot, who was Choctaw. He was a hero in WWII for destroying two machine gun nests and and capturing 17 Germans. He also repelled an assault tank and carried two injured men to safety. This was all by himself, too.
Finally, Native Americans were able to figure out things 30,000 years ago that we have only began to find out now. One of these is that Earth is a bunch of plates floating on liquid. I know, I know, it’s technically mantle, but mantle is still a liquid. The Onondaga introduced this concept in their creation story, Earth on Turtle’s Back. The story describes how the animals create Earth on Turtle’s back to help the wife of the Sky People. I noticed just how similar the fact that Earth is on Turtle’s back, who is swimming around on an endless ocean, is similar to the tectonic plate theory. Another example is the Diné creation story. This describes the 6 basic deities of the Diné traveling through different worlds until they reached this world. I would not find any similarities between this story and how the Earth has layers except for the fact that the deities travel upwards through the worlds. This makes me think that

Nathan

10/21/2015 02:46:13 pm

where is the rest of your article? It cuts off.

Gavin

10/29/2015 02:40:40 pm

, maybe, instead of worlds, maybe the journey symbolizes traveling upwards through different layers of one world, which is Earth. They have described that Earth has multiple layers, something which scientists have only found out recently. My final example is the Sioux creation story. it describes the Earth going through multiple births and cleansings of the things on it. At one point in the story, it describes that there were many great beasts on the land. It also describes the scenery to be similar to what Pangea may have looked like. I believe that the Sioux thought that the dinosaurs have lived 65 million years ago, without any fossils present. They basically came up with it on the fly, and I am amazed at that because they were right.
Overall, Native Americans had many things to teach us and we have many things that we need to learn about them. They knew how to live life to the fullest. They also were stereotyped as things they were not. Finally, the Native Americans knew things that scientists have only figured out recently. However, these are not the only things that Native Americans can teach us. We only need to dive into the topic more.

Gavin

10/29/2015 02:41:21 pm

Sorry here is the rest of my essay

Nathan Felix

10/21/2015 02:49:04 pm

Nathan Felix
B5

The school district has got learning wrong! They have made the Utah State Core Curriculum not include the study of Native American culture. Some people think that Native Americans had nothing to contribute. They are so wrong. Native Americans have done many, many things to help shape America. Native Americans also have a unique and diverse culture that is really interesting, and that schools have just overlooked. Native American culture should have a part in the State Curriculum because of they role they played in shaping America, their unique culture, and the consequences that come if you don’t teach their culture.
First off, Native Americans have shaped America in ways that are often overlooked. When people first crossed the sea into America, the Native Americans helped them survive using their culture and knowledge. Their culture and knowledge helped teach the pilgrims how to farm, hunt, and do many other things. Native Americans also have religious beliefs. Some of those beliefs are the reason why Native Americans are still seldom respected and some have a say in where the reservation is like the Navajos. Native Americans culture has helped shape America the way it is now.
Secondly, Native Americans have a really unique and diverse culture. It can be fascinating to learn about their beliefs and cultures. The have many things that most people do not do today, and that people will never do. They have their own ways to hunt, and farm, and do other things. Native Americans also relate to a bunch of people. If you do a project where you have to learn about Native American culture, who knows? You might even find out that some Native American beliefs even relate to you. Native Americans have done many things in their lives that are totally worth learning about in school.
Finally, there are consequences about not teaching about Native Americans in school. Native Americans have a beautiful culture, and if it dies, than many wondrous things die with it. People have many more things that they can learn from Native Americans. If teachers stop teaching about Native American culture, the culture will die, and be forgotten. There are lots to learn from Native Americans. Native Americans can teach their religion, their ways at farming and hunting, and other things. People are pretty much wiping out a culture if they take away these things. Teachers need to teach about Native American culture in their schools!
In conclusion, Native Americans have many things in their culture that needs to be taught in schools. Native Americans helped the pilgrims using their culture, Native American culture in really unique and interesting, and there are consequences if you don’t teach their culture. There are many things to learn from Native Americans, and it will be a shame if schools don’t teach about the culture. We need to teach Native American culture in our schools!

Gavin

10/29/2015 02:42:41 pm

Nice hook dude

Anna Martin

10/22/2015 04:54:31 pm

Though many people don’t realize it, the Native Americans of the USA have had an incredible impact on us and our history. Sadly, the Common Core of the US restricts the amount of knowledge that our students SHOULD be being given about those early natives. So it’s about time that we change. Our students need to be studying the lives of Native Americans both then and now. Firstly, the skills of the Natives can teach us so much about how to live now. We can learn from their use of resources. Second, the lessons these Natives can teach us about respect for each other and for nature around us are exceptional. We could be learning so much about how to better respect and not take for granted the world we live in and the beauty and religion that we own. And lastly, the Natives can give us life lessons on how to interact with others. This is a skill we all need to develop more fully, and the lifestyles of United States Natives often provide good examples of this behavior. Therefore, I believe that it is time we change and add so much more to the curriculum concerning the Native peoples of our country.
The Native Americans of America used so many useful skills to lead productive and happy lives. Inuit Indians lived in harsh, cold environments, but they worked with what they had to make life better for them. The Inuits used many different parts from animals such as whales, seals, and walruses. They made houses from wood and learned to hunt. They used seal oil to fuel lamps for night time lights. Some Natives even used igloos for temporary shelters. On the other hand, the Southwest Indians lived in extremely hot and arid climates. They learned to adapt as well. The Southwest Natives used stone and mud to construct houses. They worked hard to gather food, continually hunting and using nature’s foods. Many other groups too were able to survive as tribes by using clever skills and resources that we would do well to learn from.
Perhaps one of the most important lessons we can learn from the Native Americans is that of respect. The Natives had great respect for the earth we live on, its animals, environment, and people. They used religion and belief to find their way through life. Each tribe has stories to tell about the creation of our planet and who they came from. The Onondanga Indians believe that the earth was created on a turtle’s back in the very beginning. Others believe that many great beings came together to create man and a place for them to live. Still others know in their hearts that the mountains and valleys and rivers all have a tale to tell as to how they were created. All of these Natives believed these stories and respected the earth. They knew that the earth is a gift and that we should use it well. Natives also have great respect for animals, especially those that give them meat. The Plains Natives held great respect for the buffalo, which provided them with all of their needs. They held ghost dances to honor the buffalo who had given up his life to sustain them. These Natives definitely knew what they were doing. They worked hard to maintain a connection with the world around them, something that we all need to work on.
And finally, the Natives are a great example of how to interact with others. In our day and age, there is so much contention among everybody. We need to learn how to better compromise our beliefs and lifestyles. When European settlers arrived and took over the lives of Native peoples, the Indians still worked to meet in the middle. They listened to the Europeans, but also invited them to listen to their beliefs and ideas about life. But most of the settlers were blind to the kindness they were being given and, in return, the brutality they were administering. We as young people need to learn how to better be kind and work hard to make things work with others. Our way is not always the right way. The settlers believed that. But we can learn so much from the Natives, because most of them were willing to give peace a go and work to make all fair among themselves and the new settlers.
And so, I conclude this essay hoping that maybe you’ll take what I’ve said and think on it a little more. We need to be learning more about America’s Natives then we are. They can teach us what skills we should be using, how to have respect for the earth and for people, and how interact with those we come in contact with. All of these are vital and we should be learning more of these lessons on a daily basis. I believe that if everyone took a little step back they would be able to see the bigger picture; that there is so much to learn from those who were originally here before us. We can become better people if we pay attention to those life lessons. Thank you.

by Anna Martin

Mrs. Ness

11/12/2015 09:12:52 am

100/100 WOW!

Austin Garner B5

10/22/2015 05:36:01 pm

Native American Paper
By: Austin Garner B5

We need to learn more about Native Americans. They can teach us how to better use our resources. Their stories and history can teach us morals. They were deeply religious and we can learn a lot from them. Native Americans have a lot to give that a lot of people aren’t taking.
Native Americans knew how to take care of their resources.. Native Americans used a certain rotation of crops to keep soil better longer. To grow food they would plant corn which sucks up a lot of nitrogen and then they would plant beans and squash which puts a lot of nitrogen in the ground. Native American people managed to survive in some of the harshest climates in our country — places where winds blow, temperatures freeze or scorch and water is scarce. John Muir commented in the late 1800s that “Indians walk softly and hurt the landscape hardly more than birds or squirrels.” As a result, the land before the Europeans arrived was rich and fertile, organized and well-tended.
Native American stories and history can teach us morals. In Profiles of Wisdom, Eunice Baumann-Nelson, Penobscott Native and university level educator speaks of values instilled in traditional Native children: “In the Native way there was a system of disciplining children that involved loving ridicule or gentle teasing when a child misbehaved. Such teasing continued into adult life--you know, gentle teasing when someone is reacting childishly or unthinkingly. The teasing is actually a way of showing love. This type of discipline evokes shame rather than guilt. Having internalized shame, you, yourself, are the judge of your own misdeeds. With guilt it depends on the judgment of others--and, as long as no one else finds out, a person need not experience any remorse. I conjecture that self-judgment constitutes a stronger check on wrongdoing than does the judgment of others.” Native American stories teach us a lot of lessons.
Natives were very religious and believed wholeheartedly in their religion. Most history textbooks designed for high school courses mistakenly consider the various Native American religions as an indistinguishable whole. One popular textbook, The American Way describes Native American religion in these words: "These Native Americans [in the Southeast] believed that nature was filled with spirits. Each form of life, such as plants and animals, had a spirit. However, every tribe believed in a different creation story and had a different religion. Grouping them together is not fair. That is just like saying that all Utahans are Mormon. Some Indians did religious ghost dances to restore their lives to what they were before. They would starve themselves for a week and then go in a smoke house and dance around a pole. Then one person would go to the pole and put hooks through their chests and eventually pull away. Tell me there is not something we can learn from that. The ghost dance shows just how religious they were. Natives were incredibly religious and would sacrifice anything for their religion.
Schools need to teach more about Native Americans. They can teach us how to better use our resources. Their stories and history can teach us morals. They were deeply religous and we can learn alot from them. Native Americans were a very complex people that we need to know about.

Mrs. Ness

11/18/2015 07:27:01 am

Austin,
You make some outstanding points about the nuances of Native culture... the tendency by Historians, and Anthropologists; and thus teachers and students to simply put them in a box and paint all of them with the same brush. Though it may simply the study of Native peoples in the end it cheats us from understanding the depth and complexity of their stories and thus cheats us from the broader lessons we can learn about them that can help us dictate our future choices and world paradigm. Good work.

Sarah Stanley

10/23/2015 02:38:41 pm

Native American Essay
Sarah Stanley, B8

Why are we as a state ignoring the people who lived before us for 30,000 years, instead focusing on the settlers that came much later? The Utah State Core needs to be modified to include more information about the Native American people. Without it, we are leaving out a huge chunk of our history as America. We cannot ignore these vastly different cultures out of shame; rather, we should pass these stories on to make sure that a similar catastrophe never happens again. I am fortunate to be part of a class that studied the Native Americans in depth, learning fascinating facts about their culture that has broadened my understanding of America's history, but many other classes were not as lucky as I was. They had to cover this incredibly complex series of cultures in two days. Why? Because we, as the state of Utah, do not understand the need to learn about these incredible people and the lessons they can teach us. Native American stories and cultures can teach students morals that will help them as an individual, make them realize that we cannot put people in stereotypes, and give them gratitude for the rights they enjoy today. As a culture, learning about the Native Americans will show us ways to improve ourselves, from more efficient uses of resources and cooperation to how we should raise our children. Finally, the example of the tragedies that befell them can educate the rising generations on how different nations and settlers can influence each other and change cultures. In other words, the Native Americans have much to teach us as a state, so it is essential that we make them a part of our core to ensure that all the things a several thousand year old culture discovered will not be made worthless.

First of all, Native American culture can help students as an individual. For example, learning about these different cultures in depth banishes the stereotypes that many people take as truth. This teaches students that they cannot accept stereotypes as what is really there, and encourages them to treat others with more equality. An example of a stereotype would be that many people do not believe that the Native Americans had any religion. In actuality, the Native Americans were very religious, and different tribes of Native Americans had different cultures. I had never really thought of that before, and this inspired me not to assume things about other people just because that was how they were portrayed. This is important in the real world as well. If people had not believed stereotypes about African Americans, slavery would have been abolished much earlier. In addition, the many stories that the Native Americans told their children are perfect for teaching students traits adults want to place in them. These stories are fun, unique, and stick in the mind as a constant reminder of what should be done. An example of this is Manabozho and the Maple Trees, a story that teaches us, through the Anishinabe, to be hard working. Or the story How the Owl Got Round Eyes, which shows us the importance of obedience. The lessons many parents and teachers wish to teach to their children today have stories that the Native Americans taught to their children. Also, learning about how the Native Americans thought and acted encourages students to think in a way different from the cultures today and gives them gratitude for the rights we have. An example of this is learning about how some tribes decided whom their daughters would marry; the choice of marriage seems like a right to students in Utah today, and even thoughts of I am glad I do not have to live like that makes students a bit more grateful for the rights we think are inalienable. To sum up, we are improved individually by learning about the Native Americans in depth because it shows us ways to improve and makes us think.

Secondly, the way an experienced culture such as the Native Americans lived can show us how to improve our culture. For example, the Native Americans planted corns, beans, and squash in a triangle together, and the plants balanced each other out so the soil was always healthy and never had to be rotated. If we could use our resources like that in today's world, the environment would be greatly improved, and the Native Americans' ideas might be able to teach us to do just that. Additionally, the way that they cooperated with each other also shows us what we are capable of doing. The Iroquois formed together into a league, and they were all independent yet all supported each other. Instead of having rules and confusing laws, the Iroquois League had something called the Great Laws, which had examples of how everyone should act, and they governed themselves, which leads into my next point. The way these groups of people interacted with each other was much more advanced, and we as a state can learn from them. The Great Laws are an example of this--that sort of thing would not work in today's world, yet it d

Sarah Stanley

10/23/2015 02:40:38 pm

--did in theirs. It should be easier, not harder, to be kinder to others with today's technology and resources. Thus, studying how these cultures interacted with each other can teach us ways to improve ours. Perhaps future students in the government will be able to improve the way it works, by having a different perspective of what is possible. To summarize, learning about Native American culture will improve ours, by giving us ideas on how to better use our resources and improve our cooperation and government.

Finally, the tragic story of the Native Americans will instruct the future generations on what happens on a national or worldly level when peoples mix. An example of this would be the way the Spanish tried to force religion on the Californian Native Americans; it caused suffering for many people, and their culture, including their history and discoveries, was completely lost. Students learn, from this, that when we impose things upon others, it can have tragic results. An example of how cultures can unknowingly change each other is the smallpox and other diseases that completely devastated the Native Americans, reducing their numbers from around 54 million people to 4 million people. Even though this was, for the most part, unintentional, this apocalyptic occurrence instructs students, and collectively as a nation, to be careful in the way we interact with other people. While that specific event may not happen again, something similar could be avoided with the use of caution. Also, the way that we, as colonists, reacted to the Native Americans can teach us to be more justified in the way we treat other, different people. The Wounded Knee Massacre, where the U.S. government killed unarmed and completely innocent Native Americans, is a good example of how we have treated alien people in the past. This example teaches students to look from the other side’s perspective, and to not act with paranoia to save ourselves from harms that do not exist. In other words, the example of the fate of Native American people can teach us how to act in the future to avoid tragedies such as loss of cultures, epidemics, and the harming of innocent people.

In conclusion, the Native Americans have much to teach us. Their story can completely change the way we as individuals look at life. Their ideas can give our state ideas on how to improve, by better using resources to what we should stand for as a group. Finally, the Native Americans are a perfect example of what happens when we interact with other cultures and peoples. They are several thousand years of our history, and we cannot ignore that. Avoiding the mistakes we have made will only make the same ones more likely to happen. Utah's state core needs to include more of the Native American people, because it will lift us up on the shoulders of the giants that were this people's incredible discoveries and lifestyle.

Mrs. Ness

11/12/2015 10:55:12 am

Outstanding and thoughtful essay. Well done!

Gage Blackwell

10/24/2015 11:54:41 am

Gage Blackwell
B5
Native American Essay

Dude in the Utah State Legislature,
It seems that the core curriculum for 8th grade United States history is lacking sufficient time to teach about the first civilizations on this continent, the Native Americans. It is hard to believe that the people we learn least about in United States history are the people who helped the first european settlers who came here live. Just because we mistreated them in the beginning, and we were unjust to do so, does not mean that we should forget about what they did. I believe that we should spend a lot more time learning about Native Americans because they significantly helped the first European settlers, they had, and have, a lot to contribute to the world, and they are still on this continent today, they are not a vanished race.

Without the Native Americans, the first European Settlers could not have survived in the New World. These people were willing to show our early ancestors how to grow and survive in the New World. In fact, without the help of these people, the Europeans would not have lasted through the winters. The Native Americans showed the early settlers how to keep warm and survive through the winters. The early settlers had nothing, they were not adequately prepared for the environment and challenges of this continent. Yet, the Native Americans helped them survive. These examples show how important this people was to the success of the early settlers. But, we learn precious little about any of it. I believe that this is too important in American history to forget and not teach the coming generations sufficiently about it.

Also, this continent’s Native people had too much to contribute to society to write them off as a two day unit in the 8th Grade history curriculum. In fact, many of the ideas and creations of the Native Americans have enriched and changed the world of today. As previously stated, we would not have survived the first years as we settled America if it were not for the contributions of the Natives to us. In fact, there is evidence that shows that if we had the technology, ideas, and resources of the Native Americans at the same time that they did, then we would be much more advanced than we are now. They were doing and building things, far before we had made contact with them, for years before. They were not any less capable of brilliance than we were. As shown, the Native Americans had an unthinkable amount of ingenious to offer to our culture, too much to just write them as a couple of pages in our history books.

Finally, there are plenty of Native Americans contributing to the world today. They are not vanished and they are still important. Without current day Native Americans, we would not have the famous Barbeque restaurant, Famous Dave’s, and we both know that Americans would not survive without amazing barbequed food. Native Americans now boast with great occupations such as journalists, news reporters, film producers, actors, poets, novelists, film writers, authors, professional golfers (ok, maybe one of the less important ones), race car drivers, human rights defenders, and even astronauts. Yet, we do not spend more time learning about how this people has developed. In fact, many people today believe that all Native Americans remaining are confined to reservations. This is a clear sign that we do not spend more time learning about them. They are still extremely important to the society of today.

In conclusion, I personally believe that we should spend a lot more time learning about Native Americans because they were very important in early American history, they had, and have, a lot to contribute to society, and they are still on this continent, and are still important. I believe that a few days reading from a textbook is not anywhere near sufficient teaching of the Native Americans. It should be a much larger part of the United States history curriculum. Not only should we spend more time on the subject, but we should also go into depth on how they have shaped society. These people were, and are, extremely important.

Cannon Jones

10/26/2015 04:03:51 pm

Native American Essay
Cannon Jones B5
We need to include more information about Native American's in the Utah State Core for a wide variety of reasons. First, learning of them will help us not commit a close genocide, again. Also, It will help us learn life lessons. Lastly, Learn of their culture can help us know how to survive in harsh or unnatural climates. Those are only a few of the many other reasons why we need to include this topic in more depth.
By learning of Native American's, we can prevent the US from ever almost killing off an entire group of people. It will help the US from fighting against other people just because of the way they act. By learning about how we almost destroyed the Native American's, it will help us not make this same mistake ever again. Also, by learning of this almost complete genocide, we can know of better leaders to elect. In other words, we can study who we had in charge and we can stop people like that from being able to come into office. It will make us more cautious of the leaders we choose and elect. It will also help us fight against genocides. We can fight against these by telling of our mistakes and using politics instead of war. This will also help the economy. Those are only a few of the reasons why it will help us not make the same mistakes we have before in US History.
If we learn about how Natives handled different situations, we can learn and grow economically and mentally. It helps us to be observant. They can help us in architecture if we study the homes they built or the clothing they wore. We can learn how to be more outgoing more quickly. This will help us in any of our occupations and in any field. Teamwork is another life lesson we can gain from the Natives. They were always working together to get different tasks completed. This skill we will also use in all of our jobs. We will also use this skill in our daily lives. Now you know some of the life lessons that Native American's can teach us.
If we are to look at how the Native American's survived in those harsh climates that they lived on, we will find a lot of information about better ways to survive in the wilderness. For example, The Plains Natives lived in the middle of America where there was very little water and they were consistently moving around. We can learn better ways to hunt, find food, and find out new ways of transportation in bumpy areas. Another example can be the Northwest Coastal Natives. They lived on the edge of the ocean where there was hard wind and it was very hot. They built very strong houses and made their clothes from Yucca Fiber. It is not easy to weave Yucca Fiber. The last example I am going to give is the Inuit People. They lived in Alaska where it was very cold all the time. They wore heavy clothes and made their shoes out of seal skin which is actually water proof. They Bred dogs to be able to survive in their harsh climate. They had to get their food from polar bears and wolves and also Whale. That last part about the whale may be a bit surprising. Every year they would go out and harpoon whales when they would go there to mate. It usually took the whole tribe just to get the whale on the land. Now you know how we can learn how to survive in harsh or unnatural climates.
In conclusion, Native American's teach us so much. They remind us of the mistakes of what we did to natives and prevent us from ever doing it again. They also teach us various life lessons. Lastly, they teach us to survive in unnatural and harsh climates. That is why we need to go into more depth with Native American's and it must be in the Utah State Core. Thank you for your time.

Richard Ottley

10/26/2015 07:11:08 pm

Native American Walkaway
Richard Ottley B5

America, a place so full of history. There is Columbus, the settlers, pioneers, gold miners. And then there is Native Americans. Living here for 30,000 years. Here before the settlers came to the U. S. Yet, we don’t have them in the state core. I believe we need to and should include the Native Americans in the state core. Native Americans have a history and a religion, plus they know how to take care of nature.
You probably already know that Native Americans have a history. But do you know how much of a history they actually have? They were not just sitting around doing nothing. they were living. Catching fish, hunting, building things. Making religions, making friends, having wars among tribes, and trading with each other for thousands of years. They were living just as we are today. They built structures. Not just houses, but temples, graves, buildings that people lived in but meant something. Two examples include the Cahokia and Adenas Indians huge dirt mounds and the Northwest Indians totem poles. These are just two of many things the indians built.
They made so many discoveries, improvements, and survival skills that could be of use up to today. Like making medicine from herbs, making knives, bows, nets and other things from nature. In short, these people had, have, and always will have a history if we deny it or not.
Yet, the Native Americans history cannot be history without their religion. For their religion was their cause of what most of them did. They hunted and made houses because of survival. But it’s how and what they hunted and why they built their house in a certain place. All because of their creation stories and animal stories. In the creation story by the Clatsop-Nehalem indians the North Wind cuts the a whale the wrong way and it turns into a giant bird. This is why the Clatsop-Nehalem people cut the way they do. These creation stories where a lot of their source of religion. They told hundreds of stories about their creation and all that was around them. They also told about afterlife and their gods. Things that most religions have. They have a religion, yet why don’t we talk about them in the state core? In world history we talk about how the Greeks, Egyptians and Romans have their gods and goddess. In American history We teach about the old and new world and how the new world was settled by people wanting to practice their religion. This also goes for Utah and California, with the pioneers, in the state history of Utah. So why, when the Native Americans have so much religion that we don’t talk about them.
Now we live in a time where this planet is losing its natural inhabitants of plants and animals. The extinction rate is increasing. Yet the Native Americans knew how to take care of nature. They treated animals with kindness. They knew how to respect the animals in which the Natives lived. Some of the animals represented things to them. In the NorthWest Indian tribes, each person was represented by an animal. Their animal was carved into a totem when they died, so that they would be remembered. There have been mounds of dirt that were built in the shape of animals. Yet the Native Americans did kill the animals, but not for sport. They only killed what they needed. Plus they didn’t waste a single part of the animal. They used bones for weapons. The skin and fur for clothing and houses. They did this with many things. Where they used things you wouldn’t use and make them into something useful.Things like plants. The Northwest Coastal indians, for example took bark from trees and made them into baskets and soft clothes. In short indians knew how to respect nature and not take more than they need.
In conclusion Native Americans have a history, religion and a consideration for nature. They have lived on this Earth for a long time doing things. Over that long period of time they developed a religion. They also knew how to preserve and not waste the nature around them. What I’m trying to get at is that we, us humans today, can learn some things from the people before the settlers came. I hope this helps make a decision of putting a little more on Native Americans in the State Core.

Richard

10/26/2015 07:12:13 pm

sorry It didnt include my Paragraph indents

Richard Ottley 2

10/26/2015 07:14:19 pm

Native American Walkaway
Richard Ottley B5

America, a place so full of history. There is Columbus, the settlers, pioneers, gold miners. And then there is Native Americans. Living here for 30,000 years. Here before the settlers came to the U. S. Yet, we don’t have them in the state core. I believe we need to and should include the Native Americans in the state core. Native Americans have a history and a religion, plus they know how to take care of nature.

You probably already know that Native Americans have a history. But do you know how much of a history they actually have? They were not just sitting around doing nothing. they were living. Catching fish, hunting, building things. Making religions, making friends, having wars among tribes, and trading with each other for thousands of years. They were living just as we are today. They built structures. Not just houses, but temples, graves, buildings that people lived in but meant something. Two examples include the Cahokia and Adenas Indians huge dirt mounds and the Northwest Indians totem poles. These are just two of many things the indians built.

They made so many discoveries, improvements, and survival skills that could be of use up to today. Like making medicine from herbs, making knives, bows, nets and other things from nature. In short, these people had, have, and always will have a history if we deny it or not.

Yet, the Native Americans history cannot be history without their religion. For their religion was their cause of what most of them did. They hunted and made houses because of survival. But it’s how and what they hunted and why they built their house in a certain place. All because of their creation stories and animal stories. In the creation story by the Clatsop-Nehalem Indians the North Wind cuts the a whale the wrong way and it turns into a giant bird. This is why the Clatsop-Nehalem people cut the way they do. These creation stories where a lot of their source of religion. They told hundreds of stories about their creation and all that was around them. They also told about afterlife and their gods. Things that most religions have. They have a religion, yet why don’t we talk about them in the state core? In world history we talk about how the Greeks, Egyptians and Romans have their gods and goddess. In American history We teach about the old and new world and how the new world was settled by people wanting to practice their religion. This also goes for Utah and California, with the pioneers, in the state history of Utah. So why, when the Native Americans have so much religion that we don’t talk about them.

Now we live in a time where this planet is losing its natural inhabitants of plants and animals. The extinction rate is increasing. Yet the Native Americans knew how to take care of nature. They treated animals with kindness. They knew how to respect the animals in which the Natives lived. Some of the animals represented things to them. In the NorthWest Indian tribes, each person was represented by an animal. Their animal was carved into a totem when they died, so that they would be remembered. There have been mounds of dirt that were built in the shape of animals. Yet the Native Americans did kill the animals, but not for sport. They only killed what they needed. Plus they didn’t waste a single part of the animal. They used bones for weapons. The skin and fur for clothing and houses. They did this with many things. Where they used things you wouldn’t use and make them into something useful.Things like plants. The Northwest Coastal indians, for example took bark from trees and made them into baskets and soft clothes. In short indians knew how to respect nature and not take more than they need.

In conclusion Native Americans have a history, religion and a consideration for nature. They have lived on this Earth for a long time doing things. Over that long period of time they developed a religion. They also knew how to preserve and not waste the nature around them. What I’m trying to get at is that we, us humans today, can learn some things from the people before the settlers came. I hope this helps make a decision of putting a little more on Native Americans in the State Core.

Richard Ottley

10/26/2015 07:15:43 pm

Sorry if it looks weird this doesn't do well with indents

Jackson Jarvie

10/26/2015 08:14:26 pm

WHY SHOULD WE LEARN ABOUT NATIVE AMERICANS?
By: Jackson Jarvie B5

In our world today, one of the most stereotyped and least understood topics is Native Americans. Native American’s have been here thousands of years longer than any American has. So how is it, that teachers seem to put 30,000 years of history, into 2-4 days? Like most issues, it has to do with human arrogance, or more likely, American ignorance. In our school districts, it is often not required to learn about Native Americans as a people. There were 5.2 million people claiming to be Native American or having Native American origins according to the 2010 census report. This was 5 years ago. Since then the population has grown and so has the need to learn more about Native Americans. When you look at the population compared to the United States, it does seem rather small, but it is one of the most culturally diverse people in the world. But where is the one place that we need to invest our time, effort, and money? In school of course! Teachers are required to spend only a few days learning about Native Americans. For a culture that has been here for thousands of years before the explorers came, a few days will not be enough to cover the entire history of Native Americans. We can also learn simple things from them, like how to live off the land. The Native Americans were complete experts at living off the land. It should be required to spend much more time. We need to spend more time learning about Native Americans because we can learn how to live off the land more effectively, it is our duty to study their past due to the treatment that they received from our ancestors, and all people deserve respect.
First of all, we can learn how to live off the land effectively from the Native Americans. They were the first people in America, and they were some of the best survivalists we know of. Whether it was from knowledge or just guesswork, they figured out how to grow crops a special way so that the land would not be affected a very large amount. What they were eating mainly was corn, beans, and squash. Corn really takes all of the nitrogen out of the ground, so if not grown a special way, you only grow so much corn before you cannot use that land anymore. Beans and squash however, give nitrogen to the ground. Using this perfect mix they would be able to grow these crops for an infinite amount of time. They also knew some rather effective hunting techniques. What is the most astounding about it, is that they were capable of doing it without any of the modern day weapons that they have. Buffalo hunts are some great examples of this. Using some very smart hunting techniques, they are able to separate a portion of the buffalo from the main herd. They were then promptly finished off, and and used for the tribe’s own uses. What is most impressive about this is the fact that they were able to do all of this hunting without any help from the modern day weapons. They did it with just bows, arrows, and spears. Native Americans were also some of the best hunter and gatherers that there ever were. They became highly adapted to the food sources that they had in their specific regions. The Inuit Native Americans lived in one of the coldest regions in North America. Unlike most natives, their diet consisted of whale meat. They didn’t just eat the whale though, they would actually use the whale to provide many a whole variety of other options. They would use the whale to make houses, light lamps, even as blankets. What they could do with just one animal was amazing. They would always give thanks to the whale for offering its life so that the Natives could live. The Inuits weren’t the only Natives to heavily rely on a single animal, and use it to survive. The Plains Indians did the same things, except with the buffalo. They would heavily rely on the buffalo for almost everything. They used the buffalo for food, shelter, clothing, pots, pans, flyswatters, and everything in between. There were also a lot of Indians that did not rely on just a single animal. There were Indians that lived along the California Coast called the California Native Americans. The California Natives ate many kinds of foods because of their environment. They would eat fish, corn, beans, squash, etc. They survived and lived for a very long time, just with this very basic diet. But each group had its own way of surviving based on its food source. If they all had different food sources, but were able to prosper, why is it that we just skip right over them when it comes to our education about them.
However, we don’t just need to learn about them from how they lived, but in a sense, it is our duty because of the way that we treated them. When the Spanish were coming to America, they brought several diseases with them. Even if it was not intentional in bringing the diseases, what they did next was completely intentional. They decided to use the Smallpox disease as the

Jackson Jarvie

10/26/2015 08:16:03 pm

Sorry it looks kind of bad without the indents in it.

Abigail Pickett

10/26/2015 08:35:45 pm

A commonly asked question among students is “Why do we have to study history?” Most teenagers find this topic dull, not useful, and boring. So why do we have to study it? After this current generation dies off, the world will be left in the hands of these same teenagers. If they do not study history, they will not learn from the mistakes of past countries-including the US. If we follow in the footsteps of our ancestors, we could either be destroyed or lead to greatness. This is why we must learn to not repeat mistakes. Native Americans are one of the main civilizations that can teach us a lot about how we can improve our community. But, the most disturbing thing is that history teachers only spend two days on this fascinating culture. The required amount of days spent on this interesting people should be increased to at least seven days because we can learn from their past, we can learn how to use resources better, and we can learn lessons from their religion.
Firstly, we could learn from their past. Native Americans had a very efficient trading system. Up in Mississippi, mounds were discovered with jewelry and stone that had originated from South America. They established peace and trade from tribes and even created an efficient trading route. Another good example is their government. A lot of people believe Natives to be uncivilized but when in fact, they had a more peaceful government than we do today. The Ironquois League is a perfect example of this. Made up of several different tribes, they had an agreement. If you wanted to leave this league, you could do so peacefully without war. If you wanted to join, you could become a part of it. The two tribes at the end guarded the league and the wrong-doers were effectively punished. The last reason is that they had an equal society. In our modern world, women have been classified as “weak” and “meant to clean”. It was the opposite with the natives. Women were actually the ones who owned the houses. They had a lot of power in their society. A native women named Wetamoo played a big political character in war and leading her tribe. Because of these three reasons, we learn from Natives past.

Next, we could learn how to use our resources better. Even when Native Americans ate, they made sure not to damage the soil. The eastern Woodlands ate a perfectly balanced diet of corn, bean, and squash. Corn usually sucks nutrients from the Earth, but Natives found an efficient way to prevent this. Beans happened to restore these same nutrients back to the soil. So, they created corn, bean, squash tripod in order to keep the soil nourished. Naïve Americans also were very smart about their clothes. They used what was available to them. The California natives used Yucca Fiber. Cotton wasn’t available to them and neither was elk or deer skin so they became creative and used the closest and easiest resource. The last example was their houses. Now-a-days, we tear up trees, min, and wreck the environment to build houses. Natives, however, didn’t damage anything. They bent trees to from their houses. They did this whil the trees were jsust samplings to that they grew bent inwards, not damaging the trees. If we learn to understand these three points, we could help keep pollution rates down.
Lastly, we could learn from their religion. Native Americans’ religion was mainly centered on stories. These stories were used to teach their children important lessons. IN “Loo-wit the Fire Keeper”, it talks about how man lived on the Earth and were peaceful until they started arguing. So, their Creator decided to take away fire. Man suffered until they begged Creator to forgive them. He told them about how and elderly woman name Look-Wit stilled owned fire because she didn’t argue, unlike everyone else. This teaches us that if you don’t’ fight, then you’ll be rewarded. In another story, called “How Owl Got round Eyes”, it talks about how Creator decided to give every animal one thing to enhance their appearance, He decided to help rabbit first. Owl, being impatient, decided to peak. After Creator found out, he became mad. Owl became frightened and his eyes grew big. As a punishment, he made owl’s eyes permanently big. This teaches us to be patient and to wait your turn. In a last story, it talks about how bird got their song. Creator decided to have a contest. Whoever flew the highest got the best song. Eagle went around boasting that his big wings would carry him the highest. A little bird, feeling sad, decided to hide in his feathers. The day of the composition, the eagle out stripped the rest. He flew the highest. But, at the highest peak, the small bird came out and beat the eagle. Back on the ground, the small bird was shunned by all the rest and is still ashamed to sing out. This teaches us not to boast and not to cheat. By learning about these stories, we

Abigail Pickett

10/26/2015 08:37:27 pm

This is the rest that it didn't post:
can apply them to our own lives.

In conclusion, history is a very important subject to learn. Native Americans can especially tech us a lot. They had a good trading system, government, and equal sexes. Knowing their culture could help us save our resources. Their religion could teach us morals. The Native American unit should be expanded because their past could lead us to a better future, we could use resources wiser, and we could use lessons from their stories.

Jaxon Kindred

10/26/2015 08:43:04 pm

Why We Should Spend More Time Studying Native Americans
By: Jaxon Kindred B5

Before I begin the body of my essay I want you to understand that this perspective, this point of view, is coming from a student. I am the person that actually learns the material that has been chosen as part of the state core. What you choose to have been learn about affects me directly. I have interaction with a teacher that interacts with your core. The standards that you have voted on are the standards that I live with. So as the student that is the one that is using this core and the standards put in place to help me learn I believe there needs to be a change. Objective 1 in the the state core states, “Explore life among various Native American Indian nations prior to European exploration of the New World. Identify the major regional American Indian nations of North America. Examine the cultures of American Indian nations.” Given the amount of content that social study teachers are actually required to teach by the state core the majority of teachers have simplified or eliminated the teaching of Native Americans in their teaching agenda. Teaching, to the point of understanding of native cultures must be included in the state core. There are so many things that we can learn from native cultures. Their insights of nature and their stories have morals that can help people in the world today. A study of Native cultures must be included in the state core because they learned lessons that can better us today, we can clear up stereotypes that have been falsely created about these people to help students understand who these people really were, and we must out of respect for people that lived here generations before we did and we would lose everything that they did.

There are many stories that originated from native culture that have meaningful morals that would better any human or group. When students are taught these ancient lessons they naturally become better people. These stories pertain to the natural world that the natives were a part of. We can learn something about the world in its original state and learn how to handle ourselves in our busy lives today surrounded by many artificial things. These stories told of how things came to be and teach us what to do and what not to take part in along the storyline. Some of the morals that I have found by reading stories in class are patience is a virtue. If we cannot be patient we will lose things that could benefit us. Sometimes people brag and make others feel bad, but if we cheat to be better than them, then we are no better than them. We must work for the things we want and for the pleasures of life, they are not just given to us. Every year winter will both literally and figuratively. We have to look ahead to the good of spring because it will come year after year to defeat the winter. These are just some of the things I have learned from studying the culture of natives and there is so much more that can be found to better us as humans. Peacemakers receive blessings, and our sacrifice will bring us great joy to us and to others. These are the things that the natives learned that we are losing today in our modern culture. The study of these ancient cultures will bring these lessons back into the world by way of the rising generation. To say it frankly, including an in-depth study of native culture in the core curriculum will make the world a better place.
The Native Americans have come to be known as warlike people that shoot bow and arrows kill people without even thinking about it. It is seen in movies and all types of media. By entering the study of Native American cultures we can clear up these misconceptions. These Natives fought to defend their homelands and their way of life. They were not any more warlike than anyone else on the rest of the globe. Most people do not realize that there were 520 different tribal nations that were culturally distinct. Most of the time Native Americans are all put into one group and misunderstood as being one people that did all the same things. Natives were civilized people before Europeans arrived. They did have complex cultures and lived in substantial houses. These were deeply religious people. They had many gods and many origin stories. Many people believe the myth that Native Americans had no religion at all. The main figure in most stories or movie that includes Native Americans is the chief or hunter both of whom are close to always male. In some Native cultures women wielded great power and they could vote for leaders. One example is Pocahontas. She married into two cultures. There are many stereotypes and false beliefs about Native Americans. Teaching their culture more in depth in school could deeply affect what stereotypes the new generation of students believe and do not believe.

The Native Americans have been on this continent to as far back as 14 thousand years ago some evidence suggests (athenapub). Don&rs

Anna Martin

10/26/2015 09:35:11 pm

Nice beginning Jackson. That really puts a new perspective on the essay!

Emilie Gunnell

10/26/2015 10:26:11 pm

Emilie Gunnell B5
In history class, we look to the Romans for their architectural inventions, the Greeks for their contributions in literature and math, and the Ancient Egyptians for their medical contributions, yet we seem to only touch base with the culture of the Native Americans. A civilization that has been living in North America for more than 12,000 years needs to be recognized. I believe that Native American History should be taught more thoroughly in our common core because of their beliefs, contributions, and their rich history and way of life.
First, there were many Native American tribes, each with their complex beliefs of their creation and heavenly beings. Each Native American tribe has their own story or legend about how they believe the Earth was created. The most popular story is the Onondaga Story of creation, which is called “Earth on Turtle’s Back”. It is about how land was created by it being brought up from the ocean floor, and laid on a turtles back, then growing into Earth we know now. Next, many Native Americans worshipped animals, and made them sacred. For the Onondaga, the turtle is sacred. For the Cahokian people, they built mounds in the shape of various animals for religious purposes and worshipped them. Lastly, they had certain ways of living that brought them closer to nature. They did not believe in materialistic things like gold the Europeans brought over. They respected the animals and plants and gave thanks to all that they were given.
Second, the Native American people have made many contributions to the world today. They planted corn, tomatoes, potatoes, vanilla, rubber tree, cacao, tobacco, and maple syrup. Since they lived so closely with nature, they used their resources to help them improve their everyday life. Specifically the Eastern Woodland tribe, they grew trees and bent them into houses called wig-wams. With the Plains Indians, they only killed a few bison, and used every single part of it for food, tools, clothing, etc. Last of all, they helped shape our political system and Constitution. There was a group of Native Americans called the Iroquois League in the Eastern Woodland Area, which was an early sign of a complex political system, that inspired the political system we have now. They have made many contributions to the world in the way of food, living, and politics.
Lastly, the Native Americans had a rich history and culture. They had many complex languages and texts, that had all been lost after the Europeans came. There were medicines made and art that was created. There were over 520 Native American languages all across the continent. Also, they have shaped North America to what it is now. After living here for 3,000 years, they have migrated animal groups like the American Bison, and planted many crops. Finally, they had used animals skins to make homes and clothes. Males typically wore feathers, deerskin, beaver robes, and elkskin moccasins. Females wore raccoon skin, necklaces, hemp, deerskin leggings and moccasins. The Inuit people invented a way of using seal skin to insulate thick fur and kept their clothing waterproof. Their technology is still used now to make winter clothing.
In conclusion, I believe that Native American History should be taught more in-depth in the Utah Common Core because of their complex beliefs of creation and heavenly beings, they have made many contributions to the modern world, and have a rich history and culture. Evidence suggests that Native Americans have lived on this continent for over 12,000, a lot more than we have. There are many principles and lessons we can learn from this people, which will take a lot longer than 2 days to learn.

Emilie Gunnell

10/26/2015 10:27:38 pm

Sorry, my indents did not show up.

Nainoa Haunga

10/27/2015 06:03:32 am

Nainoa Haunga
B5

Essay
Have you ever heard someone maybe degrade a certain racial group or ethnicity? Well some people might not believe that Native Americans have anything to contribute or that they have not ever in the past contributed things to our society. Well to me this is just plain false; Native Americans have so many things that they can teach us that they are hard to write. They have a deep understanding of land conservation and agriculture. Second, they can teach us how to react and live through struggles and hardships that might come to us in our lives. They can teach us better national relations that can help our country with national relations. In my opinion I think that it is an utter disrespect to not take the neccessary amount of time to educate students about how Native Americans have in the past and present are positively impacting our society and they might be able to do so in the future.

In the past natives had a wide and broad understanding of agriculture and land conservation. The Wampanog, an eastern woodland tribe, used squash, beans and corn, otherwise known as the three sisters, as a farming system which proved to be very successful. Also, their beliefs and regards of land conservation can drastically help us, According to the United Nations's Food and Agriculture Organization, overall tropical deforestation rates this decade are 8.5 percent higher than during the 1990s. The natives of this land just has a better respect to this land for a long time and I think that if we had the same respect that pollution levels would be much lower. Native Americans have an utter respect to the land and a wide understanding of farming and agriculture.

These people had to go through considerable hardships and trials that we can learn from. For a second I want to put you in this situation, aliens have come down from space by the thousands, They bring with them this sickness that is killing a larger population of the world and we haven’t found a cure for it. This is what native americans had to go through when colonial settlers came from the old world. They had to learn and adapt to a new lifestyle which would be extremely hard for us to do which is why we can learn a great amount of things from the ways that the natives survived in times of struggles. In my opinion these people reacted admirably when millions of their people were killed and we can learn a lot from it.

The Iroquois league was made up of five different tribes the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca. It was created before european settlement to create peace and a treaty among these people. I think that we can learn from their examples in things that we do with other countries. If we can learn that we need to respect other countries and their privacies then I think that we as a country will have greater national relations.

The natives of this country have lived here for almost 30,000 years, I think that we at least owe them the respect of teaching the students in the this state about their history and lives. They have loads of things that they can teach us and also things that they already have. They are great agriculturists and have an utmost respect to land use. They had to adapt to a new life in a new place after the smallpox epidemic. They have great relations with their other tribes which can translate to us with other countries. I think that spending two days on this stuff if a complete insult, in the Utah core we need to make sure that students are learning how great of a people they are.

Jackson Jarvie

10/27/2015 07:16:28 am

Jackson Jarvie

10/29/2015 08:19:24 pm

very first bio-weapon. They gave a couple of articles of clothing from the sick ward. The next time the Spanish went to raid them, they had little resistance due to what the disease had done. We also created buildings called Indian Farms. They were built to teach the Indians to behave like a “civilized man.” I’m sorry, but this is just the most outrageous thing that I have ever heard. Children were abducted from their families to go to the Indian Farms. Many tried to break out, and the ones that were caught would be punished, sometimes killed. It just seems like there is something seriously wrong when we are not covering these topics at any depth. When we were making the reservations for them, we tried to give them the worst possible land that we could. WIth the Goshutes, we took away a large amount of their ancestral lands. Now on the Indian Reservations, they have one of the highest drinking and suicidal rates in the world. This has to be linked with the past that we have had with them. Many of the tribe leaders would say things such as, “I would rather laugh and drink with the white men, not run in fear from them.” They didn’t even get a chance to show that they really were friendly and did not wish harm upon the white men. Native Americans were just treated so unfairly, it is in a sense, our duty to learn about them. Reevaluating the school system of how we learn about them is just the first step to it.
I think the most important reason that we should learn about the Native Americans, is that everybody deserves respect and is equal. Why is it, that topics that involve white men, always seem to go far more in depth, than topics with Native Americans? Take the civil war for instance, when the United States fought in one of the bloodiest conflicts in our history. But when the Native Americans in the Northeast united to fight against other tribes, no one payed any attention. They even wrote something similar to the Declaration of Independence, but because they worded it smarter, they allowed tribes to leave the league (Iroquois League). If there had been a similar pact in the Constitution, we could have completely avoided the civil war. But the Constitution is still based on a part of the same thing. Native Americans truly are extraordinary. Native Americans were here thousands of years before is, so why do we just skip almost their entire history in our education? If it hadn't been for my history teacher Mrs. Ness, I don't know if I would have realized how much material wasn't being covered. in my opinion, what we are covering right now isn't even enough. Native Americans all sorts of religions, stories, tools, technologies, and just so much more to offer. They have to be respected and their past should be studied. What people should realize though is that many people today are Native Americans. In the 2000 census, 4 million people claimed to be Native American, not to mention those that did not say they were. While the number may seem small compared to the U.S. population as a whole, it is regardless at least 4 million people in the U.S. I mean come on, if the school board is so blind that they can't see that the Native Americans' past needs to be studied, then I really don't know what we will do to solve any other problem the school board has. I just hope that the board can see that all people need to be respected, ESPECIALLY Native American people.
At the end of all the conflict, one simple truth remains, that we need to go more in-depth on the Native American Unit instead of just a 2 or 3 day period. There is a serious problem going on in our district today. Native Americans have one of the highest suicide rates in the country, and nobody is taking any steps to fixing it. So the way that we can start to make relationships better, is by learning their history and embracing it. But in conclusion, we need to learn more about Native Americans because they are very effective survivalists, because we treated them terribly in the past so we need to study their history as a duty, and because all people deserve respect. Maybe this wasn’t enough to get you to understand Native Americans, but I hope that I have at least given a clear picture of what the reality is.

Braxton Biggers

10/28/2015 04:25:27 pm

Braxton Biggers
Period 5
Native American Persuasive Essay

I believe very strongly that the Native Americans Unit in U.S. History classes throughout Utah should be embellished. There are several stereotypes labeled on the Native Americans. But the truth is, Native Americans were extremely diverse groups of people that taught many things that we can learn from. There were several groups, spread all over the American continent. They were a very advanced civilization, demonstrating several ethical practices that we can learn from today. Each of these groups had many distinct traditions and rituals. We have many things we can learn from Native Americans with extended time to learn about them.

Native Americans were spread all over the American continent. There are more than 500 tribes in just North America alone. Within these tribes there were different leagues, groups and families. To put this into proportion, think of your family. Your have your parents, your spouse, your kids, who they marry. You simply cannot tell your families story in two days. Now imagine a Native American tribe. These tribes have been around for thousands of years, and have developed a story with that. On top of that, Native Americans were all over the entire continent of America, not just North America. While this seems obvious, it can be easy to overlook just how far away that is. Think about it. There were Native groups all the way up in Alaska, and down in Chile. That is practically halfway across the world, more or less. While we can’t learn about all their stories, the least we can do is to familiarize ourselves with the many groups of the Native Americans.

Native American were a very advanced civilization for their time, and lots of their knowledge has aged very well. Native Americans were excellent farmers. They had an advanced knowledge on the healthiest diets and how to rotate crops. An example of this is the Eastern Woodland natives. This group was the first to come into contact with the English settlers. The new land was new environment for the Europeans. The natives taught them how to grow maize corn, which was a key part in the settlers survival in the first couple years. Surely any group that was able to save the “civilized” Europeans had to have some level of civilization themselves. In addition, the woodlanders had an understanding of crop rotation. Their diet consisted of corn, beans, and squash. Corn is a crop that will suck the nutrients out of the ground. Squash will return these nutrients to the ground. In addition to this, we have many artifacts, first hand accounts, and other means of seeing that Native Americans had organized traditions. One prime example are the petroglyphs they carved. The petroglyphs the Native Americans drew were very complex. They could tell 500 word stories in around 30 or 40 carvings. Some would show the events of a battle. Others would inform travelers of extreme weather that occurred in the area. And this is just scratching the surface. To be able to write such complex messages that could be interpreted by anyone, you would have to be greater than primitive. Native Americans were very intelligent and more credit should be given to them then we do.

Native Americans were culturally distinct groups. They have been here for tens of thousands of years. As stated before, Native Americans were spread all over. Anyone who lives in the United States knows that North America is a big place. Anyone who has traveled knows that just a couple hours can show a big difference in personality. Now imagine no roads, and no cars. Traveling large distances would be very difficult, and any intermixing of tribes would be very little. In addition to this, we have many artifacts, first hand accounts, and other means of seeing that Native Americans had organized traditions. We can see in petroglyphs that Native Americans had a very rich history, telling their stories in the rock art. Even to this day we see Native Americans practicing their traditions. Another point I would like to bring up is that Native Americans came from all over the world. There is a great deal of evidence that Native Americans have several origins, not just one. Through DNA evidence, we can see that they came from all different continents, whether it be by boat or ancient land bridge. Native Americans had so many cultural differences that we just simply need more time to study them.

The current curriculum for U.S. History Native Americans is very short, an unfortunate truth since Native Americans were so interesting. Native Americans migrated from all over the world, spreading all over the continent. They have been living and developing here for thousands of years. They had a very advanced knowledge of Earth Sciences and were quite civilized. While there are many stereotypes, when you look past them, Native Americans can teach us a great deal and even taking just a little more time to learn about them would benefi

Caden Baines B5

10/28/2015 08:19:35 pm

Caden Baines B5
Dear Utah Senate,
Native American culture is important to our country, and we need to learn about the great things they did. They were just as advanced as the Europeans. They contributed many important things that we still use today. They were very civilized people unlike stereotypes tell us. We should teach about Native American culture, because they were advanced in civilized people before the Europeans even set foot on America.
Native Americans were just as advanced as the Europeans at the time. They had houses stronger, and a lot of the times bigger, than the Europeans. Some lived in houses called wigwams, they were designed by growing trees as your foundation and support and then bent them into houses. They were strong enough to outstand a hurricane. They had one of the healthiest diets. Europeans at the time ate mainly meat. Just meat is unhealthy. Native Americans had a healthy diet of squash, corn, beans, buffalo, fish, etc. Their squash, corn, and bean diet was perfect, because it kept the already amazing soil healthy. They had their own forms of governments, just like the Europeans.
The Native American people contributed many things that we still use today. They had many crops that the Europeans had never seen. Crops like maize, tomato, potato, cocoa, and tobacco. All of these (except for the last one) are used in products in the top five largest American food chains (#all-American). They also invented social items that are used in America today. They created a democracy similar to The United States’s before there were European colonists. And feminism, giving rights to women. Lastly they have some other cool items. They invented vanilla, tapping a rubber tree, lacrosse, (and most importantly because I am a Canadian) maple syrup.
The Native People were very civilized, contrary to popular belief. They were not wild and savage people like we think. They were just like us, a community trying to “live long and prosper”. They were not warlike people killing everything in sight. They were peaceful, very few died from them attacking the settlers. They either died (or didn’t die) from diseases, or massacres. Lastly, they had their own governments. They had democracies, dictatorships, and many others. They were civil and worked their way up to become leaders, not killing everybody.
So in conclusion, Native Americas were advanced people. They contributed many things to America and the rest of the world. And they were civilized people unlike popular belief. We should learn about Native Americans because they were an advanced, civilized culture that is very important to America today.
From,
Caden Swagbot Baines

Mrs. Ness

11/12/2015 10:51:17 am

100/100 Outstanding Essay. You did a good job supporting your key ideas with evidence.

savannah raff B5

10/29/2015 07:55:25 am

Why should we learn about native Americans?

Many people ask themselves, “why should we study native americans? They are just people in the past. They won't affect our lives!” This is all wrong and I am here to tell you why we need to study native Americans. Native americans are our history. They made this world, our world, what it is today.
They formed our lives by developing these lands and teaching us the way to live. They are the creators of our past, present and future.

Many people stereotype native Americans to be unimportant people who won't benefit their lives. Most people don't know that native peoples are why we are where we are today. Because of the natives beliefs we know where we came from. Like the Dine story of creation,and earth on turtle's back, we know we came from somewhere. They natives help us realize that. We know our past because of them. They created beliefs and traditions that affect us more than we know. Thus, the first reason we need to learn about native Americans and their way of life.

Learning about native Americans affects our present too. Our lifestyles,traditions and culture all lead back to the ways of the natives. yes, the natives learned civility from the white men. But many people don't realize that natives have impacted virtually every part of our everyday lives including language, food religion, and government.They way they lived is the way we live. if we didn't have the natives to guide us, our lives would be dramatically different.

Lastly the native peoples have a major affect on our future. We can teach our children so they can teach theirs. Our future is all because of the choices and footsteps of these great people. Ervin welsh once said” our unique past prepares us for our unique future.” This is very true. These natives are our past. And now they have shaped our future. This is yet another roll native Americans play in our lives.

I have proved that learning about native Americans is very important. Native peoples have impacted our lives from the past to the present to the future. Life would be much changed without their guidance and leadership. It's our job to pass their stories and lessons down from
generation to generation. So, this is why we learn about native Americans.

Thor Labrum

10/29/2015 02:53:45 pm

Why We Should Have a More Comprehensive Understanding of the History of Native Americans
By:Thor Labrum

If we as Americans, learn a more in-depth understanding of Native Americans,our lives will be enriched to a more meaningful existence. They can help us preserve resources.We can be through with vanity.We can distinguish between stereotypes and realities.If we learn more about native americans we will become better as a people.

They can teach us a better understanding of ways to manipulate resources.They planted corn bean and squash with each other.They have a sort of symbiotic relationship.Corn uses a lot of nitrogen from the soil. squash and beans put a lot of nitrogen back into the soil.This is only one example of how conservative they were.

We could have no use for vanity. Everyone would be for the betterment of the human race.They were a lot more practical.When you don’t care so much about yourself you help others.When everyone is helping each other then that is a lot more help than just helping yourself.This is the first of many problems they could solve.

We can distinguish between stereotypes and realities.We learn in depth about other ethnicities. Without stereotypes we can associate together in a more productive way.Reality is only there when we notice it.Learning more in depth can help us find a balance as humans.

We will all become better as a whole when we learn more about them.They were extremely conservative.They had no personal vanities.They can help us find balance.We need to learn more.

ethan morris link

10/18/2016 08:07:50 pm

Ethan morris A4

Ethan's five paragraph essay

My points on the essay

I think we should learn about Indians and native culture in school because it is an important part of our history and because this culture teaches us a lot. We could benefit a lot from doing the things the Indians did and living the way that they did.
They used all resources…
The indians did not waste anything. The Indians did not waste absolutely anything. They used everything they could from milk from a dandelion to the fur of a buffalo. They used almost every plant and made medicine for diseases. The Spaniards and Englishmen could never figure out how to make a cure like the Indians. Indians were the most well adapted people on the planet for their time. They adapted to some of the hottest and driest places on the planet to the coldest, wettest and most muggy places on the planet. They made weapons from obsidian they found in the ground and tree branches. These are examples of how they used all resources.

Indians made their houses out of trees and wood. They used the whole tree, not just parts from the tree. They bent the tree over and tied iit to the ground when it was young so it would grow like that. Then they take wood and put it on the bent tree, causing a dome-like house with roots. This was very effective against hurricanes. They also made a big version of these houses as a sort of town hall. Further inland they would build massive kingdoms of brick houses with flat tops. In the center they had a church house, mess hall sport courts, and Judicial centers.

The Indians used their environment for tools. The Indians arrows were made out of obsidian chipped away to create a sharp razor-like edge. They used obsidean for knives and hatchets and other weapons. When obsidian was not to be found they used stone and wood. They used rope/vines to lasow together their tools.

Indians used every part of the animals they killed. They never killed more than they needed. They killed just enough for their needs. They always gave thanks when animals were killed, by saying a prayer to their Gods.
It is important for us to be taught this in school so that we can learn and practice their behavior and culture.

Respected the land……
The indians did not pollute. They were very respective to land. They always treated it as if it was a living thing. They tried not to damage anything and they never wasted anything. They used everything they could to their fullest content. Never polluting.

Re-planted or harvested anything they could. They re-planted trees and their crops to satisfy their Gods. For food they harvested anything they could. If it was edible they would eat it/harvest it. Sometimes they didn't harvest for food but for medicine for sickness and pain. They made the first numbing medicine.

The indians used only what they needed. They used only what they needed
for food because they saw the animals as equals. The Indians never hunted anything to extinction. They were always respected animals. They found meaning in all life.

I think we can learn from the Indians to respect the land. Today so many people pollute and we are destroying the ozone. We leave trash everywhere and never clean it up. We don’t respect and value animal life or human life like the Indians did. We learn a lot from the lives and culture of the Indians. It needs to be taught in our schools.

Andrew Smith

10/18/2016 08:31:45 pm

Native American Walkaway
By: Andrew Smith B5
The Native American culture is a gigantic part of the origin of the United States of America. Teaching this subject to students is essential. There is no way we can skip over this subject without a second thought. Most schools today will teach about a week of their “Native American unit” then go on to teach for months about the pilgrims and European settlers, when they should be giving the Natives more time and credit. Without the Native Americans, the settlers would have died and our current political system would be very different. They were here long before the pilgrims knew that the American continent existed. We need to educate our youth on the importance of the original inhabitants of the new world.
When the first European settlers arrived on the continent they were not the most successful survivors. The Europeans were dying extremely fast because disease, overpopulation and many other factors were destroying them. One of the most important of these issues was starvation. The Europeans didn’t know how to hunt or farm on this new frontier. Then the natives stepped in to teach them their techniques. The settlers brought wheat, which does not grow on the east coast, so the Natives gave them corn. Corn could grow and it gave them a reliable food source for the coming months. Navajo Indians gave cotton to the nearby settlers and taught them how to make clothing out of it. In addition, the Native Americans were valuable trading partners to the settlers, if they were out of food they could just walk over to their Native American pals and give them some metal tools or glass beads for some food. In the northern parts of the United States tribes like the Red Cliff introduced the French to fur and the fur trade in North America.
The Native Americans were able to construct societies that could work together to create a good life. Their example had a large impact on the systems of government we currently have in The United States. For example, the Iroquois League was a combination of multiple tribes including, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Tuscarora. They banded together to make a strong group that had great morals and survived for a long time. We based a lot of our rules and systems on the Iroquois, in fact our voting system is similar to theirs. One thing the Natives taught to us is the love of freedom. At the time we were enslaved by the government of England. Some of the colonists drew inspiration from the free native peoples. Without that inspiration we might not have attacked or fought against the tyranny. If we didn’t revolt then we might be living in New England, or some other nightmarish country where our personal rights and freedoms would be limited. In addition, the natives had some very interesting and useful rules. One example is that the Iroquois League gave their women the power to vote for and choose the people they wanted to protect them and their children. There was no way to inherit power in the Iroquois League, there was always a vote. If you were a tyrant or unstable you were voted out of power.
The native cultures were very important to the survival of the Europeans, but one thing often overlooked is the time they spent here before the settlers and pilgrims thought this continent existed. The settlers are part of around one thousand out of the last thirty thousand years of this continent’s lifetime. If we spend three hours talking about the natives and their cultures there is so much that is left behind. It is not possible to learn all about Native Americans in such a short time. It’s like throwing away a bunch of North America’s rich history. Their society was so complex for their time period and isolation that it is cool that they could make so many inventions and have such solid ideals. Although the Natives did not have a written language, they spoke thousands of languages among the different tribes. Sadly, most of these languages have been destroyed over the years. The natives had effective architecture and technology that was inventive. The European settlers did not embrace these innovations and after their arrival most of it is gone. For example, giant mounds of cahokia, wider than the base of the pyramids, were made by piling up dirt over and over until they were five stories tall.
History tends to repeat itself, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. In the cold December months of 1890 the US 7th regiments found a group of Hunkpapa and Miniconjou Indians. The troops took the natives 5 miles from their homes to Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota. The soldiers lined up the helpless natives, then mowed them over by the dozens. Men, women and children were murdered right there. As the soldiers carried the bodies to bury them in a giant trench, one noticed movement. As he uncovered the cloth, he saw a small baby by the side of her dead mother. The baby was the only surviv

Tommy Macedone

10/19/2016 03:01:55 pm

Native Americans are important human beings, and they have stories that need to be told. They are all culturally distinct in many ways. People think of them as all the same but, they aren’t even close. Women are an important part of Native Culture, and they need to be respected. Something that people need to understand is, they didn’t die because they were inferior.
They are all culturally distinct, like all humans are. Thinking of them as the same people is stereotyping and that’s almost as bad as racism. People think of them as having feathers all over them, everyone having braids, and people acting like animals, and that’s wrong. They all might be around you right now and you might not notice it. Native Americans lived in houses from Teepees to Whale Bones underground. The Plains indians are the ones that lived in teepees because they had to move with the herds These are the only indians that you think of as indians. The Natives all had different types of religions and beliefs. Some believed in totem poles and some believed in animal gods and they believed it was just as real as we think of as Jesus Christ or Zeus.
Women were definitely more dominate than the men in native culture. Pocahontas was a very important person. Pocahontas’ family line had 2 presidents; the Bush family. Everyone had a right to vote from the beginning, even women, because they thought of everyone equally. Pocahontas also became an English Ambassador and she was also in line to become a Chieftess.
They didn’t die because they were inferior, they died because of others thinking of them as cannibals. They died because of illnesses that the Europeans brought to their land; the Europeans were the inferior ones. They died because America was under a strict rule that they “needed” to be the best. The Massacre of Wounded Knee was a big thing and if you don’t know what that is, it was when America led the Natives to Wounded Knee River and killed most of them, and then they said “ The survivors can come out now. You are all free to go” and when they came out they killed them too! They died in wars as well. They sacrificed themselves to free others, just like the men in this Country.
The Natives have been stereotyped and that needs to stop! They are all totally different in almost every way. To them everyone was important especially women. They didn’t die because they were inferior they died because others were inferior. They are important and should be respected.

Drew Scott

10/25/2016 06:26:26 pm

Drew Scott

10/25/2016 06:30:50 pm

Native Americans helped enrich and shape us in the past and their contributions and efforts still assist us today as we strive and develop to become better people. Which makes the teachings of Native Americans critical. We have things and do things today that we would never have or we would still be developing if the Native Americans never existed. Shouldn’t we learn about what these Native Americans have contributed? There are so many ways of living for the Native Americans, that we use widely today. One thing the Natives have formed is the idea of a governmental body. Their ways of shaping and making the government and political aspects is the widely used today. Another big aspect is what they developed. The Native Americans have produced many resourceful things that we need and can build upon today!

The Native Americans ways of shaping and making the government and political aspects is still widely used today. The Native Americans have formed ideas about the government. We use many concepts that the Natives formed, for example, the U.S. Constitution was actually based on the constitution of the Seven Iroquois Nations, which was called “The Great Law Of Peace”. The traditions of Congressional debate is actually taken from American Indian tribal councils. The Iroquois also had structure over individual leadership, as well as options to leave and join other tribes. Another thing we have from the Native American governmental system is all the governmental bodies. They made classes, such as chiefs, nobility, commoners, etc. We have used what they did, to help us today. The other thing they did is their methods for choosing leaders, the men and women could contribute to choose a leader, which may have helped us realize, that both genders should be able to choose. The Natives have developed some pretty useful ways of maintaining governmental things.

The Native Americans have developed and produced many resourceful things that we need and build upon today! One very important thing they have developed is the food they grew and maintained. Some tribes grew crops at the same time, for a balance of nutrition of the ground. They made sure that the crops were together, making the soil balanced. As well as making food that was small, grow bigger. They also made medical developments. Some Natives developed syringes, needles, pain medications, and one Native group did successfull brain surgeries. The Natives also made stories with important lessons in them. One example is in the story “How the birds learned to sing” it teaches us that we need to be happy with who we are, don’t cheat, and everything is beautiful to someone. They have much more stories that we can learn from. So, the Natives made made things that we use everyday!

The Native Americans also helped us greatly when we came to the Us. One thing the Natives did to help us greatly is they taught us how to maintain land. They taught English settlers how to grow and maintain crops, which helped the English survive. Another thing is that Natives showed settlers the ways around the Us. Like Sacajewea lead an expidition for Lois and Clark. Pochahontas bravely went to England and told the English that she would do anything to protect her people. The Native Americans also gave us many things, and traded. In the book “Blood on the River” the English were starving and sick, and the Iroquois brought them food and animals to help them survive. The Natives also developed trade with the English. So, the Native Americans were essential in our survival.

The Native Americans helped enrich and shape us in the past, and their contributions still help us strive and develop today, which is critical to learn about. The Native Americans ways of shaping and making the governmental and political aspects is still widely used today, we based the constitution on theirs, and many other things. The Native Americans developed and produced many resourceful things we use and build upon today, such as their ways of farming, their medical developments, and the morals they made. The Native Americans also helped us greatly when we came to the US, they taught us their ways of farming, their people were helpful to us, and they gave us things for our survival and traded. Why should we stop learning about them? They have affected us greatly, and we have to learn the truth, even if it’s sad, boring, annoying, or makes us look bad. We need to know what happened, so we can strive to be the best we can. Please, let us keep learning about the Native Americans, they have done some great things for us!

Maya Wardle link

12/6/2020 08:25:45 pm

I thoroughly enjoyed this blog thanks for sharing

Assignment:

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Online WA Native Americans: Utah's State Social Studies Core should include a more comprehensive study of Native Americans