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Animism and Shamanism Among New England Tribes

Generally, the traditional Native American spirituality among the tribes of New England is considered to be animistic: that is, the people saw themselves as a part of nature. All things were alive—that is, they have souls. In their view, these living entities included the animals, the plants, the rocks, the mountains, the rivers, the thunder, … Continued

Animism and Shamanism Among New England Tribes

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Pomo Indian Baskets (Photo Diary)

California Indian baskets are often considered the best in North America, and Pomo baskets are generally considered to be the best of the California baskets. In his book Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes, Carl Waldman reports: “The Pomos created their beautiful baskets for functional purposes, but collectors now value them as works of fine art. … Continued

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James Welch, Novelist

In 1966, Richard Hugo was teaching a poetry class at the University of Montana. One of his students was James Welch who had been born on the Blackfeet Reservation and raised on the Fort Belknap Reservation. Hugo realized that Welch knew nothing of poetry, but he encouraged him to write about what he did know: … Continued

James Welch, Novelist

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Karuk Tribe Launches Píkyav (Fix It) Institute

Karuk Tribe: “This is Katimin, the center of our world where Masuhsava (Salmon River) meets Ishkeesh (the Klamath River) The cone shaped mountain near the bottom is Auwitch (Sugar Loaf).” Orleans, CA – The Karuk Department of Natural Resources today announced a 1 million dollar grant award from the U.S. Department of Education to the … Continued

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A Very Brief Overview of California’s Achumawi Indians

The aboriginal homelands of the Achumawi (also spelled Achomawi, Achomowi, Achemawi) people of North America was along the drainage of the Pit River between the Warner Range and Mount Shasta and Mount Lassen in present-day California. Achumawi villages were located along the Pit River or its tributary streams. The Achumawi villages, whose names were not … Continued

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Klickitat Baskets (Photo Diary)

Long before the European invasion of North America, a number of autonomous, independent, and linguistically related peoples lived in contiguous territories in what would become the state of Washington. These peoples included the Yakama, Kittitas, Klikitat (also spelled Klickitat), Tainapam, and Wanapam. In 1855, the United States government forced a treaty on these people, grouping … Continued

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The Royal Proclamation of 1763

By 1776, some of the British colonists in North America had become somewhat irritated with the Monarchy and particularly with its limitations on the expansion of the colonies. Colonial displeasure with the British King was expressed in a document known as the Declaration of Independence in which they express the following charge against the King: … Continued

The Royal Proclamation of 1763

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The Methodists Run the Siletz Indian Reservation

By 1870, it was clearly evident that the Indian Service was the most corrupt branch of the federal government and that Indian reservations were often being run for the financial benefit of the government-appointed Indian agents at the expense of the Indians. In order for Indians to fully assimilate into American society, it was felt … Continued