Pope Alexander VI issued a Papal Bull in 1493 after Columbus’s first voyage in 1492. How did he order it to be complied with? Pope Alexander VI ordered Ferdinand and Isabella to comply: by agreeing the primary purpose of all voyages is christianizing and overthrowing all resisting nations, and doing so is “By the Authority … Continued
By email to subscribers this morning, the National Indian Health Board‘s Congressional Relations Associate, Bobby Ahern, reported: The FY 2019 President’s Budget Request for the Indian Health Service, proposes to eliminate funding for the Community Health Representative (CHR) Program and the Health Education program. In the coming weeks, National Indian Health Board (NIHB) will advocate … Continued
The Northwest Coast culture area stretches along the Pacific coast between the Cascade Mountains and the ocean. It extends north of California to Alaska. This is an area which is the home to many Indian nations who traditionally based their economy on the use of sea coast and river ecological resources. The Northwest Coast culture … Continued
Traditionally, Apache religious ceremonies focused on curing, hunting and gathering rituals, puberty ceremonies, and obtaining personal power and protection. While spiritual power is available to most people, spiritual leaders–usually called medicine men and medicine women–are people who have greater access to spiritual power than other people. Among the Apache groups, the Gans (gaans) or Mountain … Continued
For more than 10,000 years Indian people have lived adjacent to the Columbia River. The river provided them with countless salmon which they harvested with nets and spears. The annual salmon run provided Indians with a nutrient-rich food as well as a valued commodity for barter. It is estimated that the aboriginal salmon harvest along … Continued
In 1877 the United States army under the leadership of America’s Christian general, O.O. Howard, went to war against the Nez Perce. The five autonomous non-treaty Nez Perce bands selected Looking Glass, the leader of the Asotin band, as War Chief. Looking Glass, who had been born about 1823, took his father’s name and so … Continued
One of the characteristic Peruvian pottery styles is the stirrup-spout bottle. This type of container features a closed body with a tubular handle in the shape of an up-ended U with a spout in the middle. In some instances, there are two spouts. The handle and spout resemble the stirrup on a European saddle and … Continued
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
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
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
