North American Indigenous lifeways before and after colonization

Before the coming of the Europeans, the Native Americans lived with freedom. The natives had the traditions that guided them in the society. For example, they had village leaders who settled disputes within the community. Additionally, the Native Americans comprised of several tribes which spoke different languages. The communities depended on squash, corn, and beans and supported by fishing and hunting to provide food for their families. However, the coming of the Europeans changed various things within society. Europeans came with a formal education, where people needed to attend schooling classrooms where they were taught by the white teachers who aimed at eradicating the culture and languages of the indigenous communities. The Europeans also mistreated the natives when they entered North America. However, the US federal government has not been able to comply with a consistent strategy of coming up with the political and legal status of individual Indian and Native American tribes. This paper is a discussion on the North American Indigenous lifeways before and after colonization.

Every society around the world has its traditions. There different cultures of the Native Americans they practiced before getting into contact with the Europeans. The study shows that before the arrival of the indigenous (Forner 1) Americans had various patterns in the form of settlement which got disrupted by the coming of the Europeans. As a result, the communities in North America experienced multiple changes. Many of the natives ignored the European people. Additionally, the communities created peace and piloted diplomacy. The natives used a centralized authority until the fifteenth century. 

Before colonization, many tribes in North America inhabited villages and towns scattered from the present day Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. These communities lived on beans, squash, and corn, supported by hunting turkeys and other animals and fishing (Forner 7). The indigenous individuals came from different communities across North America where spirituality is an essential element in some societies. The Native Americans practiced ceremonies so that they could be able to make the supernatural forces happy so that they can serve them positively. Additionally, the indigenous Americans had several land systems. It was the role of village leaders to assign plots to specific families to use for a particular period and tribes were able to claim hunting areas. Moreover, the tribal leaders created a small number of families, and the leaders lived more luxurious as compared to other members in the community.

However, various activities occured during the colonization of the natives in North America (Geisler 58). Some of the events include; during the colonization period, the colonizers forcibly removed the Indian nations, used treaties to deceive them, used military to contain the population and also the unscrupulous non-Indians defrauded the landed birthright of the Indians. As a result, the Indians lost their land (Geisler 58). They lost the property through the market more as compared to the musket. The use of the military enabled the non-Indians to occupy the Indian nations. Later, the Indians and the settlers contested for superordinate status, in which the government-induced market transactions took place, the Great Plain, during the nineteenth century. It enabled the indigenous farmers to accept rudiments of the ownership community, should operate under similar rewards and risks based on the decisions regarding land use as non-Indian farmers around them. 

Additionally, during the colonial period, some natives welcomed the Europeans. However, these visitors mistreated them. For example, when the Europeans landed in Bahamas Island. Columbus and his men received greeting from the natives (Geisler 58). However, the Europeans ended up enslaving many natives and subjected many of them to misery or death. Columbus has kidnapped and oppressed several individuals under terrible conditions. It is valid to suggest that the indigenous tribes were naïve. For instance, the Indians had initially viewed Spaniards as good people. However, the came to know who the Spaniards were after applying violence against them, torturing, robbing and killing, which made them change their perception. It shows that during the colonial period, the Native Americans experienced severe punishments. Only a few survived the events (Geisler 60). Those who survived got distributed to be slaves among the Christians. Additionally, women also experienced severe challenges, such as breast milk drying up, which led to the death of the infant. This evidence shows how the Spaniards were inhuman since they do not ensure the safety of the parent. 

Also, during the colonial period, the most reaching acts of spiritual, cultural and physical genocide got disseminated on the Native Americans (Atalay 3). During this period, anthropologists and archaeologist started to take on the historical and cultural stewards’ roles applying their cultural strategies to teach and asses the indigenous heritage and lifeways. Additionally, colonization comprised of responses and actions of several people and formed part of a complicated procedure (Atalay 3).). The Native Americans reacted to the disruption in their capacity to regulate their history, resources, and heritage in different ways, for instance, some sold sacred items while other buried them so that they could be able to support the needs of their families (Atalay 3).). Furthermore, some of the indigenous people gave up on their traditions and accepted Christianity. Nevertheless, the indigenous individuals remained. 

Their survival shows that they can concurrently change and adapt to western cultures. Thus, it is valid to note that during the colonial period the natives experienced various challenges. 

Nevertheless, there are various effects caused by colonization of the indigenous Americas in North America. Many of these impacts became visible later after the Europeans had surrendered. After colonization, there was a rise in tribalism in America (Caruso 83). For instance, between the 1860s and 1930s, the federal government experienced a prolonged war against tribalism. When the government failed to remove ethnic genocide, it took the Native children to the central boarding schools from their families. During their schooling at the boarding schools, the white teachers attempted to eliminate any remnant of their language and culture. The strategy was to help in saving the children from their roots so that they can get ready to survive in the white society. (Caruso 83) Furthermore, there was a form of medication that used in reducing pain among marginalized individuals. People used a traditional self-inflicted medicine which helped in pain reduction which was drinking. It assisted in concealing pain of individuals who grew in dysfunctional families, substance abuse, living in rural areas and being marginalized (Caruso 85). 

Furthermore, colonization of the Native American communities leads to the introduction of classroom schooling (Fox 2). The study shows that from the period the indigenous Americans came into contact with the Europeans, the colonizers used education in classrooms as a primary way of assimilating the Americans (Fox 2). Moreover, the study suggests that during colonization of the indigenous individuals, the Europeans used formal education as a strategy to eradicate languages and cultures of the Americans. The process destroyed the cultures and languages. However, the native cultures and languages managed to survive the practices and policies of the colonies. 

According to Lindo (1), European colonization had significant effects on the Native Americans’ genomes that could have produced harmful elements, caused by a severe reduction in the number of people and genetic diversity corresponding forces. According to the study, after colonization, the US federal government has not been able to comply with a consistent strategy of coming up with the political and legal status of individual Indian and Native American tribes (Tennant 1). The programs include reorganization, self-determination, termination, allotment, reservations and treaty making. These policies range from the Indian tribe’s treatment as sovereign nations to colonizing of the indigenous Americans as citizens of the USA in the society dominated by the whites. Assimilation required the indigenous Americans to adopt religion, language, clothing and agricultural lifestyle of the Euro-Americans for one to become a citizen. Even at that, many of the indigenous Americans were only able to attain second-class citizenship in situations where there was a need for protection and exercising constitutional rights. Thus, it is valid to suggest that the legal status of the indigenous Americans is not clear. 

Additionally, the prospect of citizenship was not a guarantee for the indigenous Americans to enjoy the privileges and constitutional rights as enjoyed by other US citizens (Tennant 25). Therefore, whether an individual is either a citizen or not, the exact legal status during the colonial period was unclear, which transformed during the twentieth century. Additionally, given that the Native Americans lived along the great lake region, made the government understand the need for creating a Native American policy. Communities that lived in the neighborhood came together and influenced the creation of legislation to organize the settlement of the whites in the future. 

However, after colonization, reservations still function in America. According to the 2010 US Census, 22 percent of the indigenous American communities still live on the tribal lands. The current living conditions on the reservations are similar to those in the developing countries. The federal and tribal governments are the primary employers on the tribal lands. However, about forty percent of the adult population on the reservations remains unemployed, while those employed earn low wages. Furthermore, in many cases, the heads of households on the reservations get forced to leave the tribal lands leaving the grandparents to take care of their children as they go seeking for employment. Also, extended families always bring their resources together so that they can be able to meet their daily needs. Thus, the relative poverty in these lands has a connection with the overall requirements that the families are not able to achieve. These challenges are similar to those of the developing nations. Many developing countries experience unemployment crisis as compared to the developed nations like America. Many of the employees in such regions receive less pay and the majority of the population do not have jobs. 

  Also, these regions are experiencing a housing crisis since the majority of the population live under substandard houses. What is more, the rise of housing challenges on the reservations is recognizable due to the absence of utilities. Many of the reservation families survive with the lack of electricity, telephones and running water. On their budget, the government often view such amnesties as luxuries. The lack of these utilities, substandard houses and overcrowding increases risk on the health of the population living on the tribal lands. Hence, it is valid to suggest that the indigenous communities residing on the tribal areas are facing a housing crisis. 

Burhansstipanov et al. (1560) connote that, even though life expectancy of the indigenous tribes have improved, it is still low as compared to other Americans, since only sixty percent can meet their health needs. Health service facilities on the tribal lands are experiencing various challenges due to inadequate funding. Some tribes do not have doctor’s offices or pharmacies outside the hospitals (Burhansstipanov et al. 1560). Moreover, the pressures to change to the western lifestyle form the traditional ways have impacted the health care of the indigenous communities intensely. The shift has led to increased health concerns such as heart diseases, cancer, and diabetes. Given that there are fewer health services on the reservations, the change has impacted the region adversely, since it has brought additional health concerns, yet there is no adequate health care to curb these conditions. Thus, it is valid to claim that the quality of health care on the reservations is low, since the health service centers are not able to curb the health challenges the population is experiencing, and many people are not able to meet their medical needs. 

In summary, the paper gives the lifeways of the indigenous Americans before and after the colonization. Also, it reflects the current living conditions of the Native Americans. In the above premises it is evident that just like other communities around the world, Native American tribes also had norms that guided them. For instance, the Native Americans practiced ceremonies so that they could be able to make the supernatural forces happy so that they can serve them positively. Additionally, the indigenous Americans had several land systems. It was the role of village leaders to assign plots to specific families to use for a particular period and tribes were able to claim hunting areas. Moreover, the tribal leaders created a small number of families, and the leaders lived more luxurious as compared to other members in the community.

Additionally, the indigenous tribes in North America experienced various difficulties during colonization. For example, the Indians had initially viewed Spaniards as good people. However, they later realized the true Spaniards after using violence against them, torturing, robbing and killing, which made them change their perception. It shows that during the colonial period, the Native Americans experienced severe punishments. The text also indicates that the reservations still function in America. However, the living conditions of the population on those lands are poor. The region communities living on the reservations experience housing crisis, health care challenges, and unemployment.

Works Cited

Atalay, Sonya. “Indigenous Archaeology as Decolonizing Practice.” The American Indian Quarterly, 2006. Retrieved from: libproxy.elac.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsglr&AN=edsgcl.168738713&site=eds-live&scope=site. Accessed 10 January 2019

Caruso, John. Review of Our Fires Still Burn–The Native American Experience: A One Hour Documentary, directed by Audrey Geyer. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 2014. Retrieved from: libproxy.elac.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.420051563&site=eds-live&scope=site. Accessed 10 January 2019.

Foner, Eric. Give me liberty! Seagull Fourth Edition, vol. 1, W.W. Norton & Company.  New York, 2014. Print.

Fox, Mary Jo et. al “American Indian/Native American Studies and the American Indian Education Experience.” Wicazo Sa Review, 2017. Retrieved from: libproxy.elac.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsglr&AN=edsgcl.557705412&site=eds-live&scope=site. Accessed 10 January 2019.

Geisler, Charles. “Disowned by the Ownership Society: How Native Americans Lost Their Land.” Rural Sociology, 2014. Retrieved from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ruso.12028 Accessed 10 January 2019.

Lindo, John, et al. “A Time Transect of Exomes from a Native American Population before and after European Contact.” American Journal Of Human Genetics, 2016. Retrieved from: libproxy.elac.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.35E8D34C&site=eds-live&scope=site. Accessed 10 January 2019.

Lindo, John, et al. “Patterns of Genetic Coding Variation in a Native American Population before and after European Contact.” American Journal Of Human Genetics, 2016 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29706345. Accessed 10 January 2019.

Tennant, Brad. “‘Excluding Indians Not Taxed’: Dred Scott, Standing Bear, Elk and the Legal Status of Native Americans in the Latter Half of the Nineteenth Century.” International Social Science Review, 2011. Retrieved from: libproxy.elac.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.263035404&site=eds-live&scope=site. Accessed 10 January 2019.

Burhansstipanov, Linda, et al. “Native American breast cancer survivors’ physical conditions and quality of life.” Cancer: Interdisciplinary International Journal of the American Cancer Society 116.6 (2010): 1560-1571. Retrieved from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cncr.24924

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