NATIVE AMERICANS
CRASH COURSE • PART 5

What thing do Native Americans see as part of the living whole of the land?
Why were the Cherokee forced to leave their homeland?
What does the Potawatomi word for land mean?
What happens during the First Salmon Ceremony?
What do the Haudenosaunee numbers tell about?
What does “since time immemorial” mean?
What myth does U.S. history sometimes tell about America?
How old are the human footprints found in New Mexico?
What were the Hopewell Earthworks?
What happened when Europeans came?

► BONUS Q: What does the famous Chief Seattle quote mean to you?

Deep Connections

Think of a place that’s important to you. Maybe it’s a lake where you played as a kid, a park you know well, or a street where your family lives. Now imagine that your connection to that place goes even deeper.

Imagine it’s part of your stories, your traditions, your language—and that your ancestors lived there for thousands of years. That’s what it means when Native Americans talk about being connected to the land.

More Than Just Land

When Native people talk about where they’re from, it means more than just the name of a city or state. Many Native nations, like the Yuki in California, have lived in the same place for thousands of years.

Others, like the Cherokee, still feel strong ties to their original land, even though they were forced to move.

The Cherokee once lived in what is now the southeastern United States. In the 1800s, the U.S. government forced them to leave and move to Oklahoma.

To Native people, the land is more than just trees and rocks. It includes water, sky, animals, thunder, wind, and stars. Humans are not separate from nature—they are part of it. This belief is common among many Native nations.

The Potawatomi people, from the Great Lakes region, use a word for land that means “that which has been given to us.”

This shows how they see the land as a gift that provides food, water, medicine, and shelter. In return, people must take care of the land.

One Potawatomi scientist, Robin Wall Kimmerer, said the land is everything—home, history, family, and health. She said it should never be bought or sold because it is a gift.

Land-Based Traditions

This deep connection to nature can be seen in Native traditions.

In Washington state, the Coast Salish people have a special relationship with salmon.

Every June, salmon swim from the ocean into rivers. The people believe salmon give themselves as food, and in return, they must honor the fish.

During the First Salmon Ceremony, they sing, dance, and return the bones of the first salmon to the water.

In California, some Native people make baskets using local grasses and plants. The basket patterns tell stories about the land. Today, people still weave these baskets, keeping their bond with nature alive.

Language & the Land

Native languages also reflect these deep ties.

For example, Lushootseed is spoken by Coast Salish tribes near Puget Sound. In this language, nature has a voice. The word for “river” sounds like water running over rocks. The word for “saltwater” sounds like ocean waves.

Other Native words show how closely people observe the land.

The Ojibwe word for March means “the moon when snow has a hard crust,” showing how snow melts during the day and freezes at night.

For the Haudenosaunee people, their numbers tell the story of creation.

The word for “one” means Sky-Woman, the first being in their story. “Two” means her daughter. “Three” means her daughter’s twin sons.

These words connect language, history, and nature.

These traditions are very old—so old that people say they’ve existed since “time immemorial,” which means longer than anyone can remember.

A Land Full of Life

The story often told in U.S. history books creates the myth North America was empty when Europeans arrived. But that’s not true.

Native people lived here for tens of thousands of years.

They built villages, grew crops, and traded with one another.

In Ohio, more than 1,600 years ago, Native people built giant earth shapes called the Hopewell Earthworks. They brought special stones and shells from all over the continent to this sacred site.

Each Native nation had its own way of working with the land.

The Zuni people in New Mexico created farming methods to catch and keep water in dry places.

The Hidatsa in North Dakota farmed by rivers and moved when floods came, knowing the land would be richer when they returned.

Native people didn’t just live on the land—they shaped it.

They used small, controlled fires to grow healthy plants and prevent wildfires. Some scientists believe Native people changed the land so much that other animals and plants depended on them.

Colonization & Land Loss

But everything changed when Europeans arrived.

They brought deadly diseases that caused massive sickness and death.

They also brought animals like rats that harmed local ecosystems.

Most of all, they brought colonization—a system where one group takes control of another. Settlers wanted land, and they pushed Native people out to get it.

Tribes were forced onto reservations. Then those reservations were split into smaller pieces. Non-Native settlers often took these lands for themselves.

Today, in much of the Western world, land is treated as property. People buy and sell it, instead of caring for it.

Because of this, many Native communities have been separated from sacred places they had cared for since time immemorial.

Reclaiming the Land

Today, many Native nations are working to reclaim their land. They want to protect it, heal it, and care for it again.

In New York, over two million acres were taken from the Onondaga Nation, including a sacred lake. The lake was polluted for many years.

In 2022, one thousand acres of nearby forest were returned to the Onondaga. Now they can care for the stream that flows into the lake again.

The Iowa Tribe has also gotten back some of their land. They turned it into a tribal park where people can hike and camp. It will help protect their stories, animals, and natural habitats for the future.

As land returns to Native stewardship, animals like bison, eagles, and herring are coming back. Forests, rivers, and grasslands are healing. From Montana to Virginia, nature is being restored.

A Living Connection

To Native people, land is not just a place—it’s part of who they are.

It provides food, medicine, and meaning. Taking care of the land honors their ancestors and ensures a future for their children.

As one Native leader, Lance Foster, said, “We can never move away. This is our land forever.”

For Native people, the connection to the land is as deep as time itself—and it will last far into the future.

Ancestor – A family member who lived long ago.

Tradition – A belief or practice passed down through generations.

Stewardship – The act of taking care of something.

Immemorial – So long ago it’s beyond memory or records.

Ceremony – A special event with actions and words for a meaningful purpose.

Tribe – A group of people who share culture and ancestry.

Reservation – Land set aside for Native American tribes by the government.

Colonization – When one group takes control of another’s land and life.

Invasive species – Plants or animals that are brought into an area and harm the natural environment.

Commodity – Something that can be bought or sold.

Sacred – Something very special, holy, or respected.

Restoration – The act of bringing something back to its original or healthy state.

Sovereignty – The right to self-rule and make one’s own decisions.

Habitat – The natural home of a plant or animal.

► COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

— please answer with complete sentences

What things do Native Americans see as part of the living whole of the land?
Why were the Cherokee forced to leave their homeland?
What does the Potawatomi word for land mean?
What happens during the First Salmon Ceremony?
What do the Haudenosaunee numbers tell about?
What does “since time immemorial” mean?
What myth does U.S. history sometimes tell about America?
How old are the human footprints found in New Mexico?
What were the Hopewell Earthworks?
What happened when Europeans came?