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Many people believe racial and ethnic groups in North America have always lived as separately as they do now. However, segregation was neither practical nor preferable when people who were not native to this continent began arriving here. Europeans needed Indians as guides, trade partners and military allies. They needed Africans to tend their crops and to build an infrastructure.
Later, as the new American government began to thrive, laws were drafted to protect the land and property the colonists had acquired. These laws strengthened the powers of slave owners, limited the rights of free Africans and barred most Indian rights altogether. Today, black, white and red Americans still feel the aftershock of those laws. Read more...
AfriGeneas is a site devoted to African American genealogy, to researching African Ancestry in the Americas in particular and to genealogical research and resources in general. It is also an African Ancestry research community featuring the AfriGeneas mail list, the AfriGeneas message boards and daily and weekly genealogy chats.
Many people are interested in giving their babies American Indian names. They may be of Indian heritage or they may just like the sounds of American Indian names. If you are not of Indian heritage and looking for a name, be careful when using the Internet. Many web sites out there contain lists of so-called American Indian names for babies that are not actually accurate.
If you truly want a traditional Native American name for your child, it would be best to seek advice from an elder leader in a tribal community. In some tribes, the child is not actually named until it is born. Other babies are given a true name once they reach adulthood (puberty). Some babies are given names that are spiritual and unique to each child.
If you do not live in an area where you can access an Indian reservation to speak with an elder, you can still use American Indian names for your child. Many people like to use the Native American version of a Christian name. For example, Kateri is the Indian version of Catharine.
Some people believe they are giving their children American Indian names when actually they are not. Native Americans often consider the use of names such as Dakota and Cheyenne disrespectful for cultural and religious reasons. Just as a Christian would not find it appropriate to name their child Christ, Native Americans find it spiritually unacceptable to name children after tribe names.
In an attempt to help those truly looking for American Indian names for their babies, there are web sites that will take information from you and make name suggestions. They will help you find a more appropriate name for you baby rather than your just looking at an Internet name dictionary.
To see a listing of Native American Baby Names click on “Read more…”
There are many symbols that represent the United States of America. Some of the most popular ones are the Stars and Stripes (the US flag), and the bald eagle (our national bird).The bald eagle is truly an all-American bird -- it is the only eagle unique to North America. It ranges over most of the continent, from the northern reaches of Alaska and Canada down to northern Mexico. The bald eagle, our national symbol, is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 43 of the lower 48 states and listed as threatened in Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin.The bald eagle, American flag symbol, captivates the freedom in flight. When the Great Seal of the United States was adopted on June 20, 1782, this dignified and proud bird was recognized as the national symbol.
When seeking your Native roots, there is an old saying amongst the Natives. It is “Each one must take his or her own journey”.This is a very wise saying. It testifies to the fact that each person who is searching for his or her Native American roots is on a personal journey. No one can take the trip for you. They can assist you, but not take the journey for you.
The three questions you must ask yourself are:
Why am I interested in searching for my Native American roots?
Why am I searching NOW? What in my life has brought me to this point?
What do I hope to gain or loose in this search?
Many people answer the first question by responding they have heard their family tree consisted of “Indians” and they want to find out if it is true.
Many people answer the second question by responding, ‘I just feel a calling or yearning to know the truth’ or they reply, ‘it is important to me to fill my family history gaps’.
Many people answer the third question by responding, ‘You know Native Americans are opening up those casinos, maybe I can be a part of that’, or ‘I have nothing to gain or loose. I am just curious’.
Well, whatever the reason, know that misguided or selfish motives will extend your personal journey to learn about your Native American roots. Selfishness will always guide you in the wrong direction.
To begin your journey purchase the "Black Red Roots" how-to-manual.
In a large bowl add cornmeal, salt and pepper. Dump in the juice from the canned tomatoes, and squish the tomatoes through your fingers into the bowl. Add chopped onions. Mix all together. Drop by the teaspoon full into the hot oil and fry until golden brown.
Recipe Contributor:
Contributor : clptoes
Tribal Affiliation : Creek from Georgia
Orgin of Recipe : My grandma, great aunts and great grandmother. This is traditional in our family at fish fries.
The Cherokee language is spoken by approximately 10,000 people in the Cherokee Nation, as well as speakers in the homelands (of the Eastern Band of Cherokee). Some Cherokees who speak the language have relocated to other areas of the world. The western and eastern dialects are different in many ways, although extremely similar. Here in the Cherokee Nation, which consists of a 14 county area in northeastern Oklahoma, there are many different dialects as well as slang words.
Although many people write Cherokee using the English alphabet using phonetics, in the early 1800’s, Sequoyah Guess invented a syllabary for writing Cherokee. The syllabary consists of 84 characters which represent the 84 different syllables used in speaking the language. Within days, Sequoyah taught his daughter to read and write her native language, and within months, hundreds of Cherokees were able to write and read their own language.
Language is very important to preserving a culture – many words which are descriptive of cultural mannerisms, feelings, events, and ceremonies are only identifiable in the native tongue. There is no comparable word in the English language.
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