History+-+Mats+BG

**HISTORY** The origin of the American Indians has been debated. Most people think that the American Indians have always been in America, while other thinks that they were originally from South-Africa. But one of the first Indian tribes was the Aztec and the Maya. And most of the first Indian tribes were living in South- and Middle-America. There are many traces from the ancient American Indians, such as the Maya pyramids and the ruins from the ancient Incan city of “Mexico City” (which had a different name at that time). Years later, other Indian tribes started to emerge in North-America. These tribes looked more like the ones that are known from Western movies, with red skin and feathers attached to their clothes. But when the Europeans started to colonize America, most traces from the ancient Indians (Maya and Aztec) and the newly formed tribes (Apache, Cheyenne and Sioux) were destroyed.
 * THE RISE AND FALL OF THE NATIVE AMERICANS **
 * ORIGIN **[[image:namericanimage.jpg width="419" height="316" align="right"]]

When the European immigrated to America in 1492, the life of the indigenous people of America would be changed forever. The first areas to be colonized by the Europeans (Spain and Italy), were South-America. And since South-America were the home of the ancient Indians (Maya and Aztec), this colonization resulted in a battle between the Indians and the Europeans. There were many reasons why this colonization resulted in a battle, but some of the main reasons were gold and religion. And since the Aztec were one of the tribes with most gold, the greed of the Europeans made them slaughter almost the whole population of the Aztec tribe. Another reason why the Aztec became controversial was because of their sacrificial rituals, involving killing humans. And since the Europeans were mostly Christians, the Aztecs behaviour would be known as “non-Christian” or “satanic” behaviour. After many waves of attacks against the American Indians, the Europeans managed to steal most of their gold and got rid of most of the Indians. The brutality of the Spanish will forever be remembered, and even today, it is known as one of the most horrible attacks on innocent native tribes.
 * COLONIZATION – PART.1 **

In 1707, the British Empire started to colonize North-America. But also the French started to colonize in North-America. And these colonisations would be known as the second meeting with the Indigenous people of America, namely the Apache, Cheyenne, Sioux and many other well known Indian tribes. Today, this is the most well known meeting between the Europeans and the American Indians. While the meeting with the South-American tribes were the first, this one were the most well known. One of the first colonies in North-America, were Virginia, but later, the whole North-America would be divided into small areas (states). As mentioned in “Colonization – Part.1”, the Europeans lusts for gold were the reason why so many American Indians were slain, and also in North-America, the Europeans lust for gold would be the downfall for the North-American tribes. But the North-American Indians would also introduce the Europeans for slavery. While the North-American Indians didn’t use slavery the same way as the Americans (European immigrates) would later use on the black Africans, they still treated them bad. They didn’t sell or trade slaves, but they treated them as inferior species to their own and even sacrificed them.
 * COLONIZATION – PART.2 **[[image:american-indian_small.jpg width="270" height="342" align="right"]]

After the Europeans conquered North- and South-America, most of the American Indian tribes were destroyed. But there were still a small number of Indians left, but compared to their original population, this number were relative small. While most of these Indians were killed off by the Europeans, many Indians were also killed by diseases brought to America by the Europeans. Many Indians would also experience slavery on a much higher level than before, and most of them died in servant. But luckily, this would not go on forever, and many Indians would be set free. There was only one problem, while the Indians were slaves, their villages and homes would be taken over by the Europeans, and when the Indians returned, the Europeans refused to give them their home back. So many American Indians could only wander around the deserts without a home, with little to no help from other tribes. Some Indians got the chance to work for the Europeans, but most of them didn’t get paid, so this option also resulted in poverty and the feeling of inferiority.
 * AFTER COLONIZATION **

In the later years, American Indians would finally get the respect they deserved. They could now get the education they wanted, and they could get the jobs they wanted. Even the sacred burial ground and the sacred temples would get protection from intruders and disrespecting actions. The Indian culture would also be well protected and taught to the younger generation. There is still some discrimination towards the Indians, their culture and their heritage, but not in such a wide range it used to be. Many Indians have also started to build casinos around America, and due to this, the American Indians have earned back the money they lost during the colonization. And since they are no longer as poor as they used to be, many Indians have got a strong education and well paid jobs. The tragic story of the American Indians have inspired countless movies, books, TV-shows, toys and music, most notably are the movies “Dances with wolves” starring Kevin Costner, “The last oh the Mohicans” and “Geronimo: An American legend”. By making these commercial products based on the Indians, youngsters and kids are told the story of the Indians in a way that makes them understand the pain and suffering they felt during the colonization and up till present time. While the American Indians have experienced savagery, hate and barbarism, they are among the most peaceful group of humans, and are still to this day known for their great wisdom and peaceful solutions to everyday problems. May their heritage live on forever.
 * PRESENT **[[image:275px-NativeAmericansToday.jpg align="left"]]

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