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American Indian Standards
American Indian Standards
Customs, Traditions, Culture
Customs, Traditions, Culture
Content Statement: More than 2,000 American Indian nations spanned across continental America and each had unique cultures, governments, social structures, religions, technologies, agricultural practices, and products. All American Indian nations were greatly affected by the arrival of Europeans.
Content Statement: More than 2,000 American Indian nations spanned across continental America and each had unique cultures, governments, social structures, religions, technologies, agricultural practices, and products. All American Indian nations were greatly affected by the arrival of Europeans.
CONTENT ELABORATION:
Many American Indian cultural traditions have connections with the environment and local ecology. Kinship and extended family are an essential part of American Indian cultures. Elders often play a significant role in teaching younger generations history, values, traditions, and beliefs through tribal languages, social practices, arts, music, ceremonies, and customs.
From time immemorial, American Indian nations were stewards of the land from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego. They carefully managed resources for both current and future needs. Examples include using controlled fires to manage the land and local game and building extensive trails that connected nations and facilitated trade and political relationships across the continent. Many of these trails are still followed today as highways.
With the arrival of Europeans, American Indians faced devastating outbreaks of disease and genocidal events. However, survivors adapted, reorganized, and fought to maintain cultural identity. American Indians established valuable trade relations with many foreign nations who came to modern U.S. territory. These relationships and early alliances set the course for American Indian relations with the U.S. government once the U.S. was founded.
EXPECTATION FOR LEARNING:
Compare and contrast American Indian nations and their interactions pre-European arrival.
Standard Sources
Standard Sources
Sample Lesson Plans
Sample Lesson Plans
Belonging
This online lesson provides perspectives from Native American community members, images, objects, and other sources to help students and teachers think about the significance that homelands, kinship systems, and nationhood hold for Native Peoples of the Northern Plains.
Why Do the Foods We Eat Matter?
This online lesson provides perspectives from Native American community members, images, objects, and other sources to help students and teachers understand the important connections between foods and cultures for Native People of the Pacific Northwest.
Deconstructing Stereotypes
Top Ten Truths: Specific Strategies for Teacher Education
Am I Using the Right Word?
It's important to acknowledge the diversity of Indigenous Peoples' cultures, traditions, and languages throughout the Western Hemisphere. When teaching about a particular tribe or nation, learning and using accurate terms specific to the community can prevent stereotypes and encourage cultural understanding and sensitivity among your students.
Native American Pedagogies
This Native American Pedagogy module offers information and guiding cultural context to design welcoming academic spaces for teaching and learning.
Not “Indians,” Many Tribes: Native American Diversity
In this unit, students will heighten their awareness of Native American diversity as they learn about three vastly different Native groups in a game-like activity using archival documents such as vintage photographs, traditional stories, photos of artifacts, and recipes.
Videos
Videos
The power of sharing history through story-telling!
Dan will take us back in time to hear the stories passed down from past generations. Stories of a land that provided for its people and how the native people nurtured it.
3000-year-old solutions to modern problems
In this profoundly hopeful talk, Diné musician, scholar, and cultural historian Lyla June outlines a series of timeless human success stories focusing on Native American food and land management techniques and strategies.
Tribal Fishing Tradition Runs Deep
On Washington’s Klickitat River, tribal elders teach a new generation the dip net fishing methods practiced for centuries by native people.
Native Americans Saw Buffalo as More Than Just Food
The relationship between some Native American tribes and the American buffalo was a sacred one.
Preservation and Resistance
Preservation and Resistance
Content Statement: The U.S. government has used a variety of political, economic, legal, military and social policies to remove and relocate American Indians. This resulted in many American Indian nations fighting to preserve cultural heritage and for political rights.
Content Statement: The U.S. government has used a variety of political, economic, legal, military and social policies to remove and relocate American Indians. This resulted in many American Indian nations fighting to preserve cultural heritage and for political rights.
CONTENT ELABORATION:
U.S. expansion during Manifest Destiny came at a cost to American Indian land, culture, and people. U.S. expansion has a long history of broken treaties, wars, and forced assimilation. Examples include:
Johnson v. M’Intosh (1823) Where Chief Justice John Marshall established that the federal government had the sole right of negotiation with the Native American nations and the Indians themselves did not have the right to sell property to individuals.
Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831) and Worcester v. Georgia (1832) illustrated the constitutional means American Indians undertook to protect their land. However, it was thwarted by the Indian Removal Act
In 1843, after decades of active Wyandot resistance and political maneuvering, the Wyandot were the last Indigenous Nation removed from Ohio
In 1846, half of the six hundred or so Myaamia - who had survived the years of war, disease and settlement perpetrated by the newcomers - were forcibly removed from our homelands and settled west of the Mississippi on lands in the Unorganized Territory (current day Kansas),
The Plains Wars lasted from the 1850s-1870s and ended with the Wounded Knee Massacre.
The Indian Appropriations Act of 1871 declared that Indigenous people were no longer considered members of “sovereign nations” and that the US government could no longer establish treaties with them
The Dawes Act of 1887 broke up reservations and split the land into small allotments.
Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 was passed which declared all non-citizen Indians born within the territorial limits of the United States to be citizens.
Indian Boarding schools were created to remove children from their communities, stop cultural practices (language, dress, spiritual beliefs), and assimilate them into U.S. mainstream culture.
The 1930s was the era of Indian Reorganization and the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act (1934). The act granted a new degree of autonomy to Native Americans in the United States, giving them greater control over their lands and allowing them to form legally recognized tribal governments which included writing formal tribe constitutions.
American Indians volunteered to serve in both World Wars and played a part in several important engagements. In both , Navajo, Dakota, and Choctaw “code talkers” were seen as invaluable to the cause as enemies were unable to decode the Indigenous languages which were critical in many military operations.
Consider the impact of U.S. policy on the American Indian nations and if these policies had the intent of genocide on American Indian nations as defined by the 1948 United Nations Convention on Genocide.
The 20th Century saw a rise in American Indian activism with the Red Power Movement including the American Indian Movement (AIM) which worked to improve conditions on reservations, protect land rights, and improve opportunities in education and employment. The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), which is still active today, also does work lobbying, supporting tribal governments, and advocating for American Indian issues.
EXPECTATION FOR LEARNING:
Analyze the ways in which U.S. policy impacted American Indian nations and how American Indian nations responded.
Standard Sources
Standard Sources
Sample Lesson Plans
Sample Lesson Plans
Removal
This online lesson provides perspectives from Native American community members, documents, maps, images, and activities to help students and teachers understand an important and difficult chapter in the history both of Native Nations and the United States.
The Navajo Treaty of 1868
This online lesson provides Native perspectives, images, documents, and other sources to help students and teachers understand the remarkable nature of the Navajo Treaty of 1868 and why the Navajo maintained an unflinching resolve to return home.
A Cultural Exploration of the Myaamia Removal Route
As part of a Historic Preservation Fund Grant from the National Park Service, the Miami Nation’s Cultural Resources Office created a map following the Myaamia Removal in 1846 and the accompanying publication.
The Iron Horse vs. the Buffalo: Indian-Settler Conflict on the Great Plains
In this activity, students read a series of primary source documents, including the 1872 print "American Progress," that depict the social, political and cultural conflicts between settlers and Native Americans during the 19th century.
Native American Law and the Supreme Court
This lesson asks students to review what they already know about the Supreme Court and to build on that knowledge by examining the court’s relationship with tribal governments and Native American people.
The Cherokee People and the Trail of Tears
Students will analyze the impact of the Dahlonega Gold Rush, Marshall's Supreme Court decisions, and the Indian Removal Act on the Cherokee Nation. Students will describe the roles of major characters during this time period that are connected to the Trail of Tears.
The Trail of Tears
Did the removal of the Native Americans from east of the Mississippi River violate the principles found in the Declaration of Independence?
Indian Appropriations Act
Primary source and context for the Indian Appropriations Act of 1871.
Comparing Perspectives in the Dawes Act and a Hopi Petition
In this activity, students will compare and contrast two documents related to U.S. government land policies toward American Indians: one written from the view of the federal government (the Dawes Act), and the other from the Hopi Nation (a petition).
The Indian Citizenship Act
Using primary and secondary source analysis, students will examine the viewpoints from the U.S. government and American Indian nations over American citizenship as it relates to the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924.
Indian Boarding Schools
This focuses on the size and scale of the Native American boarding school effort, the political and social climate around this effort, the impacts that boarding schools have had on Native American Tribal communities, and the journey of healing and resilience that Tribal communities are taking in the face of the historical and generational trauma that still exists today.
Indian Reorganization Act
Article about the Indian Reorganization Act and FDR's efforts to reverse federal policy towards Native Americans.
Native American boarding schools and human rights
Students will examine primary source photos before and after learning about Native American boarding schools in the U.S. and the long-term effects of such policies.
Native Americans in WWI
When World War I commenced, Americans of every color and creed answered the call. Among these, Native Americans served in great proportion, with an estimated 12,000 serving in the United States Army.
Code Talkers WWII
Students will gain knowledge of American Indian code talkers during World War II and Students will use higher level thinking skills to encode and decode messages.
Tribal Land Policies
This lesson asks students to engage in chronological reasoning about how the U.S. government’s policies toward Native American tribal lands changed over a 100-year timespan.
The American Indian Movement
This teaching guide helps instructors use a specific primary source set, The American Indian Movement, 1968-1978, in the classroom. It offers discussion questions, classroom activities, and primary source analysis tools.
“Survivance” and the Native American Civil Rights Movement, Late 1960s–Present
The lessons cover topics in history, art, and literature, exploring how these contributions all help form the unique identity of modern Native Americans, including their cultural and historical differences and the shared aspects of their identity as contemporary Indigenous individuals.
Videos
Videos
How the Brutal Trail of Tears Got its Name
The Indian Removal Act of 1830 resulted in the forced relocation of over 15,000 Cherokee people--a third of whom died during the journey to Oklahoma.
The Indian Wars
Native Americans fight back throughout the 19th century, as the U.S. Army tries to contain them on smaller and smaller parcels of land.
The Dark History of Mount Rushmore
Uncover the hidden history of the building of Mount Rushmore, and how its creation destroyed sacred Native American land.
The Reckoning: Native American Boarding Schools’ Painful History Unearthed
NBC News’ Cynthia McFadden reports on the dark history of Native American boarding schools in the U.S. An effort is ongoing to use ground-penetrating radar to look for the unmarked graves of children who may be buried at Red Cloud Indian School in South Dakota.
Unspoken: America's Native American Boarding Schools
PBS Utah takes a moving and insightful look into the dark chapter of American history, the federal Indian boarding school system. The goal was total assimilation into Anglo civilization at the cost of Native American culture, tradition, and language.
How WWI Changed America: Native Americans in WWI
The contributions of American Indians to the war effort helped win the war and, in 1924, citizenship for all Indigenous peoples in the U.S.
Code Talkers
In 1942 the Marine Corps recruited young Navajos to serve in the Pacific during World War II. They would learn how to use their native language as a code during combat operations.
The Fight Continues
The Fight Continues
Content Statement: Today, American Indian advocates (such as the National Congress of American Indians) are still fighting to preserve the culture, heritage, treaty and sovereign rights of American Indians and Alaskan Natives. There are currently 574 Federally Recognized American Indian and Alaskan Native tribes and villages.
Content Statement: Today, American Indian advocates (such as the National Congress of American Indians) are still fighting to preserve the culture, heritage, treaty and sovereign rights of American Indians and Alaskan Natives. There are currently 574 Federally Recognized American Indian and Alaskan Native tribes and villages.
CONTENT ELABORATION:
Today, because of treaties, court decisions, and statutes, tribal governments maintain a unique relationship with federal and state governments. American Indian governments uphold tribal sovereignty and promote tribal culture and well-being.
Indian Education has been reclaimed from an institution focused on eliminating American Indian culture to playing an important role in its preservation.
There are many ongoing legal battles over land recognition and sovereignty rights such as the Dakota Access Pipeline. There is also a movement to raise awareness and address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). In McGirt v. Oklahoma (2020), the Supreme Court held 5-4 that, while still falling under federal jurisdiction, nearly half of Oklahoma remains Indian land and is not subject to state jurisdiction in cases involving major crimes
The mid-20th century has seen a rise in concern/discussions over cultural appropriation of American Indian names and symbols for U.S. schools, sports teams, and other aspects of popular culture.
EXPECTATION FOR LEARNING:
Identify the ways that American Indian nations today are still thriving and fighting for their rights in current U.S. society.
Standard Sources
Standard Sources
Sample Lesson Plans
Sample Lesson Plans
Native American Cultures Across the U.S.
This lesson helps dispel prevailing stereotypes and generalizing cultural representations of American Indians by providing culturally-specific information about the contemporary as well as historical cultures of distinct tribes and communities within the United States.
The Enduring Legacy of Colonialism: Indian Mascots
How did Indian mascots become a phenomenon? What do they signify, and how have tribal nations responded over time?
Enduring Legacies: Native Case Studies
Engage your students and expand your curriculum with case studies on Native American subjects.
Living Nations, Living Words
This guide offers teachers and other educators ideas for using U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo's signature project, "Living Nations, Living Words," in the classroom.
Tribal Government
This lesson examines the varied structures and functions of Native American governments, as well as the relationship these nations have with the United States.
Don’t Take Our Voices Away
A Role Play on the Indigenous Peoples’ Global Summit on Climate Change
Indigenous Rights and Controversy over Hawaii’s Maunakea Telescope
Provide students with historical context for understanding the protests against the Thirty Meter Telescope on Maunakea and help them explore the reasons why many Native Hawaiians oppose its construction.
Standing with Standing Rock
A Role Play on the Dakota Access Pipeline
The Youth of Standing Rock
Students will analyze how the experience of protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline affected the youth at the forefront of those protests.
Is a Treaty Intended to be Forever?
This online lesson provides perspectives from Native American community members, images, documents, and other sources to help students and teachers understand the difficult choices and consequences Northern Plains Native Nations faced when entering into treaty negotiations with the United States.
American Indian Responses to Environmental Challenges
Learn how traditional culture, values, and indigenous knowledge, along with Western science and technology, inform the environmental work of these contemporary Native nations.
Sacred Spaces and National Parks
As stewards of places and landscapes held sacred by Native Americans, how should National Parks honor the spiritual health and wellbeing of both the Native American people and the landscapes themselves?
Videos
Videos
Why the Sioux Are Refusing $1.3 Billion
Members of the Great Sioux Nation could pocket a large sum set aside by the government for taking the resource-rich Black Hills away from the tribes in 1877. But leaders say the sacred land was never, and still isn't, for sale.
America's Native Prisoners of War
Challenging us with stunning images, Aaron Huey relates the fight for survival on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
What is the Keystone XL Pipeline?
What is the Keystone XL Pipeline? Find out who supports it, who is against it, and why.
What Supreme Court's McGirt ruling means for Oklahoma's Native tribes
What Supreme Court's McGirt ruling means for Oklahoma's Native tribes.
Not Your Mascot: Native Americans and Team Mascots
Professor of Ojibwe, and Native American author, trainer and speaker Dr. Anton Treuer gives the history of the word "Redskin" and why humans shouldn't be sports mascots in general.
Advocating To Change A School Mascot
For years Yolonda has been pushing to end the tradition of using her culture as sports team mascots. In 2020, with major league teams dropping offensive team names, a Texas high school student seeks Yolonda's support and guidance to remove his school's offensive mascot.
Further Reading
Further Reading
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