Native Americans
What’s in the name?
When, around 500 years ago, Columbus landed in the Caribbean, he thought he was in India. That’s why he called the people that lived there Indians. When other Europeans came ashore, they called them savages or redskins because of the red paint some tribes used to decorate their bodies. If you ask Native Americans how they would call themselves, they will probably tell you the name of the tribe they belong to. Nowadays they are revered to as American Indians, First Americans or Indigenous Americans.
Indians lived all over the Americas, and each tribe had their own language, customs and way of dressing. The places they lived in were adapted to the environment and were very organized. The land was not owned by a person but used and worked by the whole community.
No one knows exactly how many Indians lived in North America before Columbus arrived, but it is estimated at 8 million. Around 1900, there were only 250.000 left. One reason why so many Indians had died was because of epidemics of European diseases such as measles, smallpox, plague, and influenza.
Native American in the U.S.A. today
In 2010, 5.2 million people identified themselves as American Indian. Around 30 per cent still lives in the Native American Reservations. These reservations were ‘given’ to them by the American government to keep living in their traditional way. But life in the reservations today is very hard. In some of the reservations isn’t even running water or electricity. Also, many people are unemployed and struggle with drinking or drug addictions. Young people often turn to gangs and drop out of school, which is one reason why suicide rates amongst this group are very high. In the video, Native Americans are asked how they feel about the word: Reservation.
