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During the [[American Civil War]], many Indian tribes supported the [[Confederacy]], on the grounds that they were against the U.S. government and due to the fact that many among the so called "civilized tribes" such as the [[Cherokee]] also owned African slaves.<ref>Descendants Of Freedmen Of The Five Civilized Tribes - History[http://www.freedmen5tribes.com/History.htm]</ref>

During the [[American Civil War]], many Indian tribes supported the [[Confederacy]], on the grounds that they were against the U.S. government and due to the fact that many among the so called "civilized tribes" such as the [[Cherokee]] also owned African slaves.<ref>Descendants Of Freedmen Of The Five Civilized Tribes - History[http://www.freedmen5tribes.com/History.htm]</ref>

== Sovereignties ==

== Sovereignty ==

In the [[United States]] there are 562 Native American tribes that retain their independent sovereignties.

In the [[United States]] there are 562 Native American tribes that retain their independent sovereignty.

== Origins ==

== Origins ==

The widely taught theory that American Indians are descendants of migrants from [[Asia]], who crossed the [[Bering Strait|Bering Straitland bridge]] during an [[Ice Age]], is almost certainly false.  [[Liberal]] archaeologists long insisted that this took place as early as 20,000 years ago.<ref name="who">TIME - Who Were The First Americans?, By MICHAEL D. LEMONICK, ANDREA DORFMAN, Sunday, Mar. 05, 2006  [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1169905,00.html]</ref>  But the facts are that American Indians have very different characteristics from Asians, ranging from blood types to DNA, making claims of such ancestry virtually absurd.<ref>For example, American Indians have among the highest percentage for any ethnicity of blood type "O", while Asians have the lowest percentage.  As another example, American Indian fingerprint patterns are strikingly different from Asians'.</ref>

The widely taught theory that American Indians are descendants of migrants from [[Asia]], who crossed the [[Bering Strait|Bering Straitland bridge]] during an [[Ice Age]], is almost certainly false.  [[Liberal]] archaeologists long insisted that this took place as early as 20,000 years ago.<ref name="who">TIME - Who Were The First Americans?, By MICHAEL D. LEMONICK, ANDREA DORFMAN, Sunday, Mar. 05, 2006  [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1169905,00.html]</ref>  But the facts are that American Indians have very different characteristics from Asians, ranging from blood types to DNA, making claims of such ancestry virtually absurd.<ref>For example, American Indians have among the highest percentage for any ethnicity of blood type "O", while Asians have the lowest percentage.  As another example, American Indian fingerprint patterns are strikingly different from Asians'.</ref> Recent linguistic study shows no connection between American Indian and East Asian language, and archaeological evidence shows that each population used fundamentally different tools, suggesting no technology transfer via migration.<ref>Fortescue, Michael D., ''Language Relations Across Bering Strait: Reappraising the Archaeological and Linguistic Evidence,'' 87-108.</ref>

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People today who are only partly descended from those early American Indians are still considered to be American Indians if they maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment. However, each Indian tribe or band has its own definitions regarding membership, some based on historical tradition, others based on rules (like blood quanta) imposed by the US Government.

People today who are only partly descended from those early American Indians are still considered to be American Indians if they maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment. However, each Indian tribe or band has its own definitions regarding membership, some based on historical tradition, others based on rules (like blood quanta) imposed by the US Government.