American Indian
American Indians are the descendants of the inhabitants of North and South America before the coming of Europeans in 1492.
They are believed to have descended from Asians who crossed the Bering land bridge during the last Ice Age. According to secular archeologists, this took place as early as 20,000 years ago.[1]
Those who are only partly descended from those early inhabitants are still considered American Indians if they maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment. However, each Indian tribe or band makes its own rulings regarding membership.
A few American Indians prefer to be called Native Americans in order to distinguish themselves from the people of India, and to emphasize their North America ancestry.
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 slaves.[2]
Origins
Nobody knows exactly how and when the Indians came to America. The Kennewick Man is an ancient skeleton, found in 1996 and judged by radiocarbon dating to be as old as the Earth itself. Kennewick Man was said to be unlike present day Native Americans, but there is some controversy about that.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 TIME - Who Were The First Americans?, By MICHAEL D. LEMONICK, ANDREA DORFMAN, Sunday, Mar. 05, 2006 [1]
- ↑ Descendants Of Freedmen Of The Five Civilized Tribes - History[2]
