What Native land are you on? This map shows Indigenous tribes' past territories : NPR
By: NPR. org
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
A screenshot of a portion of the interactive map from Native Land Digital shows which Native territories have inhabited different regions of the Americas, based on a variety of historical and Indigenous sources.
President Biden became the first president to officially recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day in 2021, and did so again this year. It falls on the same day as Columbus Day, which was first founded as a way to acknowledge the mistreatment of Italian Americans.
National
Goodbye, Columbus? Here's what Indigenous Peoples' Day means to Native Americans
The new holiday is a time of reflection, recognition and celebration of the role Native people have played in U.S. history, as NPR has reported. One way to mark the day — and to learn about Indigenous history year-round — is to learn which Native lands you live on.
Acknowledging an area's original inhabitants and stewards is a valuable process, albeit a complex one, as the National Museum of the American Indian explains. The museum suggests reaching out to local Indigenous communities for guidance involving formal land acknowledgements, which can be offered at the start of public and private gatherings.
Code Switch
The map of Native American tribes you've never seen before
"Many places in the Americas have been home to different Native Nations over time, and many Indigenous people no longer live on lands to which they have ancestral ties," the museum says. "Even so, Native Nations, communities, families, and individuals today sustain their sense of belonging to ancestral homelands and protect these connections through Indigenous languages, oral traditions, ceremonies, and other forms of cultural expression."
This map's creators want it to convey more than borders
Native Land Digital, an Indigenous-led nonprofit based in Canada, is working to facilitate such conversations and document this history including by putting together a searchable map of Native territories, languages and treaties.
Climate
How loss of historical lands makes Native Americans more vulnerable to climate change
Users can click on labels across the Americas and around other parts of the globe — or type a specific city, state or zip code into the search box — to see which Indigenous tribes lived where. You can zoom in or out, as well as choose to apply "settler labels" to see how the map corresponds with contemporary state lines. Clicking on the name of each nation brings up links for related reading.
The map is available on the organization's website and on iOS and Android mobile apps. Native Land Digital also publishes resources to go with the map, including a teacher's guide and a territory acknowledgement generator.
The nonprofit says it aims to improve the relationship of people — both Indigenous and non-Indigenous — with the history and sacredness of the land around them. That involves "acknowledging and righting the wrongs of history."
"We hope to inspire people to gain a better understanding of themselves, their ancestors, and the world they live in, so that we can all move forward into a better future," it says.
The map itself is "more than a flat picture," as the nonprofit explains, pointing out that land is sacred to everyone regardless of how consciously they appreciate it.
"In reality, we know that the land is not something to be exploited and 'owned,' but something to be honoured and treasured," it says. "However, because of the complexities of history, the kind of mapping we undertake is an important exercise, insofar as it brings an awareness of the real lived history of Indigenous peoples and nations in a long era of colonialism."
Politics
U.S. Congress reaches a milestone in Indigenous representation
Mapping tribal lands comes with challenges
The nonprofit acknowledges the many logistical and ethical questions that come with mapping Indigenous territories. Those range from defining "Indigenous" across time and space to engaging with those communities so they can "represent themselves and their histories on their own terms."
Native Land Digital aims to use at least two valid sources (including oral history, written documents or "maps sketched by people deemed to be reasonable authorities") when updating the map, and says in cases of conflicting maps it generally errs on the side of being "more expansive."
It cautions that the map does not represent definitive or legal boundaries of any Indigenous nations, and is a work in progress with many community contributions.
"We ... encourage people to treat these maps as a starting point and to do their own research in engaging with communities and history themselves," the group says.
1A
What power should states have on Native American land?
The map has already made an impact
Native-Land.ca was created in 2015, and the organization was incorporated as a nonprofit in 2018. The group says it's found over the years that its maps have made a direct impact on peoples' lives.
That's been true of Indigenous people, who have been glad to see their nation mapped or surprised to see how large their traditional territories look on a standard Western map, as well as non-Indigenous people who may be "for the first time, encountering the depth, breadth and complexity of Indigenous history on the land."
"Some people may be made uncomfortable by the new information and history the map brings forth," the nonprofit adds. "But we are secure in knowing that truth is the best teacher, and we hope to provide the best information we can to help people come to their own conclusions about themselves and their place in the modern world."
- Native lands
- Indigenous People's Day
- Native American tribes
Tags
Who is online
47 visitors
Today is Columbus Day, also known now as Indigenous People's Day . I think this day has taken a back seat this year due to everything else going on in the world, but it is worth remembering.
When are New Yorkers going to pull down that racist monument to native genocide and slavery and rename the circle at Broadway, Central Park West, Eighth Avenue, and 59th Street in Manhattan?
A great map. Some time back a Native did one with all of the original ''real'' names of the tribes a shownd their locations before the Europeans showed.
Have a great "Indigenous Peoples Day''
Kavika, why don't the names of tribes on this map correspond to tribal names we as whites have heard of over the years such as Iroquois , Sioux, Cherokee, Navajo, Cheyenne, Comanche, Apache, etc?
The names on your map are the names the European hung on us, which of course isn't reality. The names on my map are the real names of the tribes. For example, the French called my tribe Ojibwe and the British called us Chippewa when in reality we are ''Anishinaabe'' which translates to the first or original people.
I dont see any European names on the map I posted. I think this map is supposed to represent the original indigenous names.
But I do take your point.
That was my error.
What is the proper tribal name for Petun, which is indicated on the map at Southern Ontario? Having been born and grown up in Hamilton, Ontario, a city at the far Western point of Lake Ontario, and then spending most of my life in Toronto, I was on the lands of the Anishinaabe or Petun.
By the way, this being Indigenous Peoples' Day in the USA, a big part of the English language TV news broadcasts here on CGTN and probably the Chinese ones as well is dedicated to the stories of and present dealing with the residential schools, and of course what's being said by the native people being interviewed is not particularly complimentary about those who mistreated them and the reticence of anyone doing anything about it since.
Tionontati, Buzz.
Could the word Toronto come from that? Does it mean "meeting place"?
I don't know, Buzz.
Looked it up and saw this..
Morning...yes they did that here too. I had no idea there were so many mobs, the continent is completely covered by the Kooris..even the Outback.
I am in Gunditjmara country and organisations now all over Australia have a sign or poster up recognising the original keepers of the Land.
Was just reading it at the dentist last week, there are signs in hospitals, Council offices, on TV programs etc and any majour sporting event the keepers of the Land are now mentioned first off.
Kooris here refer to Australia Day as invasion day and I guess from their point of view that is exactly what it is...
The same here or the colonizers.
Nice to see somebody admit it. Still, it doesn’t keep some individuals from saying that such and such a piece of land “belongs” to some specific native group. Anyone can see just by looking at the map that a lot of native people were living on land “belonging” to some other native group. Twas ever thus, and all over the world.
Saying that a particular tract of land in America is “[insert name of tribe] land,” was “stolen from [tribe],” or “really belongs to [tribe]” is as pointless as suggesting that some part of France or North Africa “belongs” to Rome.
No, it doesn’t “fall” on the same day as Columbus Day. It’s not some accidental confluence of cultures previously unaware of each other. It’s not some force of nature over which no one has control. It was awkwardly and unnecessarily placed there on purpose. To make matters worse, it wasn’t placed there to join in a celebratory time, as is sometimes done. It’s placement was about purposeful opposition, creating division and controversy that could have easily been avoided.
I’m 100% in favor of a day honoring native Americans, but placing Indigenous People’s Day on Columbus Day has never been about honoring native Americans. It’s about sticking it to Columbus and anyone who supports that holiday. It’s petty and doesn’t accomplish what its name implies. For proof, just look at the impact: On Indigenous People’s Day, people talk WAY more about Columbus and Europeans than they do about native Americans.
As for Columbus Day, I have always felt it was kind of a reach. I never got much out of celebrating Columbus. Historically, he is unquestionably an important figure to know about, but I see no reason for a holiday honoring him. I get why Americans of an earlier time might have wanted to celebrate him as the beginning of the USA. I just don’t agree that it’s warranted. I have no problem getting rid of the holiday, but that could be its own, separate conversation.
So by all means, have an Indigenous People’s Day. Just do it on a day that actually celebrates indigenous people. If you really want people to enjoy the day, find a day that says something positive about their history and teach it to the rest of us. Maybe it’s a great military or political victory. Maybe it’s the birthdate of a great native person. Maybe it’s a traditional day of ancient celebration.
In contrast, another recently popularized holiday - Juneteenth - celebrates the end of slavery, not its beginning. It celebrates the beginning of freedom, not the end. Additionally, they didn’t plop it down on top of some other holiday out of spite. It’s its own thing.
Unfortunately, the Indigenous Peoples date is probably a set thing now, but I see it as an opportunity wasted.
What I take from this map is the fact that the Americas were not exactly uninhabited when the Europeans arrived.
Why would we assume that all these different peoples did not "own" the land? Because they did not conform to the European John Locke's view of what constituted property (land) ownership?
The European incursion on the Americas was conquest , pure and simple.
You have to go back to the ''Doctrine of Discovery'' and follow it to the SCOTUS Marshall trilogy which used the DoD to declare that we didn't have the right to ''own'' the land only to occupy it.
I think we all knew that already.
But they want to conform to that view now. Interesting. Also, inconsistent.
Yes. And? So what? There is nothing unique about that with respect to the Americas or the people who were here when Europeans showed up. Like I said above: ‘Twas ever thus. All over the world.
In what one might call the "modern" world, simple conquest is not praised but is rather widely condemned by the international community.
In the ancient world (Rome, Greece, Persia) simple conquest was much more understandable because back then people didnt know any better.
1492 is the cusp of the modern world, and by 1607 Jamestown, Europe was certainly what we now call the "modern" world.
Holding the world of 1492 - or 1607, for that matter - to the standards of 2022 is absurd.
Do you imagine that by either of those dates, the native Americans had stopped trying to conquer each other? Think again.
Generally the modern world is seen as beginning in the 15th and/or 16th centuries. Wars of conquest since those times have been widely condemned by the international community.
To say conquest has always been accepted as a fact of life is not true. In the modern world it is not accepted. Im not talking about 2022 Im talking about since the modern world began 6 or 7 hundred years ago.
Modern? I thought that many still believed in witches then, doctors used leeches and smoke enemas (blowing smoke up your ass), maps showed CA an island until the late 1700's, the shape of skull indicated personality traits, and coca-cola wasn't yet invented. Maybe you just meant post-medieval.
Yes, like I said, post-medieval and clearly folks in those times had many different ideas from today. Certainly not modern in the sense of:
the modern American family
What label you - or anyone else - decide to affix to a certain time period is entirely irrelevant to the topic.
I’d like to see you try to support that claim with evidence.
In the 15th and 16th centuries - and for the centuries following - much of Europe was busy conquering North and South America, Africa, and Asia. We’re talking England, France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Italy. The same could also be said of Russia, Turkey, China, Japan, and yes, the United States, once it got going. All of these countries conquered other lands, establishing colonies and other types of territory- several of them doing so well into the 19th and 20th centuries.
Meanwhile, indigenous people in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and other lands continued to make war on each other.
I don’t know who you imagine could be condemning all of this aggressive behavior, but if it were any of the above countries, it would be the height of hypocrisy.
There are wars that are not wars of conquest. Most of the European wars of the era were based on either religion or civil wars between established factions disputing territory.
Huh?
I find that claim amazing - and unsupported. I asked you to support your claims and you still haven’t.
I mean have you heard of the British Empire? Historians start dating that behemoth of conquest and colonization at anywhere from 1497 to 1601, and it endures until 1997, when the UK withdrew from Hong Kong.
How about the Ottoman Empire? No? Napolean? Hitler? Japan and the Meiji Restoration? Have you seen a map of Africa at the turn of the 20th century? No less than 7 European countries controlled almost the whole continent. The Qing dynasty in China?
Honestly, the period we are discussing is like a Golden Age of conquest and military expansion around the world.
Only post-WWII would I say we start to see the great powers of the world genuinely disapproving of conquest and colonization, and that I would propose came in the face of both Nazi and Soviet aggression and the simple fact that it is getting harder and harder to pull off.
According to Locke's political philosophy, in order to own land you had to fence it off and farm it, or put it to some otherwise "productive" use. Locke's view was prevalent during the era of western expansion in the US.
An Italian-American commenter on the TV broadcast of the Chicago Columbus Day parade just said
"We are a nation of immigrants and you could say that Columbus was the first immigrant."
I suppose that is a euphemistic way of looking at it.
The truth about these indigenous people.
You forgot the "/S" tag Greg - The author of that thread is so out of touch with reality.
Wanna explain why you even considered posting that reference?
The purpose of such articles is to "show" that the Americas needed to be "civilized" and the arrival of Columbus was a good thing.
Barely veiled racism.