Why Community Matters: Indigenous People

Discovering America: 3rd Grade Why Community Matters: Indigenous People

Community graphic with the word team and native american symbols.

Community: What is a ‘community’ anyway?

Community is a feeling as well as a set of relationships among people. People form and maintain communities to meet everyday needs. Community members should have a strong sense of trust, belonging, safety, and caring for each other. Community members have an individual and also a collective understanding that they can, as part of that community, influence their environment and others within that environment.

A common definition of community is a group of people with diverse characteristics who are linked by social ties, share common perspectives, and engage in joint action in geographical locations or settings. Trust, safety, teamwork, togetherness, and belonging are essential parts of a community, and a ‘sense of community.’

Think about the needs you have every day. How are those needs met by your community? This is a good question, but we first must understand what a community is.

1. The word 'community' is an easy word to say.

The word itself describes the connections we have and form with each other. It is also sometimes used to describe common and shared experiences. In your everyday life, you are surrounded by communities.

2. A 'community' is many things.

A community is not a place, a building, or an organization; nor is it an exchange of information over the Internet. It is all of those things and much more. It is a feeling, a belief, a sense of ‘we.’

Now, let’s think about community through a historical lens. Many people credit Christopher Columbus with discovering America. However, through historic accounts and scientific discovery, we know it was discovered thousands of years ago by communities of people we call Native Americans or Indigenous People.

4 Indigenous women from different tribes

What are indigenous communities?

The first people to live in a region are called Indigenous Peoples. This means they were the original settlers to an area or place. The Native Americans are the Indigenous People and culture of the United States and other parts of North America.

Native Americans established many settlements and formed many communities, most of which differed in how they looked, spoke, and lived.

Native American communities can be traced to many parts of North and South America. In the present-day United States, for example, Native Americans live in Alaska, Hawaii, and many of the mainland states. There is a link at the end of the course to learn more.

There are many examples of community throughout American history. But the Native American communities are especially important to our nation’s culture.

Through history and scientific discovery, we know that most Native American communities were organized by level. At the highest level were the tribes or nations. These were large groups of people that had culture, geography, and language in common. Within each tribal community were smaller groups called clans. The clan members generally shared a common ancestor and were considered related to one another.

It is thought that each clan had its own symbol or spirit that gave the clan its name. Many clan names were animals, such as Eagle, Bear, and Hawk. Other names were representative of the area where the clan lived, with names like Snow and Water.

The Native Americans relied heavily on their communities for survival.

Native American tribal communities spoke a similar language, making trade between the tribes easier. However, different tribes and clans, made up of different communities, had their own unique (but similar) languages. Most tribes could hunt, fish, and farm, but some chose to focus their efforts on certain tasks.

Click on the start button to learn about the challenges Columbus faced, as well as the solutions to these challenges.
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Northwestern Tribes.

Tribes in the northwest did not need to farm due to the abundance, or large amount, of animals that could be hunted for food. Areas in the northwest also had plenty of trees and shrubs to provide wood for building houses, canoes, and weapons.

Can you name some states that might be in the northwest USA?

West Coast Tribes.

Tribes along the west coast lived near the ocean and fish was a main part of their diet. The mild weather in the region made farming and cultivating food much easier than in some parts of the southwest. Different tribes and communities would trade the food they grew well for the food they did not grow well.

Can you name some states that might be on the west coast of the USA?

Southeastern Tribes.

Native Americans in the southeast were able to hunt and farm for food. These areas were not the best for farming due to the hard, rocky, and sandy soil, so they had to trade for some fruit and vegetables. Native American communities in these areas made their houses from the hides of the animals they hunted.

Can you name some states that might be in the southeastern USA?

Community mattered to the Native Americans. Their communities helped them survive and thrive in early America.

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