Types of Indian Tribes

• There are, literally, thousands of Native American tribes. From the extinct Mohegan on the eastern coast of the United States of American, to the Aztec in Central America, the entire continents of North and South America had their own populations of people---each distinct with language, religion, culture, and traditions. In many cases, similarities existed between close neighbors, but each village had its own unique customs and headman. Examples of eastern American tribes are Iroquois, Cherokee, Seminole, and Huron. Examples of middle American tribes are Omaha, Shawnee, Mandan, and Choctaw. Examples of Western American tribes are Shohomish, Pueblo, Sioux, and Blackfeet.
  
  

Time Frame

• There is strong debate on when the first Indian tribes settled in the Americas. Prehistoric evidence dates human settlement in the North American continent back to 10,000 years or more. The likely scenario is that late in the last Ice Age, hunters followed their prey across the great landbridge that existed between present day Siberia and Alaska. These migrants then spread slowly across the continent, following the great herds as they migrated north and south. The earliest European encounters in the 1500s were with tribes that are now almost all entirely extinct. The last free roaming tribes were forced onto reservations in the late 1800s.
  
  

Identification

• In essence, there were two basic categories of Native American tribes: nomadic or farming tribes. Many of the tribes, such as the Mandan, the Chickasaw, and the Osage, alternated between these two, while others, such as the Comanche, the Sioux, and the Cheyenne, led a strictly nomadic lifestyle. Farming tribes were not quite as common, but the Pueblo tribes are a strong example of a farming culture. Nomadic tribes were often more warlike, with an emphasis on raiding and violence. Farming communities were, for the most part, more peaceful and had a more organized society. Some tribes, such as the Iroquis, were hugely successful at both farming and war.
  
  

Size

• The sizes of the various tribes could be anywhere from several thousand, or---in the case of many Central American tribes---hundreds of thousands, of people. While others, especially on the Western and Eastern coasts of North America, may have consisted of only a dozen or more members. We will never know about the lost races of Native Americans who were exterminated by disease once they were exposed to Europeans, but recent evidence suggests that there were many tribes we have no names for, and no examples of culture or history, other than a few bones, fragments of pottery shards, or other archaeological finds. The most successful tribes were larger ones that were able to stay together when faced with the invasion of Europeans, and today we can remember their names---Iroquois, Sioux, Cheyenne, Cherokee, Apache, Inuit. Sadly, however, many have been lost for all time.
  
  

Significance

• In the United States, the idea of the "Old West" will forever be linked with the Indian tribes. The Five Nations of the Iroquois were modeled when creating the United States government, and other influences have been felt in religion, hunting, farming, and countless other areas. Indeed, in today's world, where we are examining global warming and our effect on our planet, the views of the original Native Americans are beginning to make more sense than ever. The world is truly our mother, and without exception, the tribes all felt this.