First Nation Groups in North and South America

Millions of indigenous people have called the entire continents of North and South America their home for tens of thousands of years. They were the first ones to have arrived to the continents via the Bering Strait bridge that was existent during the last ice age. Since then, they have developed into numerous tribes and confederacies that implemented unique agricultural, cultural, culinary, hunting, foraging, spiritual, and linguistic practices that were mirrored by their way of life and construction outlook. Naturally, some of them were at war with each other. Others worked and lived together in peace and harmony. Each piece of the land they had, had distinct characteristics. I find that aboriginals knew the lands better than anyone else. They knew exactly how to tame it without harming it. They knew how much should be taken without causing grave disturbances to the ecosystem. Indigenous groups bonded with the land culturally and spiritually and respected it. They knew what they were doing and they were masters. But a gargantuan turning point for millions of aboriginals arrived during the era of navigation instigated by European quest for exploration, discovery, trade, and of course, power. Many European kingdoms at the time were competing with each other to dominate swaths of lands on different continents all over the world. They were on a quest to outmaneuver and overpower the other, to become wealthy and strong. Sadly, many aboriginals were caught in between and perished over the centuries due to the bloodlust and conquest-obsession of European powers.

The era of navigation ran parallel with colonialism. This later evolved into imperialism. I consider these two words to be horrific and deadly. As European kingdoms came across the first aboriginal groups, their judgmental and racial stamping kicked in. This was driven by religion, who saw indigenous groups as non-believers, heathens who were barbaric and savage. Religious Catholic leaders referred to this as a plague and wanted to quell the backwardness with education by baptizing them in order for them to be recognized as civil, obedient and law-abiding henchmen to the king or queen. Naturally, indigenous clans and groups saw Europeans as trespassers and enemies, others were curious and wanted to learn more about these travelers that appeared on these large wooden galleons from beyond the horizon. It didn't matter if aboriginals rejected them or even worked together with them. The result was the same. Many of them perished from disease, massacred in warfare, and expelled to different territories that were occupied by other indigenous groups that wanted nothing to do with the expelled. Thus started a gradual conflict that saw a terrifying erosion of natives for years to come.

One of the most historically depicted types of ethnic cleansing occurred with the Aztecs and Incas. In contrast to many other indigenous groups that developed differently based on their environments and know-how, the Aztecs and Incas were quite advanced in astronomy, infrastructure, and design. They had incredible military and government capacity that impressed the Spanish conquistadors. Unfortunately, the Spanish and Catholic missionaries weren't interested in the grand civilizations that the Incas and Aztecs have built. Instead, they were interested in their wealth and geographical positions that proved to be crucial in Spanish kingdom's desire to colonize and occupy the lands in Central and South America for strategic purposes. What followed was a horrid eradication and destruction of these civilizations which stained the soil with liters of blood in a senseless and vicious act of supremacy, racism and ignorance.

Of course, England was interested in following the Spanish and attempted many times to compete with their enemy by hiring privateers and implementing raids on their strongholds. To do this, you need stable footing in the area which is why the English King, Charles II, was keenly favoring colonialism to get a stiff edge over his counterparts. France also participated heavily in the fight and established forts, citadels, communities and cities to protect their interests. Colonialism expanded rapidly in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as a consequences to these warring factions. As more and more land was taken away from natives by these powers, the more dire the situation became for them. You have to understand one thing here. As mentioned before, native lands are unassailably tied to each tribe's distinct cultural identity. For example, on the great plains, many tribes such as the Cheyenne, Dakota, and Sioux had a harmonic relationship with the buffalo. The Inuit had a similar relationship with polar species and the tundra. If you take these away from them, they will loose that vital connection that keeps them alive. What else will they have left?

As the years went by, many aboriginals had no choice but to fit in and work with settlers who planned to stay for the long haul. It didn't matter what the natives did to secure some peace with their rivals, they ended up on the losing end. Even when the colonies were organized into sovereign nations, the life of indigenous people didn't improve. In fact, they worsened. There are a lot of key examples that highlight the continued destruction of these people through cultural assimilation, racism, discrimination and reeducation. The notorious ones are the Trail of Tears in the 1830s where American President Andrew Jackson ordered the Cherokee to abandon their sacred land and march all the way to present day Oklahoma for resettlement. Many have died along the way and mixed with other groups that had no connection with them. Then came the "Indian Wars" after the conclusion of the American Civil War where countless groups were ruined and destroyed. White people reviled them because they refused to understand them. I find the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890 is the most definitive event that underscores the hatred that white people have over aboriginals. Other examples include the Indian Act of 1876 and Residential Schools in Canada where scores of children were forcefully removed from their homes with government-sanctioned force. Catholic supervisors were installed to indoctrinate, cleanse, and brutally beat and sexually assault them if they stepped out of line. To this day, there is plenty of malice against Canadian aboriginals. The Highway of Tears in BC is one example. Many native women have disappeared without a trace along this stretch of highway in central British Columbia. Other women have vanished in different parts of Canada, never to be heard of again. The Oka incident is another indicator of unlawful encroachment of white people on native lands which made headlines all over the world. In the Arctic many dogs from the Inuit were shot and killed so that the Inuit wouldn't leave their designated areas. Those who were hit by tuberculosis were treated much differently than white people. They were herded off to undisclosed locations where many of them died and buried in unmarked graves. Most recently, many groups have opposed and fought against the plan to have a pipeline built through their lands in BC. It doesn't matter what many aboriginals have left, their lands and identity are still being taken away piece by piece. This includes the oil pipeline that crossed through sacred lands in South Dakota (Standing Rock protests), the racism many natives face in hockey games in both Canada and the USA, and most notably this year, the racial attacks, vandalism, destruction, harassment and discrimination many members of the Mi'kmaq tribe in Nova Scotia, Canada face from commercial fishermen when the Mi'kmaq people use their rights to fish in waters like they've done for centuries, long before any commercial fisher was there. To this day, even everyday aboriginals face discrimination for doing the most regular of things like buy groceries and supplies and just hanging out in facilities in towns and cities.

In Brazil, the Amazon was opened up for more deforestation for agricultural development by the Brazilian government under President Bolsonaro's rule. Many Amazonian tribes who have never had contact with the outside world are losing their homes at a record pace. They'll have nothing left and will have to contend with uprisings from farmers and supporters of Bolsonaro in some way. It's a tragedy and a genocide.

The effects of these transgression are clear to see today. Many aboriginal communities don't have running water, electricity and basic infrastructure. Many of them, most notably, Residential School survivors became substance and drug abusers. Fortunately, other communities have responded well with the changes and fought for their place in the sun. First Nation communities of Oliver-Osoyoos and West Kelowna in Canada for instance have become influential and wealthy and have used their success to preserve their identity. I'm sure there are more but those are the ones that first come to mind since I live between these areas. It's simply remarkable if you ask me. Many individuals did well in school and became lawyers and entrepreneurs to protect their people. It's a beautiful story of recovery for them and I applaud them for their achievements. I support them for what they do to protect themselves and I hope they'll never give up.