22 September: Native American Day

The third Friday of September is Native American Day. Here are some interesting facts about Native Americans.

1. Native Americans have been living on the American continent since about 12,000 B.C. While Mormons believe they came from the Middle East and were originally Jewish, and Nazis believed they were part of the Aryan race, science has a different story to tell. Scientists believe they migrated from Asia 20,000 years ago, walking across a land bridge at the Bering Strait. Further studies suggest this happened three times, since Native American languages can be divided into three groups. This theory is also held up by studies on the Blood types and teeth of the various tribes.
2. There are 566 federally recognised Native American tribes and any number more which aren't recognised. The "Sioux" tribe never called themselves that at all. French explorers picked up the word when they heard the Chippewa tribe use it to refer to them. The word "Sioux" is actually the Chippewa word for enemy. The Sioux are actually the Lakota, a name that means, “Where the people of peace dwell.”
3. A number of Native American words found their way into the English language. Here's a list: caribou, chipmunk, moccasin, moose, muskrat, opossum, chili, chocolate, coyote, guacamole, mesquite, peyote, shack, tamale, Tomato, abalone, bayou, cannibal, Chinook, Manatee, poncho, Potato, Raccoon, skunk, squaw, toboggan, totem, wigwam, woodchuck, and barbecue (from the Arawakan Indian language meaning “framework of sticks).
4. About half of the fifty American states have names derived from Native American words or phrases. Oklahoma is from the Choctaw okla homma, which means “red people.” “Arizona” is from the Papago word airzonac, which means “small springs. “Dakota” is the tribal name of the Sioux, meaning “allies. “Massachusetts” is the name of an Algonquian tribe meaning “at or about the great hill.” “Michigan” is from the Native American word michigamea, meaning “great water.” “Ohio” is an Iroquois word meaning “beautiful river.”
5. Lacrosse was originally a Native American game. The Choctaw played it and French settlers watched. The settlers dubbed the game "Lacrosse" because the sticks resembled a Bishop’s crosier.
6. Even though they were not citizens, over 8,000 Native Americans served during WWI. Over 24,000 Native Americans served during WWII, including the Navajo Code Talkers, who invented an unbreakable code. Indigenous skills have often been used for modern day purposes. Tracking skills are used by a US law enforcement team consisting entirely of Native Americans called “The Shadow Wolves.” Their job: tracking down drug smugglers on the Mexican border. Mohawks were often used as labourers on the skyscrapers because it was believed they had no natural fear of heights. In fact, they were as terrified as everyone else; they simply wouldn't show it.
7. Many Americans have a proportion of Native American DNA. Celebrities who claim Native American ancestry include Cher, Anthony Quinn, Ava Gardner, James Earl Jones, Lou Diamond Phillips, Anne Hathaway, Megan Fox, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Billy Bob Thornton, Burt Reynolds, Johnny Depp, Rosa Parks, Kevin Costner, Whitney Houston, Dolly Parton, Ludacris, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Oprah Winfrey. Edith Wilson (wife of Woodrow Wilson) and Nancy Reagan are said to be descended from Pocahontas.
8. The term “Indian” originated with Christopher Columbus who thought he had landed in the East Indies. He called the indigenous people “Indians.” According to the 1995 census, the majority of American Indians prefer the term “Indian” over “Native American”.
9. Some tribes built totem poles, which could be up to 40 feet tall. Their function was to advertise the status of a family or as a memorial to ancestors and would depict the animals and birds important to that family. They were not, as Christians used to believe, depictions of gods.
10. Those large feather headdresses could only be worn by warriors who had proven their courage in battles. Eagle feathers were thought to contain spiritual power. 

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