Native Americans In Kentucky - Research Paper Example

Introduction Before European immigrants settled in the United s, Native Americans occupied the land; for example, what is now the of Kentucky. These native tribes were forcibly removed from their homeland to pave way for the new immigrants, a situation that led to the destabilization of the indigenous peoples’ way of life, which in turn resulted in long lasting effects that forever changed them as a people. Currently, there are no federally recognized Native American tribes in Kentucky; however, the government formed a commission in 1996 that sought to recognize and promote Native Americans’ contributions to history and culture. This essay seeks to highlight Native Americans’ way of life before European immigrants displaced them from their native land, the adverse effects resulting from their displacement, and the current efforts undertaken by the Kentucky state government to commemorate the Native Americans contributions to the state’s history. The Effects of Displacement on Native Americans of Kentucky Native Americans were removed from the state of Kentucky and relocated to Oklahoma to make way for Euro-American settlers. Richard Henderson signed a treaty on March 15, 1175 that transferred most of Cherokee native land to the Transylvania Company1. Factors surrounding the signing of this treaty were to affect the way Kentucky was to treat natives for a very long time. The most significant factor was the interpretation of a tribal leader’s remark at the treaty signing. This leader from the Cherokee tribe whose name translates into “Dragging Canoe”, made a statement referring to the land as “bloody ground”, which the White men translated to mean no-man’s land2. From this remark, white men considered the land as hunting grounds and not native land, a distinction that influenced land ownership in the region. Once the land was regarded as free land, it became a free resource for the new settlers who went ahead to divide the land among them. The arrival of settlers ushered in individual land ownership for settlers and the removal of native tribes from their ancestral land. In contrast, Native Americans had an entirely different approach to land ownership, as land was viewed as communal land held in trust. They had no concept of individual land ownership; however, there was the concept of tribal territories. Tribes living on specific land had no problem accommodating other tribes, as long as the new tribes lived in peace and harmony with them. This concept was important to the native tribes as it held the tribes together and fostered communal responsibility towards everything that appertained to life. The history, traditions, cultures and norms of the tribe were held in trust by the elders. Each native tribe had its own unique traditions, culture, practices and norms that had been shaped by their individual experiences as a community. Banding the native tribes together and relocating them threw them into a cultural melting pot that did not afford the natives time to blend. The Iroquois Indians named the region where the present state of Kentucky “Kentake” or “meadow land”. This meadowland region was the home of four different Native American tribes: Cherokee, Chickasaw, Shawnee and Yuchi. The native tribes had their own cultures and traditions that were unique to each tribe despite their shared similarity in dialects. The Native American’s have been stereotyped by western movies, which depict the frontier when Europeans first migrated to America the newfound land3. Western movies portray the different worldviews that existed between Native Americans and the Euro- American settlers, which is part of the history of America. This stereotyping of Native American’s grew from the experience of events that transpired between the European immigrants and the quest to survive in what seemed virgin territory to them. The Native Americans of Kentucky The Original Native Tribes The natives who lived in America before the arrival of the Europeans preserved their history orally through storytelling, myths and legends, which were passed down from generation to generation. Each tribe had its own special traditions which had been passed down from generation to generation and which had informed the life of the tribe. The arrival of the Europeans disrupted the civilization and way of life for the natives who had inhabited the land for thousands of years through their own development and culture. “Native tradition alone cannot help in the preservation of details of an old way of life…word of mouth alone over 400 years in a society undergoing rapid social and cultural change.”4 The Cherokee occupied the southeastern parts of present day Kentucky while the Chickasaw occupied the western most part of the land. The Shawnee Indians had crisscrossed most of present-day Kentucky, as they are they were the earliest tribe to inhabit the area. They finally confined themselves to the southernmost parts of Kentucky while they accommodated the other Indian tribes. The Yuchi Indians lived to the north of the land while the Mosopelea Indians would spill over from time to time into neighboring areas. The natives moved freely in response to the migration of animals, the weather and nature. They lived in movable tents, which made it easy for them to relocate quickly if the weather was unfavorable and to return when it was better. They depended on the spiritual guidance of the tribal and ancestral spirits to do this, which guided their communities. The different lifestyles and preferences of the native tribes were a contributing factor to the breakdown to the structure and administration of the tribal rule through elders. This made it very disruptive to families and clans who were forced to live together in circumstances that resembled concentrated camps. The Cultures of the Native Tribes The native Indians of North America had a lot in common, as far as race was concerned; however, each tribe had its own unique culture, norms and tradition. The Cherokee were mainly nocturnal, favored the number seven and four, and cycles in their ceremonies, which were directed through four forces (portals of the North, South, East and West).5 The Chickasaw value and honor the animal world for its provision to humans through food, milk, transport and clothing. This is done through the use of turtle shells. The Chickasaw men also stomped and danced in tune to a call and answer type singing, as the lead soloist shook a rattle made of turtle shells to honor the animals that gave them sustenance6. The Shawnee Indians were the most unwarlike of the native tribes probably due to their practice of farming, which compelled them to have a more settled way of life. The men engaged in fishing and hunting most of the time; however, they were always on standby if there was a need to defend the tribe against outside aggression. The women planted maize and squash, which constituted their staple diet. Plagues such as the flu and scarlet fever caught from settlers and inter-tribal wars with the Iroquois diminished their numbers.7 The Yuchi Indians were very metropolitan in their civilization and lived in elaborate molds built in the ground in villages that were widely spaced. This made it difficult for them to contract diseases and so when they first came into contact with the Spanish they were ravaged by diseases they had not developed resistance to.8 The Displacement of Natives in Kentucky Treaties The native tribes entered into many treaties with European migrants, which relegated over most of their land to the settlers. They were paid with goods such as utensils, knives, machetes, hoes and blankets. The goods were valued and documented in the treaties that the tribal leaders signed. The tribal leaders did not seem to have understood the significance of their actions until they found themselves under the power and control of the Confederacy or the United Nations, which was the government at the time before the country became unified.9 Many Native Americans fought for their freedom because they had been forced to migrate from their homeland to America, which was not even European-owned as it, belonged to Native American Indians.10 Settlers European immigrants relocating to the North American continent were on a mission of survival in the newly found land, as many of them were victims of their governments’ or religions’ persecution. Their arrival on native lands brought the natives into contact with small pox, measles, flu, and, cholera through contact, which resulted in infections among the isolated natives. The natives had no immunity or cures because they had never been exposed to outsiders save for those of their own kind for many centuries. The settlers needed land, which they acquired through treaties and gifts in some cases that led to loss of land and encroachment. Violence and the use of fire power was a new experience for the natives who only used crude weapons. The art of war also took on a different nature that did not respect the tribal rules of engagement, tradition or the spirits of the natives11. The settlers on the other hand, were afraid of the natives who they considered barbarians without morals or ethics. This made the natives fair game for the settlers, as they found no immorality in killing a native. The settlers found no contradiction in killing and their Christian religion, which most practiced in the new land, also sanctioned it. Church buildings were the meeting points for all settler business including excursions into native territory. The Native Americans of Present Day Kentucky No Federal Recognition The state of Kentucky does not have any federally recognized Native Americans12. It, therefore, does not have any reservations for descendants, remnants of the few native left behind after the relocation of tribes in Ohio in the 1700’s13. Most of the Native American Indians were relocated to Ohio and other neighboring states where they are currently recognized, as the indigenous people of America. They have their own reservation where they are able to practice their customs and own communal land as they once did. They also have the added benefits of protection, concessions and provision by the government through legislation and enforcement agencies. Kentucky is yet to establish a reservation as a state. There is no possibility of redressing the uneven exchange of land for goods that was not consummate with the value of land that had taken place, as the area is too vast. It would also mean returning the whole of the country to native tribes, which is not viable and untenable. Federal recognition appears to be the best solution to most states as well as the setting up of reservations and gratuities for the benefit of the native tribes who can prove in a court of law that they were denied their rights, land and resources. The problem is not unique to America, as the same issue exists in Canada, which was also inhabited by natives before the arrival of European settlers14. Recognition of Cultural Contribution The Governor of Kentucky formed a committee to address the contribution of the native people of Kentucky. The state has also produced a handbook for teachers that seek to correct stereotyping of Native American people in schools and colleges15. The tracing of tribes that came from Kentucky is tricky as many of the genealogies were orally recorded as per the custom of native Indians. Relocation, upheavals and plagues caused deaths to many of the older generation who were the custodians of the oral tradition and keepers of the tribal history. Many Native Americans were employed in informal jobs after their tribes were relocated whereby they helped their masters establish settlements within the state. Some others got married to whites and ended their contact with the tribes, as they were incorporated into the white community over time as their offspring married into white until there was no more trace of native origins in them. Conclusion The relocation of Native American tribes in what is now Kentucky State brought about the disruption of their way of life. The culture, norms, practices and structures of the tribes were irreversibly altered which brought about a breakdown in tribal structures that had existed for hundreds of years. The state of Kentucky was named by Native American (Iroquois) who called it the “meadow land” or “Kentake”, which was borrowed and pronounced as now is. There were several Native American tribes in Kentucky by the time the white settlers arrived in the region16. These tribes had similar cultures and traditions; however, they were unique and distinct in their practices. The natives of Kentucky were displaced on a massive scale by the settlers and their governing administration. The tribal leaders entered into treaties, which did not favor them on the grounds of trust and lost all their tribal land to settlers for a meagre compensation. The settlers brought diseases with them such as chicken pox, flu, measles and cholera, which were new to the region. Lack of immunity in the natives brought massive loss of life, which greatly reduced their numbers. Upheavals caused by violent confrontations with the settlers added to the reduction of numbers of the natives, as families were left homeless and scattered. The strong and able-bodied men who served as hunters and warriors of the tribes were killed by the superior weapons of the settlers. Most the natives who lived in the present day Kentucky state were relocated in mass to make way for the new settlers and put into reservations. Their livelihoods were controlled by government policy, which was something they had never experienced. They now had to hunt and fish in restricted unfamiliar territories within the reserves. Present day Kentucky has set about trying to redress the stereotyping of Native American tribes by correcting misconceptions about them through educational institutions such as schools and colleges. It has also set up a committee made up of nine positions of native tribes in an effort to reconstruct the history of the native Indians contribution to the state of Kentucky17. Bibliography Brown, Tressa Townes (1999) Teaching about American Indians; Stereotypes and Contributions: A Resource Packet for Kentucky Teachers, Frankfort: Kentucky Heritage Collins, Peter R. and Connor, John E. O. (1999) Hollywood’s Indian: The Portrayal of the Native American in Film, Kentucky: The Kentucky University Press Taylor, Colin and Sturtevant, William (2007). The Native Americans: The Indigenous People of North America, 3ed. Sandiego, California: Thunder Bay Press (1999), 36. The Cherokee Nation: The Traditional Belief System http://www.cherokee.org/AboutTheNation/Culture/General/TheTraditionalBeliefSystem.aspx Foner, Eric (2012) Give Me Liberty: An American Story 3ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. Smithsonian News Desk: Chickasaw Nation Celebrates Its Tribal Heritage and History at the “Chikasha Poya—We Are Chickasaw” Festival August 1, 2014 (http://newsdesk.si.edu/releases/chickasaw-nation-celebrates-its-tribal-heritage-and-history-chikasha-poya-we-are-chickasaw- Indians.Org, Shawnee Indians: http://www.indians.org/articles/shawnee-indians.html Yuchi. Org: http://www.yuchi.org/ Read More