|
Akicita
The Lakota (Sioux) akicita acted as a kind of village police. They were chosen among the worthiest members of the warrior societies. They helped the shirt wearers carry out the policies and decisions of the council.
Algonquin
Anthropologists designate several nations as Algonquin, including the Ottawa, who share a common language. The people who speak this language prefer to call themselves, "Ashinabe," or "people."
Allotment Period
Beginning in 1887 with the passage of the Dawes Severairy Act, lands were allotted to individual natives as a means of destroying the tribal system. Allotment was meant to give natives an opportunity to lead a more "civilized" life. If the prospective landowner was deemed "competent" within twenty-five years, he/she was given the land. The result, however, was rarely in favour of the natives. In fact, what would generally happen was the natives would sell their land to non-natives, who had the financial means to develop the land, leaving the natives, once again, dependent on the federal government.
Big Knives
Term used by natives to describe the Americans; distinguishing them from the Frenchmen and the Englishmen. Probably derived from the long swords carried by military generals. Other variations of this name include long knife, great knife, and big-knife person.
Buffalo Pounds
A fenced-in circular space usually made of brush and hides, with a funnel-shaped fence leading up to its entrance. Hunters drove small herds of buffalo into the pound. Once trapped inside, the buffalo could be easily killed.
Counting coup
From the French word for "blow" in the sense of striking a blow, counting coup refers to the practice of touching an enemy warrior with something held in one's hand during battle. It was far more praiseworthy to count coup on an enemy than it was to kill him. Up to four Sioux warriors could count coup on an individual enemy warrior, highest honours going to the first to achieve it. To have an enemy count coup on oneself and live was a great dishonour.
Daebaudjimoot
An Ottawa storyteller, man or woman, who told stories to entertain the people and teach them about their heritage.
Gantowisas
The Gantowisas or Clan Mothers in council were female officials among the Iroquois (Six Nations) who enjoyed sweeping political, economic, religious and social powers. They conferred or retracted citizenship through adoption, called or ended wars, appointed war chiefs, named and impeached all officials and set the agenda of the Six Nations Grand Council.
Gayanashagowa
Gayanashagowa, the Great Binding Law of the Six Iroquois Nations is the founding constitution of the Iroquois Confederacy. An oral tradition, it is codified in a series of wampum belts now in the keeping of the Onondaga Nation who lives near Syracuse NY. Gayanashagowa defines the duties of officials and the functions of the Six Nations Grand Council. It describes the way in which the aboriginal nations may resolve disputes between themselves and maintain peace.
Ghost Dance Shirts
Ghost Dance Shirts were made of soft deerskin and left plain, except for perhaps a small moon and one or two stars painted on the chest. The Ghost Dance was originally conceived as a peaceful rallying point for native North American Nations. When some of the Sioux adopted it in the late 1880s, they added the legend of the "Ghost Shirts," which were said to be impervious to European bullets.
Gray Gold
Term used to refer to raw lead ore deposits on Mesquakie territory in Dubuque, Iowa and Galena, Illinois. The discovery of the rich deposits of lead ore in this region predated the California Gold Rush, making it the first large mining rush in U.S. history.
Great Father
Term used to refer to raw lead ore deposits on Mesquakie territory in Dubuque, Iowa and Galena, Illinois. The discovery of the rich deposits of lead ore in this region predated the California Gold Rush, making it the first large mining rush in U.S. history.
Haudenosaunee
Also known as the Iroquois League, the Haudenosaunee or Six Nations Confederacy is made up of six Iroquoian-speaking nations, the Mohawk, Onondaga, Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, and Tuscarora. The Six Nations are bound together by a common constitution called Gayanashagowa or Great Binding Law.
"Hokahey"
(Hoe-kah HAY) "It's a good day to die." This was a favourite battle cry of the Lakota Sioux
Indian Territory
Name applied to the country set aside - by the U.S. government - for Native Americans by the Intercourse Act (1834). The Indian Removal Act of 1830 gave the President authority to designate specific lands for them, and in 1834 Congress formally approved the choice. The Indian Territory included present-day Oklahoma - north and east of the Red River, as well as Kansas and Nebraska. Tribes other than the original five (Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Choctaw, and Chickasaw) also moved there, but each tribe maintained its own government. As white settlers continued to move westward, pressure to abolish the Indian Territory mounted. With the entrance of Oklahoma into the Union in 1907, the Indian Territory became extinct.
Krewes
A group of African American youths who chose Sauk chief Black Hawk as their "Big Chief" and began parading in "Indian costumes." The group banded together in the late 1860s or early '70s in the black neighborhoods of New Orleans. Today, they are still active participants in New Orleans' community life.
Manitou
The supernatural forces that, according to Ottawa and other Algonquian peoples, pervade the natural world. Also means spirit, soul, mystery, transcendental, mystical, invisible reality, potential.
Métis
The slang term "half-breeds" was used to describe the children born of intermarriage between English or French Canadians with aboriginal, predominantly Cree, women. This new Canadian population was called "Métis" which is the French term for "mixed blood".
Numbered Treaties
TThe Canadian government negotiated a series of treaties with native peoples across Canada. Natives had to agree to accept settlement on reserves and the government would allot reserve land based on the number of native people in a settlement, as well as developing agreements for schooling, agricultural equipment and training, gifts and annuities. Over a span of 50 years, from 1871 to 1921, eleven of these treaties were signed.
Paha Sapa
Paha Sapa, also known as the Black Hills, is sacred to the Sioux. It is the centre of the world, the favourite place of the Wakan Tanka, where warriors and holy men went to seek visions and to communicate with the Great Mysterious. With the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, the U.S. guaranteed that Paha Sapa would forever remain Sioux land, but when gold was later discovered, the cavalry was sent to protect the miners who flocked in. In 1877, the Black Hills Act unilaterally transferred Paha Sapa to the United States. In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court awarded the Sioux Nation $105-million as compensation for the loss. The Sioux, who insist that the United States must comply with the terms of the 1868 treaty, have steadfastly refused the money.
Polygamy
A marriage custom by which husbands may take (have) more than one or numerous wives. All of the western Canadian Plains tribes practiced this form of marriage.
Reservations
In order to avoid clashes over land boundaries between natives and white settlers, tracts of land were set aside for the use of native tribes. The term "reservation" comes from the 19th century agreements in which tribes ceded their lands to the U.S. government except for portions "reserved" for their own use. Following the systematic slaughter of the buffalo in the 1870s, the Sioux were among the last to be forced onto reservations.
Sachem
Sachem were tribal leaders among Iroquoian Aboriginal Nations of North America. The leading women of each clan appointed them. The Sachem represented their clan at tribal council meetings. It was also their duty to uphold tribal laws and customs and to settle disputes.
Shirt wearers
In Lakota (Sioux) society, four shirt wearers were chosen among the best-respected warriors to carry out the policies and decisions of the council with the help of the akicita. The warrior societies acted as a tribal police force when called upon to do so by the shirt wearers. They were then called the akicita.
Reserve
Parcels of land throughout Canada that were set aside and held in trust for the native peoples of Canada after Confederation. Established in a series of Numbered Treaties and held in trust for the native population by the government through the Department of Indian Affairs, these parcels of land were integrally connected to official "Indian" status and rights.
Tipi
The tall, conical, tent-like tipi (from the Sioux word for "dwelling place") was a perfectly suited shelter for the nomadic Sioux. They could be taken down and ready for travel in fifteen minutes, and put back up in less than an hour. Tipi poles were made from long, slender pine trees and covers from buffalo hides. Women constructed and owned the tipis. Men often painted pictographs representing war exploits on them, but had to get their wife's permission first.
Totems
Animals, birds, fish and other creatures that serve as symbolic heralds of clans or extended families. The word is derived from the Algonquian word, "dodem," and translates variously as "heart," "action," or "nourishment." At first, the Ottawa had only five Totems, representing the five basic functions of humanity: defense, teaching, healing, leading and providing. They now have over twenty.
Travois
Transportation device made from two or more long poles tied together to make an A-shaped frame with a carrying basket in the middle, similar to a sled. Dogs drew the smaller travois while horses drew the larger ones. The use of travois significantly improved the ability of nomadic tribes to transport tipis and other personal items from place to place.
Treaty Indians (Registered Indians)
Registered Indians are those persons who reported they were registered under the Indian Act of Canada. Treaty Indians are persons who are registered under the Indian Act and can prove descent from a Band that signed a treaty. The term "Treaty Indian" is used more widely in the Western provinces of Canada.
Turtle Island
According to the creation story of Iroquoian-speaking peoples, the world was created on the back of a giant spirit turtle swimming on an endless black sea. Today, some Iroquois refer to the entire Earth as "Turtle Island." To other Iroquois, only North America is "Turtle Island." In the late 20th century, some activists borrowed the idea of Turtle Island to draw attention to what they said were environmentally unsound industrial practices.
Wakan Tanka
The Wakan Tanka included all that was mysterious, powerful, or sacred. The words Wakan Tanka translate as "all that is holy." The Wakan Tanka had always existed and would always be. It had created the universe, and yet, at the same time, was the universe. The Sun, the Moon, the Stars, the Earth, the very rocks, and the human soul were all manifestations of the Wakan Tanka.
Wampum
Quilled or beaded sashes or belts with symbols woven into the design. Many Eastern North American aboriginal people used them to record important events. Speakers at councils often held up the wampum to remind their audience of past events, beliefs and tribal heritage.
White Buffalo Calf Woman
According to Sioux mythology, Ptesanwin, or White Buffalo Calf Woman, was the emissary of the Wakan Tanka, or the Great Mysterious, who gave the Sioux their moral code. She first appeared to the people as a beautiful young woman before changing into a white buffalo calf. Ptesanwin also taught the Sioux the Sacred Pipe ritual.
Wigwam
Housing commonly used by the Algonquian natives originating from the eastern United States. The wigwam is a conical or dome shaped structure covered with bark, reed mats, or grass. They vary in size from single family dwellings to large communal style units.
|
