Knowra Indigenous peoples of the Americas Indigenous peoples of the Americas The diverse peoples descended from societies present in the Americas before European colonization, including their descendants and living cultures. They encompass distinct nations, languages, histories, and political traditions.
Indigeneity : A social, political, and historical identity grounded in relationships to Indigenous peoples, lands, and collective histories. Offers a framework for understanding identities that differ among the peoples of the Americas.
Peopling of the Americas : The migrations and settlement processes through which human populations reached and spread across the Americas. This deep history precedes the many societies whose descendants are Indigenous peoples.
Haudenosaunee : A confederacy of Indigenous nations in northeastern North America, traditionally comprising the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca, with the Tuscarora joining later. Their confederated political tradition exemplifies one form of Indigenous governance.
European colonization of the Americas : The conquest, settlement, and rule of American territories by European powers beginning in the late fifteenth century. Colonization transformed Indigenous societies through dispossession, coercion, and new political regimes.
Native American : A common United States term for Indigenous peoples of the country, though preferences vary by person and nation. Its national scope differs from the broader continental term used here.
Indigenous sovereignty : The inherent authority of Indigenous peoples to govern themselves and maintain their political, cultural, and territorial institutions. Many peoples of the Americas assert sovereignty alongside or against states formed through colonization.
Beringia : A region connecting northeastern Asia and northwestern North America during periods of lower sea level in the Ice Age. It figures prominently in models of early population movements into the Americas.
Maya peoples : The diverse Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica who share historical connections to ancient Maya civilizations and related languages. Living Maya communities connect present-day cultures with long regional histories.
Columbian exchange : The transatlantic movement of plants, animals, people, diseases, and technologies after European arrival in the Americas. Its diseases and ecological changes had profound effects on Indigenous populations and homelands.
First Nations : A term for Indigenous peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis, as well as their political communities. This Canadian usage names particular legal and political communities rather than all Indigenous peoples of the Americas.
Show all 25