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Indigenous peoples of the Americas
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Native American dance
A dancer in a bright pink shawl with fringe, wearing traditional regalia adorned with blue and black accents, performs at an outdoor cultural event.
Proboscidean size comparison Clovis points Animal figurines Ceremonial center
The intricate cliff dwellings of Ancestral Puebloans
Indian boarding school
How did colonists refer to Indigenous peoples of the Americas?
Big Cypress Seminole Reservation
For Students
Native American dance
American Indian summary
Quizzes
Tecumseh. Battle of the Thames, Ontario, Canada, and the death of Tecumseh. Col. Richard M. Johnson with the Kentucky volunteers on left battle with Tecumseh and his Native troops. Native American Shawnee chief. North American indian. (See Notes)
Native American History Quiz
Pages of a dictionary from England (English dictionary, British dictionary, United Kingdom, words, opened book.
Which English Words Have Native American Origins?
Read Next
We'wha demonstrates blanket loom weaving on the grounds of the United States National Museum while on a visit to Washington, DC. Zuni hand weaving technique loom
5 Incredible Native American Artists
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Submerged sperm whale off east Sri Lanka coast, mammal
How Did the Sperm Whale Get Its Name?
Ahura Mazda - relief of the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda at the ancient ruins of Persepolis in Iran. Also known as Ormazd Zoroastrianism,
Which Religion Is the Oldest?
Flags of the countries of the world (flagpoles).
How Many Countries Are There in the World?
Marriage. A couple getting married during a church wedding ceremony. (religion, ceremony, bride, groom)
The Seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic church
Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06; in the Louvre, Paris, France. 77 x 53 cm.
Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?
Agnes with a lamb near her feet. St. Agnes (Saint Agnes) design drawing for stained glass window by J&R Lamb Studios, ink, mount size 10.5 x 14.5 in.
Roman Catholic Saints
All Saints Day. All Souls Day. Candles in cemetery in Poland on All Saints Day, November 1. All Souls Day, November 2. Christian church, All Hallows, Solemnity of All Saints, Feast of All Saints, purgatory, Roman Catholic church
7 Unique Burial Rituals Across the World

Indigenous peoples of the Americas: Facts & Related Content

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News •

Thousands gather in New Mexico for the largest powwow in North America • Apr. 25, 2025, 10:57 PM ET (AP)
Trump administration to investigate New York's funding threat over Long Island tribal school mascot • Apr. 25, 2025, 8:56 PM ET (AP)
Trump administration makes major cuts to Native American boarding school research projects • Apr. 19, 2025, 12:07 AM ET (AP)
RFK Jr. wants to target chronic disease in US tribes. A key program to do that was gutted • Apr. 12, 2025, 12:01 AM ET (AP)
Education Department withdraws from plan to address discipline disparities for Native students • Apr. 10, 2025, 10:55 AM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As aboriginal American • American Indian • Indian • Native American • Amerindian • Amerind • Indigenous American

Photos and Videos

Native American dance
Proboscidean size comparison
Clovis points
Animal figurines
Ceremonial center
Indian boarding school
Big Cypress Seminole Reservation
Far larger than life
Jaguar temple
Reconstructed artwork
A dancer in a bright pink shawl with fringe, wearing traditional regalia adorned with blue and black accents, performs at an outdoor cultural event.
The intricate cliff dwellings of Ancestral Puebloans
How did colonists refer to Indigenous peoples of the Americas?
A bronze bust of an Indigenous American figure sits in a kitchen, overlaid with sacks of rice marked with a green check and milk with sugar cubes crossed out.
Explore Utah's Bryce Canyon on horseback
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Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Dennis Banks
Dennis Banks
American activist
Zitkala-Sa
Zitkala-Sa
American writer
Susette La Flesche
Susette La Flesche
American author and activist
Mary Lucinda Bonney
American educator and reformer
Alice Mary Robertson.
Alice Mary Robertson
American educator and public official
Russell Means
Russell Means
Oglala Sioux activist
Francisco Garcés
Spanish missionary
Powell, John Wesley
John Wesley Powell
American explorer, geologist, and ethnologist
Joseph Campbell.
Joseph Campbell
American author
Franz Boas
Franz Boas
German-American anthropologist
Ruth Benedict
Ruth Benedict
American anthropologist and author
Paula Gunn Allen
Paula Gunn Allen
American author and scholar
Schoolcraft, Henry Rowe
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft
American explorer and ethnologist
Aleš Hrdlička
American anthropologist
Earnest A. Hooton
American anthropologist
Cadman, Charles Wakefield
Charles Wakefield Cadman
American composer
Adolph Bandelier
American anthropologist
The Grand Canyon at the foot of the Toroweap, illustration by William Henry Holmes from Clarence E. Dutton's Atlas to Accompany the Monograph on the Tertiary History of the Grand Canyon District, 1882.
William Henry Holmes
American archaeologist
Anthony F.C. Wallace
Canadian-American anthropologist
Frances Densmore, c. 1910s.
Frances Densmore
American ethnologist

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Tecumseh. Battle of the Thames, Ontario, Canada, and the death of Tecumseh. Col. Richard M. Johnson with the Kentucky volunteers on left battle with Tecumseh and his Native troops. Native American Shawnee chief. North American indian. (See Notes)
Native American History Quiz
Pages of a dictionary from England (English dictionary, British dictionary, United Kingdom, words, opened book.
Which English Words Have Native American Origins?
List
We'wha demonstrates blanket loom weaving on the grounds of the United States National Museum while on a visit to Washington, DC. Zuni hand weaving technique loom
5 Incredible Native American Artists