Indigenous America | THE AMERICAN YAWP

I. Introduction

• Europeans termed the Americas the New World.
• Native Americans had inhabited the Americas for over ten thousand years, with diverse languages and cultures.
• Native Americans engaged in agriculture, alliances, trade, and created art and spiritual values.
• The Columbian Exchange began, leading to significant global changes and violence.

II. The First Americans

• Creation stories and migration narratives are central to Indigenous histories (Salinan, Lenape, Choctaw, Nahua).
• Archaeologists suggest a migration across a land bridge from Asia to North America during the last ice age.
• Agriculture began between nine thousand and five thousand years ago, leading to settled populations.
• The Three Sisters (corn, beans, squash) were key crops.
• Social structures and cultural practices varied (e.g., matrilineal societies, spiritual practices).
• Archaeological evidence shows diverse and interconnected Indigenous societies.

III. European Expansion

• Norse explorers reached the Americas around the year 1000 but failed to colonize.
• The Crusades and Renaissance spurred European interest in exploration.
• Portugal led in maritime technology; Spain followed.
• Columbus reached the Caribbean in 1492, initiating European colonization and exploitation.
• The Spanish conquest led to significant Indigenous population decline due to violence and disease.

IV. Spanish Exploration and Conquest

• Spaniards expanded their empire for wealth and territory, exploiting Indigenous labor.
• The encomienda and repartimiento systems exploited Native populations.
• The Aztec and Incan Empires were conquered with disease aiding Spanish victories.
• Spanish colonial hierarchy was based on racial and social classification (Sistema de Castas).

V. Conclusion

• European arrival caused devastating changes for Native American populations.
• The Columbian Exchange transformed global diets and economies.
• Neither the Old nor New World remained the same after contact.

VI. Primary Sources

• Indigenous creation stories highlight spiritual connections to nature.
• Columbus's journals and subsequent Spanish actions display European motivations for wealth and conversion.
• Bartolomé de Las Casas documented Spanish abuses, advocating for Indigenous rights.

VII. Reference Material

• Edited by Joseph Locke and Ben Wright.
• Further reading includes works by Susan Alt, Karen Olsen Bruhns, Charles C. Mann, among others.