Saturday, May 30, 2015

First post - Native American Biographies - A-Z



I reviewed a very interesting webpage called Native American Biographies - A to Z, which was created by Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson, and can be found at the following link: http://www.42explore2.com/native3.htm.  The website provides a list of famous Native Americans, as well links to their biographies.  It is an excellent resource for learning more about specific Native Americans, as well as learning more about their contributions and lives (http://www.42explore2.com/native3.htm).  
The Trapper's Bride by Alfred Jacob Miller
Source: (http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z/sacagawea.htm)

In particular, I was interested in learning more about Sacagawae, a young Native American woman who accompanied Lewis and Clark on part of their journey.  Sacagawae was useful to Lewis and Clark because she was able to act as an interpreter when they encountered other Native Americans.  She was also helpful to them because it improved their image to have a woman amongst their crew.  It seemed that this was almost a sign of peace they could use when meeting with other Native Americans (http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z/sacagawea.htm).  



Black Kettle
Source: http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/a_c/blackkettle.htm




Another interesting account is that of Black Kettle, a Southern Cheyenne chief.  He was able to escape the Sand Creek Massacre.  He was also known for trying to promote peace between the Cheyenne nation and the non-natives, even amidst all of the violence.  Black Kettle tried to resolve the conflict by signing the Medicine Lodge Treaty of 1867, however, the other party involved did not hold up their end of the bargain (http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/a_c/blackkettle.htm).


Overall, I would recommend this website for anyone who is interested in learning more about the real biographies of some famous Native Americans.  Sometimes, such as in the case of Pocahontas, the information we learn about Native Americans is a highly fictionalized account.  It is always important to learn the true story of their lives. 
 

Works Cited

Johnson, L. & Lamb, A. Native American Biographies – A to Z. 42Explore2, 2001. Web. 30 May 2015.

New Perspectives on the West. PBS, n.d. Web. 30 May 2015.

4 comments:

  1. How am I not on this list! Just kidding, great post. Remember to respond to 2 blogs :-)

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  2. That was a really amazing observation about Sacagawae from the persepective of her inclusion with Lewis and Clark and how it might have helped the Lewis and Clark when in came to their very first interaction with the native peoples.

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  3. Having read a couple of the articles about the Lewis and Clark expedition I was surprised how the Indians were of such assistance and how they were still taken advantage of and discriminated against.

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  4. Lewis and Clark have come up numerous times when reading about different tribes. They had contact with many tribes and traded with many of them.The Native Americans were of great assistance to Lewis and Clark and they would not have been as successful if it had not been for the help of the Indians.

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