Who are Native Americans?

1. Who are Native Americans? An Introduction for Third Graders

2. Native Americans were the first people to live in what is now the United States and Canada. Thousands of years ago, they came from Asia, probably hunting for food.

3. They walked from Siberia to Alaska, most likely across land that is now covered by water. Long ago…. Today….

4. When Christopher Columbus landed in the New World in 1492, he thought he had reached India. He called the people he met Indians. Today we call Indians “Native Americans” because they lived in this country before any European settlers.

5. When settlers came from Europe to North America, they first met Native American tribes on the East Coast. As they moved westward looking for more land, they found Native Americans wherever they went.

6. Sometimes the tribes and settlers were friendly and taught each other valuable lessons. But sometimes they fought over the land, and many people died.

7. By 1776 when the United States became a nation, there were about 250 tribes living in different parts of the country. There was no such thing as one Native American life. Each tribe lived in different kinds of houses, wore different kinds of clothes, and ate different foods. These things depended on the type of land where they lived and the kinds of resources that were available. They also spoke different languages and had different religions.

8. Over the years, Native Americans lost much of their land to the settlers and were forced to move to areas of land called reservations. The Trail of Tears is one of the most well-known Native American “removal” events. More than 4,000 out of 15,000 Cherokee people died on the long trip to Oklahoma.

9. Many Native Americans still live on the separate parcels of land assigned to them by the United States government. By studying these tribes, we can learn about their rich and beautiful history and gain a greater respect for their culture.