What have you known about Native American People? Are you interested in their huge heritages? And why is there the Day with their name, Native American Heritage Day taking place annually?
In this Blog, Printerval will give you the reasons why Native American Heritage Day is observed. along with some interesting information about these Indigenous people.
Who are Native Americans in the United States?
Native Americans, also known as American Indians, First Americans, Indigenous Americans, … are Indigenous people of the United States whose ancestors arrived in what is now the United States at least 15,000 years ago or much earlier, from Asia via Beringia.
Native Americans originated from the contiguous United States, along with Alaska Natives.
In 1492, European colonization began in America that led to a precipitous decline in the Native American population due to new diseases, wars, ethnic cleansing, and enslavement.
After the formation of the United States, Native American peoples were massacred and removed from their ancestral lands as well as forced to be assimilated in the 20th century.
Since the 1960s, the lives of Native Americans have changed owing to many self-determination movements. However, they still have to face many contemporary issues.
It is estimated that there are over five million Native Americans in the United States today, within them, there are 78% living outside reservations and three states including California, Arizona, and Oklahoma have the largest populations of Native Americans in this country.
( Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States)
What have Native Americans contributed to the United States?
As the first inhabitants of North America, Native Americans have made significant contributions to not only the United States but the world.
Their contributions include:
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Foods:
Edible plants domesticated by Native Americans have become major staples in the diets of peoples not only in the United States but all around the world such as corn (maize), manioc, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts, squashes and pumpkins, tomatoes, papayas, avocados, pineapples, guavas, chili peppers, chocolate (cacao), and many species of beans.
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Animals:
Native Americans were seen as the first to raise turkeys, llamas, guinea pigs, and honeybees which are important sources of food.
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Non-edible plants
Cotton, rubber, and tobacco are three main plants of great importance developed by Native Americans which are non-edible but have many economic values. For example, cotton is the material to make clothing, ...
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Medicines
When it comes to medicines, there are many important inventions from Native Americans. For instance, the Quechua peoples of Peru discovered the medicinal use for quinine, Canadian Indians knew how to prevent scurvy by eating plants rich in vitamin C, etc.
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Government:
In historical times, Native American governments in eastern North America served as models of federated representative democracy to the Europeans and the American colonists.
Later, the United States government is based on such a system and applied it into the running system of government. The power of the American government is distributed between a central authority (the federal government) and smaller political units (the states).
In addition, Native Americans also contributed to the culture, language, and other heritage of the United States, making it one of the cultural diversity in the world.
( Source: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/native-american-contributions/)
Why is Native American Heritage Day observed?
For such an important contribution of Native Americans to the United States and the world, Native American Heritage Day is observed in several states including California, Nevada, South Dakota, and Wisconsin though the days of celebration are different. This day of Native American takes place with the aim of honoring the vibrant cultures, traditions, and heritage as well as recognizing the cultural contributions of Native American communities to the respective state's history, as well as to the overall country.
The Native American Heritage Day is also a good chance to educate children and other youngsters about the lives and history of Indigenous people so that they can get hang of many traditional values of their country.
How to celebrate Native American Heritage Day?
There are many interesting ideas for the celebration of the Native American Heritage Day such as reading a story about or by a Native American, watching a movie or documentary about Indigenous peoples. You can also visit several Native American museums, heritage centers, or historical sights to see and understand more about their culture and their values. On that day, you can try some delicious Native American recipes such as Pemmican, Algonquin Wild Nut Soup, Posole with Red Chile, ….
In particular, recently the idea of wearing fashion items with Native American Heritage Day designs has been prevalent thanks to the significant development of fashion.
Through fashion items with Native American Heritage Day style, we can show our respect, honors, and sentiment, as well as recognition of the contributions of Native Americans in the United States.
Are you looking forward to exploring them?
As a trusted brand for custom products, items of the Native American Heritage Day collection at Printerval are designed uniquely and sold at affordable prices. Apart from stimulating and unique designs, products at Printerval shop vary in terms of sizes and colors, and even types such as t-shirts with v-neck, ringer, tri-blend, ...
Here are several items you can pick from the shop which are really stunning and trendy.
Now, you can start shopping for these attractive Native American Heritage Day products on Printerval.com to enjoy the upcoming holiday!
