All about the ancient tribes
The resulting confederacy, whose governing Great Council of 50 peace chiefs, or sachems (hodiyahnehsonh), still meets in a longhouse, is made up of six nations: the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora.
A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom.
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. Eastern Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming. Elem Indian Colony of Pomo Indians of the Sulphur Bank Rancheria, California. Elk Valley Rancheria, California. Ely Shoshone Tribe of Nevada. Enterprise Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California.
Tribes of the Great Plains include the Blackfoot, Arapahoe, Cheyenne, Comanche and Crow. Northeast Woodlands – Includes the Iroquois Indians of New York, the Wappani, and the Shawnee. Northwest Coast/Plateau – These Native Americans were known for their houses made of cedar planks as well as their totem poles.
Today, the Shakopee Mdewakanton are believed to be the richest tribe in American history as measured by individual personal wealth: Each adult, according to court records and confirmed by one tribal member, receives a monthly payment of around $84,000, or $1.08 million a year.
They are known to us today as the Wendat (also known as Huron,) Neutral-Wenro, Erie, Laurentian (or St. Lawrence Iroquoian,) Susquehannock, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, Tuscarora, Nottaway, and Cherokee.
12 Influential Native American Leaders Tecumseh. Sacagawea. Red Cloud. Sitting Bull. Crazy Horse. Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images. Geronimo. Photo: Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images. Chief Joseph. Photo: Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images. Wilma Mankiller. Photo: Peter Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images.
The English word squaw is an ethnic and sexual slur, historically used for Indigenous North American women. Contemporary use of the term, especially by non- Natives, is considered offensive, derogatory, misogynist and racist. The word is not used among Native American, First Nations, Inuit, or Métis peoples.
Here are ten of the greatest Native American chiefs and leaders. 10 Victorio. 9 Chief Cornstalk. 8 Black Hawk. 7 Tecumseh. 6 Geronimo. 5 Crazy Horse. 4 Chief Seattle. 3 Cochise.
Today, there are over five million Native Americans in the United States, 78% of whom live outside reservations: California, Arizona and Oklahoma have the largest populations of Native Americans in the United States.
Tribal group | Total | American Indian/Alaska Native alone |
---|---|---|
Total | 4,119,301 | 2,475,956 |
American Indian tribes | ||
Cherokee | 729,533 | 299,862 |
Navajo | 298,197 | 275,991 |
Quahadis were the hardest, fiercest, least yielding component of a tribe that had long had the reputation as the most violent and warlike on the continent; if they ran low on water, they were known to drink the contents of a dead horse’s stomach, something even the toughest Texas Ranger would not do.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs uses a blood quantum definition—generally one-fourth Native American blood —and/or tribal membership to recognize an individual as Native American. However, each tribe has its own set of requirements—generally including a blood quantum—for membership (enrollment) of individuals.
The consensus, however, is that whenever possible, Native people prefer to be called by their specific tribal name. In the United States, Native American has been widely used but is falling out of favor with some groups, and the terms American Indian or indigenous American are preferred by many Native people.
Depp has claimed some Native American heritage (Cherokee or Creek) and was formally adopted by the Comanche tribe in 2012 ahead of his performance in The Lone Ranger. He has received the Comanche language name of Mah-Woo-Meh (“Shape Shifter”).