American Indian Peoples


These people are more difficult to name than to identify. American Indian is a well-established misnomer for the indigenous peoples inhabiting North, Central, and South America at the time of Columbus. It originates with Colombus' mistaken belief that he had sailed to India. Although his mistake has long been corrected, the name persists. Other names that have been used are Native American and Amerind. The history of these peoples before Columbus is poorly known, and they have been largely submerged in the European-derived national cultures since then, but more information will be included as the site develops.	Sapience Home Site Map About Sapience Sociology Peoples North American Indians Meso-American Indians South American Indians

These people are more difficult to name than to identify. American Indian is a well-established misnomer for the indigenous peoples inhabiting North, Central, and South America at the time of Columbus. It originates with Colombus' mistaken belief that he had sailed to India. Although his mistake has long been corrected, the name persists. Other names that have been used are Native American and Amerind.

The history of these peoples before Columbus is poorly known, and they have been largely submerged in the European-derived national cultures since then, but more information will be included as the site develops.

Middle American Indians

These include principally the Meso-American peoples of Southen Mexico and Northern Central America, the Caribbean peoples of the Caribbean Islands and southern Central America, and the Southwest American Indian peoples of northern Mexico and the Southwest United States.

South American Indians

These include principally the peoples of South America, including Andean peoples, Amazonian peoples, and Cono/Southern American Indian peoples.

North American Indians

These include primarily the peoples of North America. Eastern, Western, and Northern American Indian groups can be considered.


History The history of these peoples is not well known. Prehistory and antiquity are the province of archaeologists. There is little known of classical and medieval history, except for oral histories and traditions, and a few inscriptions from ruins in Meso-America. Most of their recorded history occurs in modern times, with European contact. Their future is obscure.
Other Sociology Other peoples of the world, communities, and social structure and change can be applied to Middle American Indian peoples, South American Indian peoples, and North American Indian peoples.
Institutions Institutions can be applied to Middle American Indian peoples, South American Indian peoples, and North American Indian peoples. Religion Religion can be applied to Middle American Indian peoples, South American Indian peoples, and North American Indian peoples. Particular traditions can be applied to Middle American Indian peoples, South American Indian peoples, and North American Indian peoples. Pagan religion is significant can can be applied to Middle American Indian peoples and North American Indian peoples. American Indian pagan religion is the most prominent. African pagan, European pagan, Asiatic pagan, and neopagan religion seems to have minimal influence. Abrahamic religion was introduced and partly adopted by these peoples and is so far connected to South American Indian peoples and North American Indian peoples. Christianity including chiefly Catholicism and Protestantism have been introduced. Orthodoxy is little known. Mormonism can be connected. It is not generally believed that Old Christianity ever reached American Indian peoples. Islam and Judaism are scarcely known. More recently secularism is also significant. Asiatic religion is scarcely known. Organization including unstructured, fragmented, and organized religion is also significant. Religious practice is also significant. Religious beliefs can be connected. Government including law and structure will also be needed. Particular governments including local goverment will also be needed. These peoples have not had national governments since approximately the Spanish Conquest, but have been submerged in various westernized governments. International government has little application. Few traditional empires were established, and these were subjected to colonial empires rather than founding any. They also participate little, if any, in modern compacts including world government, regional associations, special purpose associations, or temporary alliances. World government including the League of Nations and the United Nations can be considered. Government activity including administration, succesion, and state relations can be considered. Economics including activities and industries will be interesting and valuable. Economic systems including firms, networks, system types, and system behavior can also be examined. Education including cultural institutions, and educational organization will be useful. Particular schools including higher education, secondary education, and primary education will be significant. Teaching can be connected. Research can be connected. Families including marriage, parenting, kinship, and particular families will be valuable. Culture Culture can be applied to Middle American Indian peoples, South American Indian peoples, and North American Indian peoples. Behavioral culture including customs, occupations, performing arts, and sports and games will be useful. Cultural events such as miscellaneous events, meetings, holidays, and disasters can be considered. Conceptual culture including language, graphic arts, literature, mathematics, and philosophy wll be useful. Applied science including applied social science, accounting, information and computing science, medical science, navigation, engineering science, and measurement can be connected. Material culture including industrial technology, clothing, transportation technology, and other artifacts will be significant. Communication technology including electronic communication, written communication, and graphic communication can be connected. Foodstuffs including prepared foods, preserved and processed foods, and raw foodstuffs can be connected. Building technology including outdoor structures, complete buildings, components, furnishings, and materials can be connected. Anthropology Particular groups will be significant. Human geography includes North American geography and South American geography. Human ecology including the effect of the environment on people, relationships with other life, and the effect of people on the environment can be considered. Physical anthropology including human origins, racial variation, and human dispersion can be connected. Demography including population change, population size and structure, mortality, migration, and birth can be connected. Social foundations including social group behavior, social group types, social control, social interaction, and social presentation can be connected. Personal studies may be applicable. Biography is not yet very useful. Columbus The human body including body systems, body functions, life cycle, disease, and form and appearance may be considered. Psychology including behavioral elements, mind, behavior patterns, developmental psychology, mental disorders, personality, and social psychology may be useful. Examination of science, not so much physics and chemistry as astronomy, earth science, and biology will be included as the site develops.

History

The history of these peoples is not well known. Prehistory and antiquity are the province of archaeologists. There is little known of classical and medieval history, except for oral histories and traditions, and a few inscriptions from ruins in Meso-America. Most of their recorded history occurs in modern times, with European contact. Their future is obscure.

Other Sociology

Other peoples of the world, communities, and social structure and change can be applied to Middle American Indian peoples, South American Indian peoples, and North American Indian peoples.

Institutions

Institutions can be applied to Middle American Indian peoples, South American Indian peoples, and North American Indian peoples.

Religion

Religion can be applied to Middle American Indian peoples, South American Indian peoples, and North American Indian peoples.

Particular traditions can be applied to Middle American Indian peoples, South American Indian peoples, and North American Indian peoples.

Pagan religion is significant can can be applied to Middle American Indian peoples and North American Indian peoples. American Indian pagan religion is the most prominent. African pagan, European pagan, Asiatic pagan, and neopagan religion seems to have minimal influence.

Abrahamic religion was introduced and partly adopted by these peoples and is so far connected to South American Indian peoples and North American Indian peoples. Christianity including chiefly Catholicism and Protestantism have been introduced. Orthodoxy is little known. Mormonism can be connected. It is not generally believed that Old Christianity ever reached American Indian peoples. Islam and Judaism are scarcely known.

More recently secularism is also significant. Asiatic religion is scarcely known. Organization including unstructured, fragmented, and organized religion is also significant. Religious practice is also significant. Religious beliefs can be connected.

Government including law and structure will also be needed. Particular governments including local goverment will also be needed. These peoples have not had national governments since approximately the Spanish Conquest, but have been submerged in various westernized governments. International government has little application. Few traditional empires were established, and these were subjected to colonial empires rather than founding any. They also participate little, if any, in modern compacts including world government, regional associations, special purpose associations, or temporary alliances. World government including the League of Nations and the United Nations can be considered. Government activity including administration, succesion, and state relations can be considered.

Economics including activities and industries will be interesting and valuable. Economic systems including firms, networks, system types, and system behavior can also be examined.

Education including cultural institutions, and educational organization will be useful. Particular schools including higher education, secondary education, and primary education will be significant. Teaching can be connected. Research can be connected.

Families including marriage, parenting, kinship, and particular families will be valuable.

Culture

Culture can be applied to Middle American Indian peoples, South American Indian peoples, and North American Indian peoples.

Behavioral culture including customs, occupations, performing arts, and sports and games will be useful. Cultural events such as miscellaneous events, meetings, holidays, and disasters can be considered.

Conceptual culture including language, graphic arts, literature, mathematics, and philosophy wll be useful. Applied science including applied social science, accounting, information and computing science, medical science, navigation, engineering science, and measurement can be connected.

Material culture including industrial technology, clothing, transportation technology, and other artifacts will be significant. Communication technology including electronic communication, written communication, and graphic communication can be connected. Foodstuffs including prepared foods, preserved and processed foods, and raw foodstuffs can be connected. Building technology including outdoor structures, complete buildings, components, furnishings, and materials can be connected.

Anthropology

Particular groups will be significant. Human geography includes North American geography and South American geography. Human ecology including the effect of the environment on people, relationships with other life, and the effect of people on the environment can be considered. Physical anthropology including human origins, racial variation, and human dispersion can be connected. Demography including population change, population size and structure, mortality, migration, and birth can be connected. Social foundations including social group behavior, social group types, social control, social interaction, and social presentation can be connected.

Personal studies may be applicable.

Biography is not yet very useful.

Columbus

The human body including body systems, body functions, life cycle, disease, and form and appearance may be considered. Psychology including behavioral elements, mind, behavior patterns, developmental psychology, mental disorders, personality, and social psychology may be useful.

Examination of science, not so much physics and chemistry as astronomy, earth science, and biology will be included as the site develops.

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