Post by Montezuma on Dec 24, 2022 16:48:55 GMT -5
Being a long fan and studier of Native Americans, i want to share my top 11 interesting facts about them which people rarely know.
1. In 1800s, not Dutch, but Native Americans were the tallest people in the world!
Yeah, thats true. The native americans especially the indians of the great plains were larger compared to europeans and americans europeans. There is many information about this on internet but here are some interesting statements from the article:-
"Modern-day anthropologists Richard Steckel of Ohio State and Joseph Prince of the University of Tennessee discovered some data collected in the late 1800s by the “father of anthropology,” Franz Boas. Boas had studied Native lifestyles and recorded measurements of 1,123 native men in eight equestrian Plains tribes. His findings: all the tribes were taller than white men, and some were substantially taller."
"He studied eight equestrian tribes of the Western Plains: the Assiniboine, Blackfeet, Crow, Sioux, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Comanche. The average height of white men in the U.S. was about 5’6” in the mid-1800s, and European men were slightly shorter. However, Boas found that the height of the average Cheyenne was a whopping 5’10”; the Arapaho about 5’9”; the Crow 5’8-1/2”; Sioux 5’8” and the Blackfeet a fraction under the Sioux; the Kiowa were 5’7” and the Assiniboine a fraction under the Kiowa. The Comanche were the shortest; they had the same average height as white men: 5’6”.
"Heights of 6’ and over were quite common among Native American males."
"What is ironic is that, by the time Boas studied Native tribes, they had already been decimated by disease and subjugated to the horrific conditions of reservation life. But they had still maintained some cultural habits. It is likely that, had Boas studied Native Americans 100 years before, their heights would have been even greater."
"In fact, Native parents and tribal elders noticed a drop in height within the first generations born on the reservations due to the poor diets on the reservation that consisted of poor quality beef, pork fat, and mostly carbohydrates like flour and corn meal. Crowded conditions, poor nutrition and the inability of Indians to practice the lifestyles they previously had contributed to devastating epidemics and sickness, as well."
"Later, the French explorer and Jesuit missionary Francois du Peron, met another Native tribe much farther north in the New World in Quebec. He wrote of the Huron, or Wyandot, Indians in 1639: “They are robust, and all are much taller than the French."
"Drawings of Spanish explorers depicted Native chieftains as towering over the European arrivals and appearing in lavish adornment. And Spanish accounts mention the astonishing height of Indians in the New World".
www.google.com/amp/s/www.notesfromthefrontier.com/amp/standing-tall-1800s-native-americans-were-tallest-in-the-world
2. Native americans were one of the greatest warriors of all time in mankind's history.
Nearly all native americans tribes and cultures had a particular reverence for warrior. Their were rewards, rankings and priviligies for the warrior. Death, in mesoamerican and some north american tribes, wasn't feared, instead it was accepted happily since its simply a seed to a new and better life. Even sometimes, death was celebrated rather than mourned. There is jusy ton of information on books, internet etc telling about their valour and prowessiveness. Here is some saying from the solider custer,
"In the end, even the vaunted Indian fighter, George Armstrong Custer romanticized Native Americans as mighty warriors and towering centurions. But he saw the bitter irony in their predicament. He admired his formidable red foes and with remorse for what he knew would surely end in the loss of their civilizations roaming free upon the prairie, he wrote privately to his wife, Libbie:
“If I were an Indian, I often think that I would greatly prefer to cast my lot among those who adhered to the free open plains, rather than submit to the confined limits of a reservation, there to be a recipient of the blessed benefits of civilization, with its vices thrown in without stint or measure.”
www.google.com/amp/s/www.notesfromthefrontier.com/amp/standing-tall-1800s-native-americans-were-tallest-in-the-world
3. In World War II, even hitler feared them!
Yeah, its true. Hitler after reading Karl May's novel about the Apache chief, Winnetou, was inpressed by the native. He admired them as a brave and honourable nation just like his german people who are trying to save their lands and culture from the invaders (europeans for natives, and allied forces for germany). He called that the natives were indeed the only "best light cavalry in the world" and he onces even called them as "Aryans". One native chief (i do not remember his name) even called his community to coup with hitler to fight the Americans which hitler liked.
However, things weren't that good for him. Like hitler, germans soliders were aware of natives warfare. The phrase that "an indian feels no pain" was commonly spoken among them. In world war II, it is said that 70% solider from USA were native americans who fiercely fought an won battles against germany and japanese. In on journal, it was told that onces 400 natives fought germans almost equal to their number. They native were crying war cry loudely and attacked recklessly with feathers and white paints adorning them. Surprisingly, with few casualities, nearly all germans were killed and imprisoned, the remained were scalped off alive and only 3 survived.
4. The greatest battle the USA ever lost, was against native americans.
The battle of little big horn in 1800s, resulted in the greatest defeat in USA history and greatest victory for the natives. For centuries, despite of being mostly outnumbered and logged behind by superior and abundant weaponery, the native americans gave very tough resistences to the new settlers and many battles too. The great chiefs like Geronimo (Apache) and Sitting bull (Sioux) are the famous.
5. Native americans adopted horses and gunpowder better than new comers!
Europeans were very surprised to new that now quickly and nicely the natives adopted horses than them in a few years. The USA army would even try to target mostly the horse rather the native rider since natives were mostly hard to target on horses! In gun shoots, europeans tell that indians shoot better on horseback.
6. Native americans lacked metal weapons!
All native americans had weapons on stone and wood only. Metal, if used, were pretty rare. The interesting thing is that the native arrow lacks the V-shaped cut at arrow's end which is used to handle arrow easily during incubation between fire and hold, but despite of this, the native were still good arrow men.
Thats true. I would give some references,
"The early europeans viewed as handsome and even more attractive and healthier!"
"Lewis and Carl described the people if Nez Perce as tall, robust, heroic and handsome".
www.google.com/amp/s/www.notesfromthefrontier.com/amp/standing-tall-1800s-native-americans-were-tallest-in-the-world
From Cherokees-Encyclopedia Britannica, a french explorer describes the cherokees:-
"The people here are very tall and robust. The hair are straight with raven black colour. They grow no breads and have tanny skin with long noses, but they are very handsome and have an expression on heroic face. The eyes small, but fiery full of anger and quickness. To them death, means nothing and they show little fear to it. They speak with eloquence and fluently."
8. Native americans share many religious beliefs with Christianity!
Although the religion difference exist between tribes, yet some beliefs are same which shared similarities with christianity. For example, they believef that the soul was immortal and an afterlife existed and the Great spirit is like the christian god. The creation of world, corn festival of cherokee and many legends share similaities not only with christianity with even with many other mid eastern cultures, philosophies and religions.
9. One-third of native american DNA is West eurasian
Contrary to common belief that native americans are desendants from east asia, many archeological and dna studies show that they also have mideastern and even some european genes which isn't quite surprising for me since native mostly do not look east asians.
10. Hand language, the complete language of signs!
All native americans had a "hand talk" language which used facial and hand signs for talking which is very complex. See a video about this and you would surely be surprised.
Yes, that ture. Most people arn't aware of this. In english we have just one word of "give"; but i Navajo language there isn't a single word for give, instead there are many different verbs of do like "give late", "give hurry", "re-give", "half-given" and "full-given" which is just insane.
11. For natives, facial and body hair was unclean.
For many of us, beard or mustache is viewed as manly but for natives its 'barbaric'. They veiwed body and facial hair as "uncivilised", "unhygenic" and "beastly". They even said that with big beard, a person looks like a bear! So thats why, every real photo of native american shows them in full-clean shave.
1. In 1800s, not Dutch, but Native Americans were the tallest people in the world!
Yeah, thats true. The native americans especially the indians of the great plains were larger compared to europeans and americans europeans. There is many information about this on internet but here are some interesting statements from the article:-
"Modern-day anthropologists Richard Steckel of Ohio State and Joseph Prince of the University of Tennessee discovered some data collected in the late 1800s by the “father of anthropology,” Franz Boas. Boas had studied Native lifestyles and recorded measurements of 1,123 native men in eight equestrian Plains tribes. His findings: all the tribes were taller than white men, and some were substantially taller."
"He studied eight equestrian tribes of the Western Plains: the Assiniboine, Blackfeet, Crow, Sioux, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Comanche. The average height of white men in the U.S. was about 5’6” in the mid-1800s, and European men were slightly shorter. However, Boas found that the height of the average Cheyenne was a whopping 5’10”; the Arapaho about 5’9”; the Crow 5’8-1/2”; Sioux 5’8” and the Blackfeet a fraction under the Sioux; the Kiowa were 5’7” and the Assiniboine a fraction under the Kiowa. The Comanche were the shortest; they had the same average height as white men: 5’6”.
"Heights of 6’ and over were quite common among Native American males."
"What is ironic is that, by the time Boas studied Native tribes, they had already been decimated by disease and subjugated to the horrific conditions of reservation life. But they had still maintained some cultural habits. It is likely that, had Boas studied Native Americans 100 years before, their heights would have been even greater."
"In fact, Native parents and tribal elders noticed a drop in height within the first generations born on the reservations due to the poor diets on the reservation that consisted of poor quality beef, pork fat, and mostly carbohydrates like flour and corn meal. Crowded conditions, poor nutrition and the inability of Indians to practice the lifestyles they previously had contributed to devastating epidemics and sickness, as well."
"Later, the French explorer and Jesuit missionary Francois du Peron, met another Native tribe much farther north in the New World in Quebec. He wrote of the Huron, or Wyandot, Indians in 1639: “They are robust, and all are much taller than the French."
"Drawings of Spanish explorers depicted Native chieftains as towering over the European arrivals and appearing in lavish adornment. And Spanish accounts mention the astonishing height of Indians in the New World".
www.google.com/amp/s/www.notesfromthefrontier.com/amp/standing-tall-1800s-native-americans-were-tallest-in-the-world
2. Native americans were one of the greatest warriors of all time in mankind's history.
Nearly all native americans tribes and cultures had a particular reverence for warrior. Their were rewards, rankings and priviligies for the warrior. Death, in mesoamerican and some north american tribes, wasn't feared, instead it was accepted happily since its simply a seed to a new and better life. Even sometimes, death was celebrated rather than mourned. There is jusy ton of information on books, internet etc telling about their valour and prowessiveness. Here is some saying from the solider custer,
"In the end, even the vaunted Indian fighter, George Armstrong Custer romanticized Native Americans as mighty warriors and towering centurions. But he saw the bitter irony in their predicament. He admired his formidable red foes and with remorse for what he knew would surely end in the loss of their civilizations roaming free upon the prairie, he wrote privately to his wife, Libbie:
“If I were an Indian, I often think that I would greatly prefer to cast my lot among those who adhered to the free open plains, rather than submit to the confined limits of a reservation, there to be a recipient of the blessed benefits of civilization, with its vices thrown in without stint or measure.”
www.google.com/amp/s/www.notesfromthefrontier.com/amp/standing-tall-1800s-native-americans-were-tallest-in-the-world
3. In World War II, even hitler feared them!
Yeah, its true. Hitler after reading Karl May's novel about the Apache chief, Winnetou, was inpressed by the native. He admired them as a brave and honourable nation just like his german people who are trying to save their lands and culture from the invaders (europeans for natives, and allied forces for germany). He called that the natives were indeed the only "best light cavalry in the world" and he onces even called them as "Aryans". One native chief (i do not remember his name) even called his community to coup with hitler to fight the Americans which hitler liked.
However, things weren't that good for him. Like hitler, germans soliders were aware of natives warfare. The phrase that "an indian feels no pain" was commonly spoken among them. In world war II, it is said that 70% solider from USA were native americans who fiercely fought an won battles against germany and japanese. In on journal, it was told that onces 400 natives fought germans almost equal to their number. They native were crying war cry loudely and attacked recklessly with feathers and white paints adorning them. Surprisingly, with few casualities, nearly all germans were killed and imprisoned, the remained were scalped off alive and only 3 survived.
4. The greatest battle the USA ever lost, was against native americans.
The battle of little big horn in 1800s, resulted in the greatest defeat in USA history and greatest victory for the natives. For centuries, despite of being mostly outnumbered and logged behind by superior and abundant weaponery, the native americans gave very tough resistences to the new settlers and many battles too. The great chiefs like Geronimo (Apache) and Sitting bull (Sioux) are the famous.
5. Native americans adopted horses and gunpowder better than new comers!
Europeans were very surprised to new that now quickly and nicely the natives adopted horses than them in a few years. The USA army would even try to target mostly the horse rather the native rider since natives were mostly hard to target on horses! In gun shoots, europeans tell that indians shoot better on horseback.
6. Native americans lacked metal weapons!
All native americans had weapons on stone and wood only. Metal, if used, were pretty rare. The interesting thing is that the native arrow lacks the V-shaped cut at arrow's end which is used to handle arrow easily during incubation between fire and hold, but despite of this, the native were still good arrow men.
7. Europeans considered native american to be more handsome and attractive than themselves!
Thats true. I would give some references,
"The early europeans viewed as handsome and even more attractive and healthier!"
"Lewis and Carl described the people if Nez Perce as tall, robust, heroic and handsome".
www.google.com/amp/s/www.notesfromthefrontier.com/amp/standing-tall-1800s-native-americans-were-tallest-in-the-world
From Cherokees-Encyclopedia Britannica, a french explorer describes the cherokees:-
"The people here are very tall and robust. The hair are straight with raven black colour. They grow no breads and have tanny skin with long noses, but they are very handsome and have an expression on heroic face. The eyes small, but fiery full of anger and quickness. To them death, means nothing and they show little fear to it. They speak with eloquence and fluently."
8. Native americans share many religious beliefs with Christianity!
Although the religion difference exist between tribes, yet some beliefs are same which shared similarities with christianity. For example, they believef that the soul was immortal and an afterlife existed and the Great spirit is like the christian god. The creation of world, corn festival of cherokee and many legends share similaities not only with christianity with even with many other mid eastern cultures, philosophies and religions.
9. One-third of native american DNA is West eurasian
Contrary to common belief that native americans are desendants from east asia, many archeological and dna studies show that they also have mideastern and even some european genes which isn't quite surprising for me since native mostly do not look east asians.
10. Hand language, the complete language of signs!
All native americans had a "hand talk" language which used facial and hand signs for talking which is very complex. See a video about this and you would surely be surprised.
Yes, that ture. Most people arn't aware of this. In english we have just one word of "give"; but i Navajo language there isn't a single word for give, instead there are many different verbs of do like "give late", "give hurry", "re-give", "half-given" and "full-given" which is just insane.
11. For natives, facial and body hair was unclean.
For many of us, beard or mustache is viewed as manly but for natives its 'barbaric'. They veiwed body and facial hair as "uncivilised", "unhygenic" and "beastly". They even said that with big beard, a person looks like a bear! So thats why, every real photo of native american shows them in full-clean shave.