00:00What were Native Americans' names?
00:02And why did they call it the United States of America?
00:06We're going way back to learn about the first people who settled in North America
00:10and the European settlers that followed.
00:13Back in the late 1600s and early 1700s,
00:16the land that would become the United States of America
00:19was inhabited by hundreds of different Native American tribes.
00:23These tribes had their own distinct cultures, languages, and names for the lands they lived on.
00:28They didn't call it America.
00:30That name came later.
00:31They called it by names that related to their local geography or their own tribal affiliation.
00:37For example, the Cherokee people called their home in present-day Georgia and North Carolina,
00:42Annie, Utah, which translates to our homeland.
00:46The Choctaw called their territory in present-day Mississippi and Alabama the Red Nation,
00:51referring to themselves as the Red People because of their reddish skin tones.
00:56And the Lakota people called their ancestral lands in the Great Plains region,
01:01the Dakota Territory, after one of their subgroups, the Dakota.
01:06The Inca people called their mountain home in present-day Bolivia and Peru,
01:11Tawantinsuyu, meaning the four regions as it encompassed four distinct regions,
01:17the jungle, the mountains, the desert, and the coast.
01:21It wasn't until European explorers began venturing into these lands that
01:25the idea of naming the entire continent became a topic of conversation.
01:30Initially, when they arrived, they thought they were actually in India.
01:34So they started calling the natives Indians.
01:37But then they realized they were not actually in India.
01:41So they started calling this newfound land America in honor of Amerigo Vespucci,
01:47an Italian explorer who was the first to realize that this land was actually a new continent.
01:52In reality, though, there wasn't just one single Native American culture.
01:56It was made up of hundreds of different groups with their own unique names and languages.
02:01For example, there were three main regions where most Native Americans lived during this time period,
02:07the East Coast, the Great Lakes region, and the Southwest.
02:11Each of these regions had its own collection of tribes with their own names.
02:16On the East Coast, there were many different tribes, including the Iroquois Confederacy,
02:21which was made up of five different nations, the Mohawk, Onondaga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Tuscarora peoples.
02:30They lived in what is now known as the Northeastern Woodlands, and they spoke a language called Iroquoian.
02:37Other tribes on the East Coast included the Cherokee, the Choctaw, the Creek, and the Seminole.
02:44In the Great Lakes region, there were tribes like the Sioux, the Cheyenne, the Arapaho, and the Kiowa, just to name a few.
02:52They lived in what is now known as the Great Plains, and they spoke a language called Algonquian.
02:58And in the Southwest, there were tribes like the Navajo, the Apache, the Hopi, and the Zuni.
03:05They lived in what is now known as the Southwestern Woodlands, and they spoke a language called Athabascan.
03:11Each of these tribes had their own unique culture, traditions, and names for their homelands.
03:17For example, the Navajo people called their homeland Dinatsa, which means the people in their language,
03:24and the Apache people called theirs Nish, which meant people.
03:28The term Native Americans is actually a broad term that encompasses all of the indigenous peoples of the United States,
03:35including those who lived in Alaska, Hawaii, and the many different islands of the Pacific Ocean.
03:41These indigenous peoples had their own unique cultures, languages, and names for their homelands as well.
03:48For example, in Hawaii, the native people are called Kanaka Maoli, which means real people.
03:55And in Alaska, the native peoples are known by several names, including Inupiat, Yupik, and Tlingit,
04:04each representing different language groups.
04:07The first European explorers to make it to the continental United States were the Spanish,
04:12followed by the French, and then the English.
04:15Each of these countries had its own name for the land and the people they encountered.
04:20The Spanish called the area La Nueva España, meaning New Spain,
04:26and they thought they were actually in India, so they called the Native Americans Indios.
04:31The French called it La Nouvelle France, meaning New France,
04:35and they also used the term Sauvage to refer to the Native Americans.
04:40The English were the last of the major European powers to arrive on the east coast of the United States,
04:45and they called it Virginia, after the Virgin Queen Elizabeth III.
04:50They also used the term Indians to refer to the native peoples, just like the Spanish and the French had.
04:57But where did the name United States come from?
05:00Well, when the thirteen colonies declared their independence from Britain in 1776,
05:06they created a new government called the United States, in order to unite the thirteen colonies under one banner.
05:13This new country was made up of individual states that were sovereign and independent from each other.
05:19This concept of a union of states was novel at the time,
05:22and it set the stage for the addition of more states to join the Union in the future.
05:27As new territories were acquired and developed, they too would eventually become states within the United States.
05:34As for the Native Americans, their cultures and traditions have survived for centuries,
05:39despite the many challenges they have faced.
05:41Today, there are over 570 federally recognized tribes in the United States,
05:47with each having their own unique history and heritage.
05:50In recent years, there has been a growing movement to recognize and respect the indigenous peoples of the United States,
05:57and to celebrate their contributions to American culture.
06:00Many people are also working to preserve their languages, traditions, and histories for future generations.
06:07Overall, the United States is a vast and diverse country with a rich history that dates back thousands of years.
06:15From the earliest inhabitants to the European settlers and everyone who has come since,
06:20the United States is a nation built by people from all over the world who have contributed to its unique character and identity.
06:27The United States is a big place, and the term Native American encompasses hundreds of different tribes
06:34with their own unique cultures and names for their homelands.
06:37From the Navajo to the Apache to the Iroquois, each tribe has its own distinct history and heritage.
06:44When the Europeans arrived, they brought with them new diseases that devastated Native American populations.
06:50They also claimed the land for their own and began to push the natives further and further west.
06:56Despite all this, the Native Americans have survived and continue to thrive today.
07:01Their cultures and traditions are still very much alive and well,
07:05and their contributions to American society are finally being recognized.
07:10If you want to learn more about Native American culture, there are many resources available.
07:16You can visit a local museum or cultural center, read books or articles, or even watch documentaries.
07:23There is so much to learn about this fascinating part of American history, and it is well worth the effort.
07:29Well, that's all we have for today.
07:32Thanks for watching, and see you next time!
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