By 4000 BC these nomadic foragers were .
domesticating livestock and "growing a crude form of corn and later a variety of .
vegetables." (Yenne 1984) .
As a result of farming, the reliance on wild foods dwindled. Between the periods .
1000 BC and 1000 AD the American Indian reached the peak of their civilization. And as .
a direct result from the demands of domestication of plants and animals their daily lives .
became structured. They developed "a village life, complete with political organizations .
and complex religious concepts." (Yenne 1984) These American Indians adapted to the .
changes that occurred in the climate as well as with the evolution of animal life. The .
tribes of North America can be divided into nine distinct regions: the Arctic, Subarctic, .
Northwest Coast, California, Great Basin, Southwest, Plains and Prairies, Northeast and .
Southeast. Although these nine distinct cultures shared certain cultural factors they all .
had distinct features that set them apart from each other.
In 1492 when Christopher Columbus arrived on the continent there was an .
"estimated two and one half million Indians, organized into 600 tribes." (Yenne 1984).
These Indians have been described over many, many years as savages whom rape, murder .
and mutilate the white man. But the question that needs to be brought up: is this lame .
excuse for the genocide of the American Indians. .
The impact of the Europeans on the American Indians is beyond description. .
The Plight of The North American Indians.
.
The history and culture of the American Indian is sadly misrepresented because of .
culture biases and inaccurate reports. In order to give a more accurate report of the .
American Indian one must look at period before the Europeans, the invasion of the .
Europeans and finally present time.
.
Before we can set out on the road to success, we have to know .
