The name of the tribes of the Indians: the Maya, the Aztecs, the Incas, the Iroquois, the Mohicans, the Apaches. Indians of America

The territory of America, discovered by Columbus, is very extensive and, as a consequence, has a different name for tribes of Indians living on open lands. There are many of them, although the European navigators used only one term to the indigenous inhabitants of America - the Indians.

The fallacy of Columbus and the consequences

Over time, the error became clear: the fact that the indigenous people are the aborigines of America. Before the beginning of the European colonization of the 15th century, the inhabitants arrived at different stages of the communal-tribal system. Some of the tribes were dominated by their fathers, while others were dominated by matriarchy.

The level of development was primarily dependent on location and climatic conditions. During the subsequent colonization of America by countries of Europe, only the common name of the tribes of the Indians was used for a whole group of culturally related tribes. Below we will discuss in detail some of them.

Specialization and Life of Indians of America

It is very remarkable that the Indians of America made various ceramic products. This tradition was born long before contact with Europeans. In the manual work used several technologies.

Were used such methods as molding on the frame and shape, forming a shovel, modeling of a clay cord and even sculptural modeling. A distinctive feature of the Indians was the production of masks, figurines of clay and ritual objects.

The name of the tribes of the Indians is quite different, because they spoke different languages and almost did not have written language. There are a lot of American nationalities. Let's look at the most famous of them.

The name of the tribes of the Indians and their role in the history of America

We will consider several of the most famous Indian tribes: Hurons, Iroquois, Apaches, Mohicans, Incas, Mayans and Aztecs. Some of them were of a rather low level of development, while others were impressed by a highly developed society, the level of which can not be defined simply by the word "tribe" with so much knowledge and architecture.

The local population of America decreased significantly during the colonization of places by European settlers, the gradual extermination and displacement, as well as diseases inflicted by the colonizers, and the lack of immunity among the Indians. All this significantly reduced their numbers. The remaining Indians were resettled from traditional habitats on a reservation.

Huron

The Huron tribe is one of the most numerous tribes of the American Indians. Prior to the invasion of the Europeans, its strength was approximately 40,000.

The central part of Ontario was originally the residence of the Hurons. It is known that during the bloody and long-term enmity with the Iroquois tribe, the Hurons were divided into two unequal groups. The smaller part of the tribe group tried to settle in Quebec (modern Canada). A more numerous group settled in Ohio (USA), but very soon was forced to move to Kansas.

Hurons were the first tribe to enter into trade relations with Europeans. For today in Canada and the United States live about 4,000 Indians.

The Iroquois

Iroquois, as it turned out, are quite enterprising Indians. The Iroquois tribe is one of the most influential and militant tribes before the colonial times of America. Their relationship was formed on the maternal line, and there was also a division into clans.

Iroquois had a constitution that was "written down" with shell beads. By the way, due to their ability for languages, they conducted trade deals both with neighboring tribes and with Europeans. In the XVII century the tribe had a fairly developed relationship with the Dutch.

Iroquois produced and used various masks with a distinctive feature - a hooked nose. According to their legends, masks protected the people and their families from diseases. Indians lived in the Ovaciri - long houses, in which almost the entire family was located, including the elder.

People of the river

The Mohicans are Indians from the East Algontic tribe. The name of the tribe means "the people of the river".

The original residence is the Hudson River Valley and around it (the Albury, New York area). The first contact with Europeans occurred in 1609. The Mohicans were a confederation, and at the time of the first contact they were divided into five tribes: the Mohicans, the Vikagyok, the Vaihaytok, the Mekhkentown and the Westenhoek.

The inhabitants engaged in farming, hunting and fishing, as well as gathering. It is interesting that they had a monarchical form of government. At the head was a leader whose status was inherited.

Subsequently, many migrated to Massachusetts Stockbridge. Some of the Mohicans converted to Christianity, while a number of them retained their own traditions. Subsequently, most of the surviving members of the tribe moved to the Wisconsin area.

Apaches are Indians

A nationality consisting of several communities, which has a similar culture and language.

They all have a common name for the tribes of the Indians called Apaches. The warriors of this tribe differed from others by their ferocity and survival in harsh conditions. Apaches are Indians who wielded a military strategy and planning a battle. For several centuries, warriors went on military campaigns and defended their territories, mercilessly destroying all who came across their path.

The first European invasion took place in 1500. They were Spanish colonizers. The consequences of the war led the Apaches to the loss of old established ties with neighboring tribes.

Initially, the Indians led nomadic and semi-nomadic lifestyles, moving throughout the southwestern United States. Their main occupations were hunting animals, gathering. The food was fairly simple, consisted mainly of berries, mushrooms and corn.

For living, we used dome-shaped tepees with a smoke hole and a hearth. Built with the help of branches, leather and grass. Today their number is about 30 thousand. Apaches live in the territories of Arizona, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

In the American continent, there are only three highly developed indigenous civilizations: the Incas, the Aztecs and the Maya. Unfortunately, many knowledge about them is lost, and only thanks to the scientists-archeologists managed to learn about these ancient cultures.

Ancient civilizations

Aztecs and Mayans are the most famous of the majority of tribes of the Indians. The Maya people are a highly developed tribe that was in central America. They are famous for their cities, completely carved out of stone, as well as extraordinary works of art. Maya built several cities at a fairly remote distance from each other.

It is noteworthy that the basis was a complex of pyramids, and their height was not inferior to the pyramids of Egypt. They had hierographic writing and used the concept of zero in mathematics. Maya were excellent astronomers, and they created the famous calendar, which finished its calendar in 2012. This ancient people disappeared long before Columbus arrived.

The Aztecs are the most numerous people of Mexico. Originally they were a hunting wandering tribe, but after long wanderings the Aztecs settled near Lake Texcoco. Later they mastered agriculture and built cities, Tenochtitlan was the main one. It is interesting that the ancient people had a rather complex system of irrigated agriculture.

The Aztecs retained their old traditions before the Spanish conquest. Their number was about 60 thousand. The main occupation was hunting and fishing. In addition, the tribe was divided into several clans with officials. From subordinate cities, a tribute was seized.

The Aztecs differed in that they conducted rather rigid centralized management and hierarchical structure. At the highest level stood the emperor and the priests, and on the lowest - the slaves. The Aztecs also used the death penalty and human sacrifices.

The highly developed Inca society

The most enigmatic tribe of the Incas belonged to the largest ancient civilization. The tribe lived at an altitude of 4,5 thousand meters in the mountains of Chile and Colombia. XI по XVI века нашей эры. This ancient state existed from the 11th to the 16th centuries of our era.

It included the entire territory of the states of Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. And also parts of modern Argentina, Colombia and Chile, despite the fact that in 1533 the empire had already lost most of its territories. Until 1572, the clan was able to resist the attacks of the conquistadors, who were very interested in the new lands.

The Inca society was dominated by an agricultural farm with terraced farming. It was quite a highly developed society that used sewerage and created an irrigation system.

Today, many historians are interested in the question of why and where such a highly developed tribe disappeared.

"Legacy" from the tribes of the Indians of America

Undoubtedly, it is clear that the Indians of America made a serious contribution to the development of world civilization. The Europeans borrowed the cultivation and cultivation of corn and sunflower, as well as some vegetables: potatoes, tomatoes, peppers. In addition, legumes, cocoa and tobacco were introduced. All this we got from the Indians.

It was these cultures that helped in their time to reduce the famine in Eurasia. Corn later became an indispensable fodder for livestock. Many dishes on our table we owe to the Indians and Columbus, who started the "curiosities" of Europe at that time.