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Article #1: What are Native Americans

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Native Americans are the indigenous Cubanacan (Cuba), and Haiti. It is said
peoples from the regions of North America that only 500 survived by the year 1550,
now encompassed by the continental United and the group was considered extinct
States, including parts of Alaska. They before 1650. Yet DNA studies show that
comprise a large number of distinct the genetic contribution of the Taino to
tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many that region continues, and the
of which are still enduring as political mitochondrial DNA studies of the Taino
communities. There is some controversy are said to show relationships to the
surrounding the names used: they are also Northern Indigenous Nations, such as
known as American Indians, Indians, Inuit (Eskimo) and others.[1]
Amerindians, Amerinds, or Indigenous, In the fifteenth century, Spaniards and
Aboriginal or Original Americans. In other Europeans brought horses to the
Canada they are known as First Nations. Americas. Some of these animals escaped
The U.S. states and several of the and began to breed and increase their
inhabited insular areas that are not part numbers in the wild. Ironically, the
of the continental U.S. also contain horse had originally evolved in the
indigenous groups. Some of these other Americas, but the early American horses
indigenous peoples in the United States, were game for early human hunters, and
including the Inuit, Yupik Eskimos, and went extinct about 7,000 BC, just after
Aleuts, are not always counted as Native the end of the last ice age. The
Americans, although the US Census 2000 re-introduction of the horse had a
demographics listed "American Indian and profound impact on Native American
Alaskan Native" collectively. Native culture in the Great Plains of North
Hawaiians (also known as Kanaka Maoli and America. This new mode of travel made it
Kanaka ‘Oiwi) and various other Pacific possible for some tribes to greatly
Islander American peoples such as the expand their territories, exchange goods
Chamorros can also be considered Native with neighboring tribes, and more easily
American, but it is not common usually capture game.
due to their different historical origin Europeans also brought diseases, against
(i.e. Polynesian). which the Native Americans had no
The European colonization of the Americas immunity. Chicken pox and measles, though
decimated the populations and cultures of common and rarely fatal among Europeans,
the Native Americans. During the often proved fatal to Native Americans,
fifteenth through nineteenth centuries, and more dangerous diseases such as
their populations were ravaged by smallpox were especially deadly to Native
disease, displacement, enslavement, American populations.[2] It is difficult
internal warfare, as well as conflicts to estimate the total percentage of the
with European explorers and colonists. Native American population killed by
The first Native American group these diseases. Epidemics often
encountered by Christopher Columbus in immediately followed European
1492, were the 250 thousand to 1 million exploration, sometimes destroying entire
Island Arawaks (more properly called the villages. Some historians estimate that
Taino) of Boriquen (Puerto Rico), up to 80% of some Native populations may
Dominican Republic (Quisqueya), the have died due to European diseases.






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