Artex
Jedi
I'm just posting this to bring attention to this resource. I don't know what category it would go in otherwise. I've been working to unlearn the historical stereotypes about indigenous peoples in the US and square what I learned in Illinois history about "paleo-indians" as our textbook called them, with contemporary understanding of where and how long this continent has been populated by humans. Growing up in Illinois, we weren't close to any reservations or populations of NDNs, so we maybe had a more "romantic" view of them than modern populations that deal with a lot of prejudice that has carried over from the 19th century. I'm still learning about the modern struggles of our indigenous neighbors, but I'm also trying to learn an accurate history as told by the people themselves rather than what the US public education system and Smithsonian teach.
One video from Navajo Traditional Teachings that has really stuck with me recently is this one about the Anasazi. The history books and Smithsonian both say that Pueblo indians are decendants of the Anasazi. The Navajo says that is not true because the Smithsonian and other historians don't understand who and what the Anasazi were, which were newcomers from the south that brought slavery with them. The Navajo history says the Anasazi were exterminated completely, and that there are no descendants for a good reason. And the reason historians think the Anasazi have descendants is because the Anasazi invaded and took over some settlements, which were re-established after their elimination, so artifacts are intermingled.
Anyway, I highly recommend this channel. The elder explains in other videos about the spirituality of the Diné people (and that Diné is not a race, but a culture that different tribes joined), the meanings of the colors and 4 worlds, their creation myth, why there is no written Navajo/Diné language, sky people, conflicts with other tribes, integration with other tribes, and many other things that might add context to what we focus on here.
One video from Navajo Traditional Teachings that has really stuck with me recently is this one about the Anasazi. The history books and Smithsonian both say that Pueblo indians are decendants of the Anasazi. The Navajo says that is not true because the Smithsonian and other historians don't understand who and what the Anasazi were, which were newcomers from the south that brought slavery with them. The Navajo history says the Anasazi were exterminated completely, and that there are no descendants for a good reason. And the reason historians think the Anasazi have descendants is because the Anasazi invaded and took over some settlements, which were re-established after their elimination, so artifacts are intermingled.
Anyway, I highly recommend this channel. The elder explains in other videos about the spirituality of the Diné people (and that Diné is not a race, but a culture that different tribes joined), the meanings of the colors and 4 worlds, their creation myth, why there is no written Navajo/Diné language, sky people, conflicts with other tribes, integration with other tribes, and many other things that might add context to what we focus on here.
