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Throughout American history, especially in the 19th century, at the time of the Wild West, the valiant Sioux and Apache peoples stood out for their resistance to European invasions. However, it is practically impossible to establish, in fact, which tribes were “the” most important. “Among the hundreds of tribes that inhabited North America at the time of colonization, listing just a few always generates disagreements,” explains Colin Calloway, a historian specializing in Native Americans at Darthmouth College, USA.
Even making the exception, the scholar helped us to set up a front line with the peoples who left their mark on the USA, while their homeland was being violently demarcated – currently, these tribes live on reservations that do not even remotely correspond to the territory they occupied originally.
GOOD FIGHTING WARRIORS
The most important peoples in the unequal struggle of Native Americans against the invasion of white settlers
APACHE
Alongside the Sioux, the Apaches were the ones who resisted the domination of the colonizers for the longest time. They divided into several small and nomadic tribes, not spending much time in the same place. They only surrendered when 5,000 US soldiers surrounded the group of 50 warriors commanded by Geronimo.
COMANCHE
The brave buffalo hunters didn’t just fight the US, getting into ugly fights with Spaniards and the Apaches. They acquired horses from Spanish opponents and developed gallop combat techniques to attack enemies.
CREEK
It was the first tribe «civilized» by the efforts of George Washington – the first president of the USA. The creeks traded heavily with the British and fought long wars to protect the territory from invaders.
NAVAJO
Expert hunters, they also fought the Spanish and American invaders with bows and arrows. With 220,000 members, the Navajo are now the second most populous Native American nation in the US, controlling the country’s largest reservation, the size of Ireland.
PUEBLO
The pueblo people were quite skilled in the use of clay, used in the construction of vessels and dwellings. They supported the colonization of Spaniards, Mexicans and Americans, being one of the few tribes that continue to occupy the originally populated areas
CHEROKEE
Largest indigenous population in the US today, with nearly 310,000 members, the Cherokee nation ended up incorporating many customs from European settlers. Because of this, they were known at the time as one of the «Five Civilized Tribes».
IROQUOIS
They formed a confederation of six indigenous nations, living democratically under the same government. Later, Benjamin Franklin was inspired by the model of the Iroquois nation to draft the US Constitution.
CHOCTAW
It was also part of the “Five Civilized Tribes”, along with the Cherokees and Creeks, mentioned in our list, and the Chickasaw and Seminole peoples. Their lands were expropriated for the cultivation of cotton and for the housing of slaves employed in farming.
SIOUX
Formed by Dakota Indians, among other peoples, the great Sioux nation – which means buffalo men – was the fiercest in the defense of its territory. As in the famous Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, when, under Chief Sitting Bull, they liquidated General Custer’s 7th Cavalry.
BLACKFOOT
The moccasins with black soles they wore earned them the nickname of blackfeet – “black feet”, in English. They used an aggressive cavalry, equipped with firearms, to dominate neighboring tribes and strike terror against the white-skinned invaders.
CHIPPEWA
Living on the edge of the Great Lakes specialized the tribe in fishing, but it did not diminish its firepower. They fought alongside the French against other natives and gave strength to the English who were fighting against the former colony that was already called the United States.
MANDAN
More peaceful, they dedicated themselves to agriculture. It is not by chance that their villages have become major centers for the trade in fruit and vegetables. Like several tribes, they suffered from smallpox epidemics that decimated much of the population in the 19th century.