1. Abhorrence (noun). A feeling of extreme dislike.
Many settlers felt abhorrence for their Indian neighbors.
2. Abrogate (verb). To abolish by formal or official means; repeal.
To put aside.
By the end of the 19th century the federal government had abrogated
almost every treaty it signed with Indian nations.
3. Agrarian (adj.). The state of being rural or agricultural
in nature.
Some Indians lived in agrarian communities.
4. Annuity (noun). A specified income payable for a fixed time
or period.
Some Indian tribes receive an annuity from tribal enterprises on their
reservations.
5. Appease (verb). To satisfy or relieve.
Some American Indian Nations tried to appease European settlers
by giving up part of their land.
6. Appraise (verb). To estimate the quality or importance of
something.
European settlers appraised tribal lands with much interest.
7. Arduous (adj.). Requiring great difficulty.
The Cherokees' forced march to Indian Territory was long and arduous.
8. Atone (verb). To make up for something.
Some descendents of European settlers feel that they must atone
for the beliefs and behavior of their ancestors..
9. Civilized (adj.). Having an advanced or humane culture. Easy
to manage or control.
Europeans generally considered themselves to be more civilized
than the Indians of North America.
10. Clan (noun). The principle social unit of a tribal organization.
A group of people believed to be descended from a common ancestor.
She was a member of her mother's clan and therefore entitled
to all the privileges of her mother's people.
11. Commissary (noun). A store selling equipment and food at
a camp or military post.
The soldiers went to the commissary to get supplies before leaving
the camp.
12. Compensation (noun). Something given or received as an equivalent
for services, debt, loss, injury, suffering, etc.
Many American Indian tribes believe they deserve compensation
for the loss of their tribal lands.
13. Confiscate (verb). To seize, or take away.
Settlers confiscated American Indian property when they forced
them to leave their lands.
14. Conical (adj.). Having the form of or resembling a cone.
Some Indian homes were conical in shape.
15. Conjecture (noun). The expression of an opinion or theory
without enough evidence or proof.
Some settlers conjectured that Indians were uncivilized.
16. Contingent (adj.). Possible, but not certain to happen.
Most policy makers believed that Manifest Destiny was contingent
upon the removal of Indians to Indian Territory.
17. Corroborate (verb). To make more certain; to confirm.
White Americans often didn't corroborate their assumptions about
Indians with experience or facts.
18. Decrepitude (noun). To be worn out by long use.
Some ancient Indian villages have fallen into decrepitude.
19. Defiance (noun). A daring or bold resistance to authority
or to any opposing force.
Some American Indian students at the boarding schools tried to speak
their native languages in defiance of their teachers.
20. Derive (verb). To receive or obtain from a source.
When the soldiers forced the Cherokee to march to Indian Country, they
derived their authority from the federal government.
21. Destined (adj.). Ordained, appointed, or predetermined to
be or do something.
Many Americans believed that the United States was destined to
settle all of North America.
20. Detestation (noun). Extreme dislike or hatred.
Some Americans' detestation for Indians was based upon their stereotypes
of them.
22. Disavowal (noun). A disowning; denial.
The United State's disavowal of responsibility for American
Indians can be challenged by historical events.
23. Discretion (noun). The power or right to decide or act according
to one's own judgement.
Indian removal was carried out at the discretion of the United
States government.
24. Dismantle (verb). To take apart.
Some Indians tribes would dismantle their entire villages and
move when the season changed.
25. Dispossession (noun). The act of depriving a person
or group of people of their homes, possessions, or security.
The American Indians were dispossessed of their land, homes,
possessions, and security during the era of Manifest Destiny.
26. Diversity (noun). A variety; many types.
There is great diversity in the cultural and spiritual beliefs
of various Indian Nations.
27. Drought (noun). A period of dry weather, especially a long
one that is harmful to crops.
The drought ruined native crops and caused many people to go
hungry.
28. Eloquently (adverb). Expressing powerfully, fluently, forcefully,
and appropriately in speech.
Descendents of the Cherokees eloquently describe the experiences
of their ancestors on the Trail of Tears.
29. Embezzle (verb). To take fraudulently for one's own use.
In most Indian societies, it was not considered appropriate to embezzle
from one's community.
30. En route (adj.). On the way.
They stopped en route to Indian Country to water the horses.
31. Encroach (verb). To trespass upon the property or rights
of another.
During the era of Manifest Destiny, non-Indian settlers regularly
encroached upon Indian land.
32. Erode (verb). To eat into or away; destroy slowly or disintegrate.
Many laws have been passed by the United States Congress that eroded
the sovereignty of American Indian Nations.
33. Exile (noun). Expulsion from one's native lands.
The Cherokee people were forced into exile after passage of
the Removal Act.
34. Exodus (noun). A departure or emigration, usually of large
numbers of people.
Removal involved an exodus of a large number of Indian people.
35. Extenuate (verb). To underestimate, underrate.
Many Americans tend to extenuate injustices committed against
American Indians.
36. Extralegal (adj.). Being beyond the authority of law.
Some of the extralegal actions American people have taken against
Indian people have been unjust.
37. Fodder (noun). Coarse food for horses.
The horses were given fodder so that they would be ready for
the long trip.
38. Fortify (verb). To protect or strengthen against attack.
Many Indian tribes fortified their villages so that they would
be prepared for an attack.
39. Heathen (noun). A person who does not acknowledge the God
of the Bible. An irreligious, uncultured, or uncivilized person.
Christian colonists felt the Indians were heathens who required
conversion to Christianity.
40. Incentive (noun). Something that encourages or tends to encourage
someone to use effort.
Allotment was passed by the US government because legislators thought
it would give Indians the incentive to improve themselves.
41. Inclement (noun/adj.). Severe, stormy weather; without mercy;
harsh.
The inclement whether made the travelers take shelter.
42. Indenture (noun). A contract by which a person is bound to
service.
American Indians usually were not bound by indentured service
to settlers.
43. Indiscriminate (adj.). Perceiving no difference.
Some soldiers indiscriminately killed Indians simply because
they were Indians.
44. Indoctrinate (verb). To instruct or teach, especially with
a specific or biased belief or point of view.
Many white Europeans wanted to indoctrinate Indian children
so that they could become Americanized.
45. Inevitable (adj.). Unable to be avoided, evaded or escaped;
certain; necessary.
Some people believe that it was inevitable that the European
settlers took Indian lands for themselves.
46. Inherently (adverb). Existing in someone or something
as a permanent and inseperable element, quality, or attribute.
American Indians are inherently sovereign.
47. Innovation (noun). Something new or different that is introduced.
The Cherokee alphabet was an innovation that benefited the community.
48. Invalidate (verb). To discredit.
Boarding school teachers invalidated Indian culture when they
would not allow Indian children speak their own languages.
49. Irrepressible (adj.). Incapable of holding back; uncontrollable.
The irrepressible desire of many American Indian tribes to keep
their culture alive has prompted the revival of many ancient traditions.
50. Loiter (verb). To linger aimlessly.
By the end of the 19th Century, some Indians loitered on the
reservations because they could no longer be involved in traditional activities.
51. Mired (verb). To become stuck in mud or bogged down by something.
Current relations between Indains and non-Indians can often get mired
in the actions of the past.
52. Noble savage (noun). A term used to describe American Indians
in a wild state, and to express an idealized view of the Indian's pace
within nature.
When non-Indians think of the early American Indians as noble savages,
they are often romanticizing Indian history.
53. Palliation (noun). An act of Relieving or alleviating.
Some might consider the trust relationship between the federal government
and American Indians to be an act of palliation for past suffering.
54. Pastoral (adj.). Describing the country or life in the country;
rural.
Before European contact, North American Indians lived a pastoral
lifestyle.
55. Paternalistic (adj.). The state of dealing with individuals
or nations like a father who is benevolent but often intrusive with his
children.
When the president referred to Indians as "my children," he was
being paternalistic.
56. Perpetrators (noun). A person who commits a crime.
The perpetrators of the crimes against Indians were hardly ever
punished in the days of Manifest Destiny.
57. Perpetuity (noun). Endless or indefinitely long duration
or existence; eternity.
The United States made treaties with the Indians that promised them
their land in perpetuity.
58. Poignant (adj.). Painful to the feelings.
The poignant history of Indian boarding schools is too painful
for some tribal members to discuss.
59. Predominance (noun). The condition of having power, authority
or influence over others.
By the end of the 19th Century, the United States Congress was in a
position of political predominance over Indian Nations.
60. Rationalize (verb). To justify one's acts or opinions to
reasonable causes and valid but that actually are unrelated to the real
causes.
Many Americans rationalized their treatment of Indians by claiming
it was the only way to civilize them.
61. Renounce (verb). To give up or put aside.
When Indian children attended boarding school, they had to renounce
their native origins and become Americanized.
62. Repeal (verb). To revoke or abolish by passing a law.
The Dawes Act was repealed in 1934.
63. Reservations (noun). A tract of public land set apart by
the federal government for the use of an Indian tribe.
Many Indians were forced to leave their homes for reservations.
64. Retaliation (noun). Revenge; the act of repaying for an injury
in kind.
Non-Indian settlers often committed acts of retaliation against
Indians when they believed Indians had harmed or threatened them.
65. Right-of-way (noun). A right of passage, especially over
another's land.
Some Indian nations granted settlers right-of-way through their
land.
66. Ritual (noun). A prescribed or established rite, ceremony,
proceeding, or service.
American Indians used rituals in their religious ceremonies
that were unknown and misunderstood by European settlers.
67. Savage (noun). An uncivilized human being, a fierce, brutal
or cruel person. A member of a society in which people are not literate.
Many 19th century Americans were frightened of the Indian people whom
they believed were savages.
68. Self-sustaining (adj.). Self-supporting.
Many tribes lived in independent, self-sustaining communities.
69. Smite (verb). To strike or hit hard.
Some Christian colonizers believed that God would smite those
Indians who would not covert to Christianity.
70. Sovereign (noun). A group, body of persons, or a state having
political and personal authority.
When Europeans arrived in North America all Indian nations were sovereign.
71. Sovereignty (noun). Supreme and independent power or authority
in government as possessed or claimed by a state or community.
Today, Indian tribes exercise a certain degree of sovereignty
on their reservations.
72. Subsistence (noun). The source from which food and other
items necessary to exist are obtained.
In the 18th Century, some tribes consisted primarily of subsistence
farmers.
73. Stereotype (noun). A simplified and standardized image based
on the perceptions of and held in common by members of a group.
The stereotype many people have about early American Indians
is that they were uncivilized, heathen savages.
74. Subjugate (verb). To Bring under complete control; conquer;
master.
The Army tried to subjugate several Indian tribes.
75. Trust relationship (noun). The responsibility assumed
by the United States government to protect the
interests of Indians who are considered to be domestic dependent nations
living within the boundaries of the United States. Such responsibility
is derived from a treaty signed by the U.S. government and an Indian tribe.
When the United States government signed a treaty with an Indian nation,
they entered into a trust relationship with its people.
76. Uncivilized (adj.). Uncultured, barbarous.
Although many colonists believed the Indians were uncivilized,
they were really advanced in terms of their political, social, and cultural
organization.
77. Vigilante (noun). Any person who takes the law into his or
her own hands. (adj.) Done violently, without using lawful procedures.
Throughout the 19th Century, some Americans and Indians resorted to
vigilante justice when dealing with each other.
78. Wantonly (adverb). Deliberately and without motive or provocation.
Federal policy wantonly called for Indian extermination.
79. Weltering (adj.). Lying in turmoil.
The Indians were weltering on the reservations as they tried
to figure a way back to their homelands.