Indigenous History Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to Indigenous history, culture, and interactions with colonial powers.

Kiva

Underground ceremonial spaces used by Pueblo peoples for religious and social gatherings in the Southwest U.S. (New Mexico, Arizona).

Breath-line

A symbolic line in Native American pottery, allowing the spirit of the pot to 'breathe,' maintaining the spiritual integrity of the object. Found in indigenous pottery traditions across North America.

Matachines Dance

A ritualized dance with Catholic influences, blending indigenous traditions with colonial religious beliefs. Practiced from the 16th century to the present in the Southwestern U.S., Mexico, and Latin America.

Hopi villages

Settlements of the Hopi people characterized by matrilineal organization, serving as cultural, religious, and agricultural centers in Arizona (Hopi Reservation).

Dr. Edward P. Dozier

An anthropologist & linguist who studied Pueblo & Athabascan cultures, providing key insights into Native American adaptation in the American Southwest during the mid-20th century.

Ranchería Peoples

Indigenous groups in California & Arizona who lived in small settlements called rancherías from the Spanish colonial period to the present. Spanish policies forced indigenous groups into mission systems

Popé (or "Po-pay")

A Tewa religious leader who led the Pueblo Revolt against Spanish rule in 1680 in New Mexico as resistance against Spanish oppression & forced Christianity.

Redistributive economies

Economic systems where goods were pooled and distributed, maintaining social balance & community welfare in many indigenous societies across North America from the pre-colonial period to the present.

"Le Castor Fait Tout"

A French phrase meaning "The beaver does everything," showing the central role of beaver fur in colonial economies in New France (Canada & U.S.) during the 17th-18th century.

Sillery

A settlement in Quebec, Canada, focused on converting Indigenous peoples by French missionaries & indigenous converts in the 17th century, reflecting French Jesuit missionary efforts.

Sky Woman

A central figure in Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) creation story, a mythological being who fell from the sky and formed the earth, explaining the origins of life and the world in indigenous belief systems.

Chaco Canyon

A major cultural & trade hub for Ancestral Puebloans in New Mexico from the 9th–13th centuries, serving as an advanced social, economic, and religious center.

Mayor Domos

Community leaders in Spanish-influenced indigenous villages who oversaw religious festivals and community affairs from the Colonial period to the present in Spanish America & Southwest U.S., helping maintain cultural traditions and leadership structures.

Fiscales

Indigenous officials in Spanish missions who managed religious matters and church operations from the 16th-19th centuries in Spanish colonial territories, allowing for indigenous participation in colonial religious systems.

Compartmentalization

The separation of cultural, religious, or social practices used as a survival strategy by indigenous societies dealing with colonial powers to preserve traditions while navigating colonial rule from the Colonial period to the present across indigenous communities.

Great Chain of Being

A hierarchical concept used by European thinkers & colonial administrators placing indigenous peoples lower in social order from the Medieval period to the 18th century in Europe and European colonies, justifying European conquest & colonial rule over indigenous peoples.

Virgin Soil Epidemics

Epidemics caused by exposure to new diseases among Indigenous peoples, who had no immunity, causing massive population losses in the Americas from the 15th–19th centuries.

1701 Great Peace of Montreal

A peace treaty between French & Indigenous groups (Haudenosaunee, Algonquin, Huron, others) ending decades of conflict in 1701 in Montreal, Canada, establishing stability for trade & diplomatic relations.

Windigo

A mythical creature associated with greed & cannibalism among Algonquian peoples, serving as a warning against excessive consumption & moral corruption in North America (Great Lakes region).

Indigenization

The process of integrating non-native elements into indigenous traditions by Indigenous peoples adapting external influences from the Colonial period to the present across indigenous communities worldwide, helping preserve identity while adapting to change.

Father Gabriel Druillettes

A French Jesuit missionary who promoted Christianity among indigenous peoples in New France (Canada & northeastern U.S.) during the 17th century, helping establish early mission settlements & conversions.