Key Terms in Native American History and Colonialism

Monolithic

an organized whole that acts as a single unified powerful or influential force

Reservation

a tract of public land set aside (as for use by Native Americans)

Assimilation

to absorb into the cultural tradition of a population or group

Relics

an object that’s respected or treasured because it’s connected to a holy or important person.

Perpetuate

cause to last indefinitely

Colonization

Settling on inhabited land

Disenfranchise

To deprive of a legal right, privilege or immunity

Reconciliation

restore friendship or harmony

Regalia

special clothing or symbols that show someone's rank or importance, like what royalty or leaders wear.

Myth

a popular belief or tradition that has grown up around something or someone

Oral Tradition

the stories, beliefs, etc., that a group of people share by telling stories and talking to each other

Indigenous

Originating or occurring in a place naturally

Sovereign

Someone or something that holds supreme power or authority

Displacement

to remove from the usual or proper place or to expel or force to flee from home or homeland

Resilience

an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change

Ancestral

of, relating to, or inherited from an ancestor

Epidemic

affecting or tending to affect a disproportionately large number of individuals within a population, community, or region at the same time

Escalate

to increase in extent, volume, number, amount, intensity, or scope

Residential Boarding School

Schools funded by the government in which native children were forced to attend in an attempt to assimilate them to Euro-centric & Christian ideals

Tribe

Social, cultural, political, etc. group that often share common ancestry

Tribal council

Elected governing body for native american tribes

Tribal law

Laws enforced by native communities as sovereign entities

Frontier

Line or border separating two places

Settlement

Place that has typically been uninhabited; establish community in said place

Charter

Written grant by sovereign power or government