| When Christopher Columbus first discovered North | | | | While the Indians lived here first, the Europeans |
| America, he mistakenly believed that he had | | | | viewed them as nothing more than nomads, with no |
| discovered the Indies. This led to the name "Indian." | | | | claim to the land. |
| It is believed that the first North American Indian | | | | Even though the Indians had inferior weaponry, they |
| came across a land bridge across the Bering Sound, | | | | fought fiercely and the Indian warrior was feared for |
| from Siberia into Alaska. This would have been during | | | | his viciousness in combat. Many of them were |
| the last ice age about twenty thousand years ago. | | | | excellent marksmen with the bow, and they knew |
| When the Europeans discovered America, there | | | | the land intimately, making it hard for the Europeans |
| were approximately ten million Indians already living | | | | to conquer them. |
| there. These Indians were amazed at the Europeans | | | | But no matter how many of the Europeans the |
| white skin and technology, which would eventually | | | | Indians killed, more would replenish their number from |
| prove to be their downfall. | | | | across the sea. |
| While the Indians were amazed by the Europeans, | | | | The Europeans came close to wiping out the existing |
| they also noticed that they were greedy, and | | | | tribes in North America, and the last great battle was |
| viewed nature as a means to gain wealth and power. | | | | fought in 1890, when thousands of Indian children, |
| The North American Indian viewed nature, and by | | | | women and men were slaughtered by U.S cavalry. |
| extension life, as sacred, and the Europeans views | | | | That battle pretty much ended the wars that |
| were abhorrent to them. | | | | plagued North America, and left a stain on North |
| Not only did the white man bring outlandish tools, and | | | | American history that remains today. The remaining |
| a need to own land but also diseases that hit the | | | | Indians were either assimilated, or repressed. The |
| Indian tribes hard, decimating their population. The | | | | culture that the Indians had fought so hard for was |
| Indians were outnumbered by the invaders, and had | | | | almost lost. |
| inferior weapons to defend themselves. While the | | | | While the history of the North American Indian is a |
| Europeans had metal knives and swords, the North | | | | tragic one, they still remain today, although they are |
| American Indian had bows and arrows and crude | | | | a shadow of what they once were. They are, and |
| wooden spears. The arrows have remained today | | | | were, a proud people, with a remarkable heritage and |
| and this is where the sport of archery originates | | | | because of them archery has been recognized |
| from. | | | | worldwide. |