Filson’s book falsely explained that there were no American Indians living in Kentucky, but they were located in the adjacent states. The book included an account of American Indians inhabiting within the limits of the thirteen United States including their manners and customs, and reflections of their origin. John Filson, an opportunistic investor, land speculator, and entrepreneur, created this myth and many others in a book, The Discovery, Settlement, and Present State of Kentucke, published five years after his death in 1788. Instead, they portrayed Kentucky as either a middle ground used by all tribes for hunting or the center of many dark and bloody disputes. Failure to recognize American Indians and their tribal cultures has led to the destruction of many of Kentucky’s historic and cultural resources.įor more than 200 years, American historians have argued that the American Indians never lived in Kentucky. At the time Kentucky was declared a state, American Indians were actually living in log cabins, multi-story wooden homes, and brick houses. For example, many people still believe that American Indians in Kentucky lived in cave or tipis. Today, rather than an understanding of American Indian people or their culture, most people have a stereotype about them. Unfortunately, the Shawnee Treaty of 1831 became the standard for identifying American Indians in Kentucky. Park’s blood quantum was assumed and assigned to him rather than reflecting his actual genetic background or cultural identity. The treaty gave Joseph Parks, a reported quarter-blooded Piqua Shawnee, entitlements including six hundred and forty acres of land. In the complete absence of a single genetic laboratory, the Shawnee Treaty of 1831 was used to define and enforce who was a “real” American Indian and who was not. These modern misconceptions of biology and culture can be traced to the very beginning of the state. Unfortunately, many people today still hold antiquated stereotypes about American Indian identity and use mixed-blood terms such as full-bloods, half-bloods, and quarter-bloods. Some legends say that they have the power to turn themselves invisible.Ĭopyright © 2022 Legends of America.American Indians living in Kentucky have intermarried outside their tribe since time immemorial. The Wild People have magical powers and can be dangerous, sometimes kidnapping children or using witchcraft to harm people. They are almost always hostile to human beings and are gluttonous, killing more people than they can possibly eat. The Crow see them with pot bellies and no necks.Īmong the Omaha and Ponka, they were called Gada’zhe, meaning Wild People, who hunted with bows and poisoned arrows and were said to have been able to produce wounds under the skin without breaking the flesh.Īmong most of the Plains Indians, these tiny warriors are described to be about 2-4 feet tall, are dark-skinned, have squat necks, sharp teeth, and can run very vast far outpacing their human counterparts. Among some Siouan tribes, including the Osage, Omaha, and Kanza, they are said to sometimes have wings, and the Omaha further say that they have only one eye. These small creatures dwell in the vast area of the Great Plains, between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains and are known in the legends of the Cheyenne, Crow, Arapaho, Omaha, Osage, Kanza, Shoshone, Comanche, Ponca, and Gros Ventre.ĭescriptions of these mini-monsters vary from tribe to tribe. These small fearsome warriors were said to be so aggressive because they believed they had to be killed in battle to reach the afterlife. “Teihiihan” comes from the Arapaho word meaning “strong.” The Arapaho also called them Hecesiiteihii, meaning “little people.” Among the most dreaded figures in the lore of the Plains Indians were child-sized dwarves that were incredibly strong, very aggressive, bloodthirsty, and often attacked in large numbers.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |