Native Americans

Discover the secular expressions of multiple ethnic groups and tribes from the North America

By Centro Studi Americani

Frontespizio di American Indians. Tribes of the Prairies and the East by Hermann Dengler (1923) by Dengler, HermannCentro Studi Americani

A wrong definition

The European colonizers defined the indigenous peoples of the new continent "Indians", wrongly believing that they had reached the coasts of Asia.

Antiporta di American Indians. Tribes of the Prairies and the East by Hermann Dengler (1923) by Dengler, HermannCentro Studi Americani

Also the definition of "Indians of North America", referred to the indigenous inhabitants of North America, dates back to the colonizers.

Frontespizio di John Smith, Unter den Indianern Virginiens, nach den Originalausgaben bearbeitet von ... H.G. Bonte (1926) by Smith, JohnCentro Studi Americani

John Smith

The British commander and explorer John Smith in 1607 was among the founders of Jamestown, Virginia, the first British settlement in North America.

Antiporta di John Smith, Unter den Indianern Virginiens, nach den Originalausgaben bearbeitet von ... H.G. Bonte (1926) by Smith, JohnCentro Studi Americani

He led numerous expeditions along the rivers of Virginia and the coasts of the Chesapeake Bay. In 1612 he published the first map of Virginia. The legend of his relationship with the Indian princess Pocahontas has been largely reconsidered by historiography.

Frontespizio di Gl'indigeni americani. Ricerche antropologiche di Giuseppe Sergi (1928) by Sergi, GiuseppeCentro Studi Americani

Different histories and traditions

Native Americans are not only a thousands-years-old presence across the continent, but were and are characterized by very different ethnic groups and tribes, not referable to a single category, with different histories and traditions.

Tav. IV. Gl'indigeni americani. Ricerche antropologiche di Giuseppe Sergi (1928) by Sergi, GiuseppeCentro Studi Americani

Frontespizio di The Myths of the North American Indians by Lewis Spence, with thirty-two plates in colour by James Jack and other illustrations (1914) by Spence, LewisCentro Studi Americani

The British anthropologist and scholar of folklore Lewis Spence was among the European scholars who devoted their research to illustrate the myths and legends of some of the major Indian tribes that lived in North America, especially Algonquins, Iroquois, Pawnees, Sioux

Antiporta di The Myths of the North American Indians by Lewis Spence, with thirty-two plates in colour by James Jack and other illustrations (1914) by Spence, LewisCentro Studi Americani

Pl. p. 12. The Myths of the North American Indians by Lewis Spence, with thirty-two plates in colour by James Jack and other illustrations (1914) by Spence, LewisCentro Studi Americani

Pl. p. 150. The Myths of the North American Indians by Lewis Spence, with thirty-two plates in colour by James Jack and other illustrations (1914) by Spence, LewisCentro Studi Americani

Frontespizio di Race, Language and Culture by Franz Boas (1940) by Boas, FranzCentro Studi Americani

Anthropological Studies

Between 1800 and 1900, one of the main scholars of Native American populations was the anthropologist and ethnologist Franz Boas, of German origin but naturalized American, who has been for 40 years professor at Columbia University in New York.

Fig. 1 p. 548 di Race, Language and Culture by Franz Boas (1940) by Boas, FranzCentro Studi Americani

Among the founders of the American Anthropological Society (1902), Boas wrote and edited fundamental works including The Handbook of American Indian languages.

Fig. 2 p. 549 di Race, Language and Culture by Franz Boas (1940) by Boas, FranzCentro Studi Americani

Copertina di The Path On The Rainbow. An Anthology of Songs and Chants from the Indians of North America edited by George W. Cronyn, with introduction by Mary Austin, frontispiece and designs by T.B. Platt (1918) by Cronyn, George W. , ed.Centro Studi Americani

A multitude of expressions

Their traditions, languages and religions contribute in defining the US identity.

Frontespizio (su due pagine) di Native Arts of the Pacific Northwest. From the Rasmussen Collection of the Portland Art Museum, introductory text by Robert Tyler Davis (1954) by Portland Art Museum (Or.)Centro Studi Americani

These traditions are documented by a multitude of artistic, religious, musical, and literary expressions, also housed in many important museums.

Frontespizio (su due pagine) di Native Arts of the Pacific Northwest. From the Rasmussen Collection of the Portland Art Museum, introductory text by Robert Tyler Davis (1954/1954) by Portland Art Museum (Or.)Centro Studi Americani

Pl. III. di Native Arts of the Pacific Northwest. From the Rasmussen Collection of the Portland Art Museum, introductory text by Robert Tyler Davis (1954) by Portland Art Museum (Or.)Centro Studi Americani

Frontespizio di American Indian Ceremonial Dances. Navajo---Pueblo---Apache---Zuñi. Drawings, litographs and etchings by Ira Moskowitz, text by John Collier, introduction by John Sloan, with a preface by Harry L. Shapiro (1972) by Moskowitz, IraCentro Studi Americani

Antiporta di American Indian Ceremonial Dances. Navajo---Pueblo---Apache---Zuñi. Drawings, litographs and etchings by Ira Moskowitz, text by John Collier, introduction by John Sloan, with a preface by Harry L. Shapiro (1972) by Moskowitz, IraCentro Studi Americani

Frontespizio Vol. I di People of the Sacred Mountain. A History of the Northern Cheyenne Chiefs and Warrior Societies, 1830-1879, with an Epilogue 1969-1974, by Father Peter John Powell, Powell, Peter John, 1981, From the collection of: Centro Studi Americani

Antiporta Vol. II di People of the Sacred Mountain. A History of the Northern Cheyenne Chiefs and Warrior Societies, 1830-1879, with an Epilogue 1969-1974, by Father Peter John Powell, Powell, Peter John, 1981, From the collection of: Centro Studi Americani

Antiporta Vol. I di People of the Sacred Mountain. A History of the Northern Cheyenne Chiefs and Warrior Societies, 1830-1879, with an Epilogue 1969-1974, by Father Peter John Powell, Powell, Peter John, 1981, From the collection of: Centro Studi Americani

Antiporta di American Indian Painting of the Southwest and Plains Areas by Dorothy Dunn, Dunn, Dorothy, 1968, From the collection of: Centro Studi Americani

Frontespizio di American Indian Painting of the Southwest and Plains Areas by Dorothy Dunn, Dunn, Dorothy, 1968, From the collection of: Centro Studi Americani

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Copertina di L'agonia di una razza di p. G. Stefanetti (1930) by Stefanetti, GiuseppeCentro Studi Americani

Surviving the policies of conquest

Surviving the policies of conquest, dispossession and assimilation first by Europeans and then by the US government, Native Americans represent today a significant component in the multi-faceted American social and cultural fabric

Frontespizio di The Dakota War. The United States Army Versus the Sioux 1862-1865 by Michael Clodfelter (1998) by Clodfelter, MichealCentro Studi Americani

Their dramatic history reminds us of the long journey to the recognition of fundamental civil rights.

Ill. p. 138 di The Dakota War. The United States Army Versus the Sioux 1862-1865 by Michael Clodfelter (1998) by Clodfelter, MichealCentro Studi Americani

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