History of Native America by State

The history of this land we call America did not begin with Columbus or Jamestown or Plymouth Rock. Long before Europeans stepped foot on these shores, proud nations of indigenous peoples inhabited every corner of this continent.

From the frosted woods of Maine to the sun-scorched deserts of Arizona, Native Americans built thriving civilizations founded on spiritual bonds with the Earth. Their stories stretch back centuries, through generations of struggle and survival.

I hope you’re here with an open and seeking mind, willing to learn of cultures so often brushed over in our telling of history. Come with me on a journey across America and back through time, to hear the voices that echo still in river valleys and mountain passes.

We will meet the stoic Iroquois who mastered the land and rivers of the Northeast, building networks tied by language and law. We will join the defiant Sioux on the sweeping plains, where buffalo and horse gave rise to nomadic tribes of legendary skill.

And in the Southwest we will find the ingenious Pueblo peoples, whose adobe cities rose from the mesa tops of New Mexico and Arizona.

Each people faced the trials of disease, displacement and war as European settlers pushed West, their way of life colliding with Native ways.

But their souls endure, their traditions adapted and reborn, carrying forward the inheritance of land and spirit. From the Passamaquoddy of Maine to the Cahuilla of California, theirs are stories of courage that all Americans should know.

So come with me on this journey through America’s truly native roots. In these stories of tragedy and triumph, darkness and light, we will discover the pride and passion of this land’s first peoples.

Their voices call through the ages, inviting us to remember, honor and understand. Heed their call, and enrich your spirit with the wisdom of ancients.