Our Native Nations have always been here We are Indigenous to the continent now called North America Our leaders are sovereign and have power to make rules Our ways of life changed when white people arrived from Europe In 1776 white people broke free from England and created their own country called the United States of America which affected our lives even more Like European rulers before them the leaders of the new US government signed legal agreements called treaties with our Native Nations These treaties recognized the sovereignty of our Native Nations to exercise control and power over our people and lands But some treaties forced Native people to leave our homes or sell the lands where our ancestors lived The US government made promises to Native Nations in almost four hundred treaties altogether But the federal government did not always keep its promises to the tribes Most of the time their laws and policies have been devastating Most people do not know what happened to Native Nations and our citizens after treaty making stopped in 1871 4
5 Despite the continued occupation of our homelands regular attacks on our sovereignty and being mostly forgotten in US culture Native Nations all say We are still here each Due Oct 1st Indigenous Peoples Day Project 10 minutes Assimilation Wenona Self Determination Will Allotment kee Indian Child Welfare Education DJ Indian new Deal Tazbah Religious Freedom Maya Termination Chase Economic Development Ella Relocation Cady Language Revival Choogie Tribal Activism Jessie Sovereign Resurgence Chance
Wenona’s Presentation Assimilation Most US leaders did not respect our ways and thought it would be better for us to adopt their beliefs and practices From the country’s earliest days white men sought to weaken our Native Nations power to govern destroy Native families by taking our children away and sending many to boarding schools outlaw our sacred practices punish us for speaking our own languages 6
Even under these harsh laws Native Nations say We are still here 7
