The United States' cinematic western landscapes are interwoven with Native American tribal lore and traditions.
The past and present of Native American culture can be explored at the national parks, monuments and historic sites.
You can learn a lot about the history of the Native American people in the national parks.
The states of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona meet. More Native Americans live here than in any other part of the USA. The Ancestral Puebloan people built cliff dwellings on the Colorado Plateau between 600 and 1300CE. The Mesa Verde National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site and contains over 5000 archaeological sites and scores of Indigenous pueblos. The park's largest and most impressively preserved cliff dwelling, the Balcony House, is accessible by climbing wooden ladders and twisting through narrow tunnels.
Colorado has national parks.
Many Native American tribes were forced to relocate to the Four Corners region during the USA's 19th-century western expansion, but Indigenous people had already been living here for over a thousand years before the US military and pioneer homesteaders arrived. Chaco, the prehistoric city at the center of the Chaco Culture, was the result of a network of roads built by Ancestral Puebloans across the Southwest.
In a day you can drive the park's loop road and walk through the deserted adobe houses and plazas. Chaco Culture National Historic Park, located in a remote area of New Mexico, is one of the Southwest's most isolated parks, and it's perfect for star-gazing, either from the park's observatory or your own campsite.
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There are hidden life-giving pockets of the Four Corners region. Natural springs that sustain ancient pueblos, fruit orchards and fields of corn, beans and squash can be found in Canyon deChelly. The Hopi people settled the canyon. Canyon deChelly National Monument is managed by the National Park Service and the Navajo Nation. Hike down into the canyon on the White House Trail if you want to take a back country 4wd tour. The exquisitely preserved Hubbell Trading Post National Historic site has a rug room and daily demonstrations of weaving techniques.
Arizona has national parks.
There's more Native American history in the northeast and Midwest than in the American west. They were built by the Mississippian cultures, a broad group of regional tribes who lived here before the arrival of European colonizers, which included the ancestors of the Sac and Fox. Many of the mounds are in the shape of birds, bears and other animals, which are still revered as sacred sites today.
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The Black Hills of South Dakota are a great place to see how the American West looked to Native Americans. For the most cinematic scenery, look out for the eroded pinnacles and buttes of the national park. Native Americans hunted bison as a source of food and raw materials for clothing, shelter and weapons, which is why it's a good place to spy on.
The park is located on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The last ghost dances of Native Americans took place in the late 19th century. The final armed confrontation between US Cavalry troops and Native Americans closed the frontier in 1890. The White River Visitor Center and the Red Cloud Indian School's Heritage Center are open to the public.
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Most people think of national parks when they picture them, but you can find some close to big cities as well. It is possible that the former prison island in San Francisco Bay has a part in Native American history.
The Ohlone tribe used to live in the Bay Area and may have used the island as a spiritual site. The American Indians of All Tribes occupied the former prison in 1969.
The group cited a loophole in the Treaty of Fort Laramie that was signed by the US government and the Lakota tribe a hundred years earlier, which stated that federal land that was abandoned or not in active use was automatically returned to the Native Americans who used to live there. After the National Park Service took over the abandoned federal land, the American Indians of All Tribes lost their claim.
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The sacred site that operates under the auspices of the National Parks Service is of huge religious significance to the Northern Plains Indians and should be included. The trail that goes around the base of the tower is known as Mat Thpila and to the Crow as Daxpitcheeaasao. These are sacred offerings and should not be disturbed or photographed.
The practice of rock climbing at Devil's Tower is controversial because it was banned in Australia due to respect for the aboriginal peoples. The parks service would like climbers to refrain from attempting their routes in June when many Native American ceremonies take place.
Go green with your guide to the park.
Polynesian sailors landed around 1000 to 1200CE. After Queen Liliuokalani was deposed in 1893, they had their own culture and religion. "Aina a ke akua e noho ai", or "The land where the divine dwells", is the belief of the people who live in the national park.
If you want to learn more about the Native history of the park, you can go to the Pu'uloa Petroglyph Field and the Footprints Area. It is possible to follow in the footsteps of the Hawaiian people up the Ainopio Trail, which was worn by those bringing offerings to the volcano goddess.
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