Tag archives for Native Americans
Not Your Ordinary Home for Birds
Posted by Jay Wexler of Boston University School of Law on April 11, 2013 
Federal law makes it illegal for anyone to possess any part of a bald or golden eagle. Many Native Americans, however, use eagle feathers in their religious rituals. The Fish and Wildlife Service has granted permits to a small number of tribes, allowing them to run their own eagle aviaries. These aviaries, like the one run by the Iowa Tribe outside Oklahoma City, not only take care of many injured birds, but also provide feathers for those tribal members who need them.
Celebrating the Historic Ties of Native Americans to the Bison
Posted by Wildlife Conservation Society on March 1, 2013 Bison numbered over 30 million at the time of the United States’ founding, but that number dwindled to a mere 1,000 with the westward expansion of the United States. The American Bison Society, founded at the Bronx Zoo with the support of President Theodore Roosevelt, helped to restore bison numbers with animals transported west by rail from the Bronx. In the next century, bison numbers rebounded to nearly half a million.
Photography and Nature: Camille Seaman at TED 2013
Posted by Andrew Howley of NG Staff on February 28, 2013 
Camille Seaman interrupts the stream of high-tech wizardry of the conference with a rich vision of nature, born from her Shinnecock heritage.
Geography in the News: Demise of the Maya
Posted by Neal Lineback of Maps101.com and Maps.com on December 30, 2012 
By Neal Lineback and Mandy Lineback Gritzner, Appalachian State University DID CLIMATE CHANGE DESTROY THE MAYA? A recent article in the journal Science sheds new light on the collapse of the ancient Maya civilization. Scientists have argued for decades over what caused the Maya culture to disappear. The new study points to large-scale climate change…
Bringing North American Vikings Back to Life
Posted by Andrew Howley of NG Staff on November 21, 2012 From Vikings in Virginia(?) to the musical power of heavy metal, filmmaker Tony Stone helps flesh out the adventures of the Norse in America, six hundred years before the “first Thanksgiving.”
National Bison Day Celebrates a Nutritious Meat Alternative Driving Rural Economies
Posted by Wildlife Conservation Society on November 19, 2012 National Bison Day is one of the signature components of legislation now working its way through the United States Congress. At a time of deep partisan gridlock, the National Bison Legacy Act, which would make the bison our National Mammal, boasts broad support among both Democrats and Republicans. The bill has 18 sponsors in the Senate and 7 in the House, split about evenly by party.
Top Predator on the Plains: Wolf, Bear or Human?
Posted by American Prairie Reserve on September 24, 2012 
Looking back in time, who was the top predator of the American prairie ecosystem? Wolves, grizzly bears… humans? As I continue my research of historic wildlife populations in northeastern Montana (read my first post here), it is important to consider how changes in human populations were affecting the ecology of this area. There was a…
Native American Exhibit Opens in Italy
Posted by Andrew Howley of NG Staff on December 13, 2011 
Indicating just how richly layered the history of human culture is, a new exhibit of Native American culture has opened up, not in some midwestern U.S. metropolis, but in the small medieval Italian city of Pinerolo, near the border with France. The creators reveal their vision for the exhibit.
Indigenous People Sound the Alarm on Climate Change
Posted by Brian Clark Howard of National Geographic in Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples on October 11, 2011 
The air in the auditorium smelled faintly of burnt herbs. Josefina Lema Aguilar, a Kichwa elder from the mountains of Ecuador, lit a tiny sacred fire to bless last week’s conference on “Seeking Balance: Indigenous Knowledge, Western Science and Climate Change.” Dressed in traditional garb from the Andes, Aguilar gave the event’s opening prayer at…
The Beauty and Meaning of an Ancient Art Form
Posted by Andrew Howley of NG Staff on September 15, 2011 
As indigenous filmmakers and artists from around the world gather for the 2011 All Roads Film Festival, a Native American potter invites you to discover the ancient techniques, rich symbolism, and deep spirituality of her art form.
Posted by Up to 70 percent of Amazonian cultures practiced multiple paternity–more than one man fathering and taking responsibility for a child–according to research announced today by the University of Missouri (MU). “In modern culture, it is not considered socially acceptable for married people to have extramarital sexual partners. However, in some Amazonian cultures, extramarital sexual affairs…
