glossary library
Do you know what a moccasin or a wigwam is? This Native American glossary explains the meanings of important terms used in Native American culture.
Featured Article: Fort Snelling
Fort Snelling, a former fort at the junction of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, 10 miles (16 km) south of present-day downtown Minneapolis. See more »
Articles 1-20 of 20
Adobe
Adobe, a building material of sun-baked clay, usually mixed with straw or an asphalt solution as a binder.
See more »American Indians
Indians, American, the original inhabitants of the Americas. The name was given to them by Columbus, who thought he had discovered the Indies.
See more »Calumet
Calumet, the ceremonial “peace pipe” used by North American Indians. The bowl was made of soapstone or red pipestone.
See more »Fort Snelling
Fort Snelling, a former fort at the junction of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, 10 miles (16 km) south of present-day downtown Minneapolis.
See more »Gall
Gall, the nickname of Pizi (1840-1895), a Sioux Indian chief. He was born in South Dakota, a member of the Hunkpapa Sioux.
See more »Meadowlark
Meadowlark, a North American bird. It is not a true lark, but a member of the blackbird and oriole family.
See more »Medicine Man
Medicine Man, in popular writings on the North American Indians, an Indian who treats illness or is reputed to have supernatural powers.
See more »Moccasin
Moccasin, formerly the standard footgear of most North American Indians. Flexible and noiseless, the moccasin was an ideal foot covering for Indian hunters.
See more »Pemmican
Pemmican, or Pemican, a preserved and condensed food used at one time by most North American Indians.
See more »Portage
Portage, a land route between two navigable waterways. The term also refers to the carrying of canoes (or boats) and goods between two waterways.
See more »Potlatch
Potlatch a ceremony of North American Indians of the northwest coast from Washington to Alaska.
See more »Rain Dance
Rain Dance, an American Indian ritual dance. Tribes in the arid Southwest held traditional dances to get rain by winning the favor of their gods.
See more »Rangers
Rangers, in the United States, a body of troops especially trained for scouting and raiding.
See more »Smoke Signal
Smoke Signal, a means of communication used by North American Indians, especially in the plains and southwest.
See more »Sun Dance
Sun Dance, a religious festival once common among North American Plains Indians. Its general purpose was to do homage to the deities, sometimes to gain a specific benefit but more usually as an annual ritual at the start of the hunting season.
See more »Teotihuacan
Teotihuacán, the capital city of an unknown people who dominated central Mexico from about 200 B.C.
See more »Tomahawk
Tomahawk, a weapon of certain North American Indian tribes. The name was derived from an Algonquian word.
See more »Totem
Totem, in anthropology, an animal or other object that is associated with a group of people, usually a clan (a group claiming descent from a common ancestor).
See more »Wampum
Wampum, beads made of various kinds of shells by American Indians for ornamental and ceremonial purposes.
See more »Wigwam
Wigwam, a dwelling of a type used by Algonquian Indians. The word is from the Abnaki language and was first used by settlers in Massachusetts.
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