Why Land Matters to Native Americans: Ep 5 of Crash Course Native American History
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Date: 2025-06-18
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Comments and reviews: 17
wavesofbabies
I can't find the source for this so I may be misremembering, but I remember a few years ago in I think Calgary, Alberta, Canada, there was a new suburb being built.
A speaker was an indigenous man who lived there his entire life. He talked of the trails and the forest that was now cleared for this suburb. How those trails had been there since time immemorial, literally created by the footsteps of his ancestors. How, growing up, he had known every square metre of that forest as it made him feel connected to all those who came before him.
And now it was all gone. The forest was cleared. The sprawl of the city claiming the connection he had with his people and the land.
I don't think the developers expected him to make that speech that day, but it made news. He gave a voice to a pain that Indigenous people throughout the world feel.
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I can't find the source for this so I may be misremembering, but I remember a few years ago in I think Calgary, Alberta, Canada, there was a new suburb being built.
A speaker was an indigenous man who lived there his entire life. He talked of the trails and the forest that was now cleared for this suburb. How those trails had been there since time immemorial, literally created by the footsteps of his ancestors. How, growing up, he had known every square metre of that forest as it made him feel connected to all those who came before him.
And now it was all gone. The forest was cleared. The sprawl of the city claiming the connection he had with his people and the land.
I don't think the developers expected him to make that speech that day, but it made news. He gave a voice to a pain that Indigenous people throughout the world feel.
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rmdodsonbills
The most generous thing you can say about the land I live on is that it was obtained by fraud. And I've traced my ancestors back to Plymouth, MA c. 1620, so my family has been appropriating land for over 400 years. But I understand having a connection to the land. I grew up in this area, and when I left for Texas in the 90s, I went out into the canyon, amongst the hills, next to the creek and said my goodbyes. I felt a connection to the spirit(s) of the place. And when I moved back a few years ago, the closer I got, the more I could feel that connection again. It was kind of like some kind of elastic that was finally being relaxed after having been stretched so far for so long. I'm not claiming that I know exactly what the people of native nations feel, but I can definitely sympathize.
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The most generous thing you can say about the land I live on is that it was obtained by fraud. And I've traced my ancestors back to Plymouth, MA c. 1620, so my family has been appropriating land for over 400 years. But I understand having a connection to the land. I grew up in this area, and when I left for Texas in the 90s, I went out into the canyon, amongst the hills, next to the creek and said my goodbyes. I felt a connection to the spirit(s) of the place. And when I moved back a few years ago, the closer I got, the more I could feel that connection again. It was kind of like some kind of elastic that was finally being relaxed after having been stretched so far for so long. I'm not claiming that I know exactly what the people of native nations feel, but I can definitely sympathize.
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gracepreston4179
This is my favorite crash course series! Thank you Che Jim for teaching me. I am from Washington state in the PNW region and I have always wanted to know more about the indigenous communities here. I know it only touched the surface, but learning about the first salmon ceremony was deeply impactful. I want to go learn so much more! Their respect for the land and nature is something that should be embedded within every society. Edit: We absolutely need to give the land back to the indigenous peoples and tribes. Colonialism and neocolonialism have destroyed this land.
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This is my favorite crash course series! Thank you Che Jim for teaching me. I am from Washington state in the PNW region and I have always wanted to know more about the indigenous communities here. I know it only touched the surface, but learning about the first salmon ceremony was deeply impactful. I want to go learn so much more! Their respect for the land and nature is something that should be embedded within every society. Edit: We absolutely need to give the land back to the indigenous peoples and tribes. Colonialism and neocolonialism have destroyed this land.
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Argacyan
I think the experience of following this series is probably a lot different for an American than it is elsewhere. I live in Europe, in a place where when we speak of stuff like the names of things the same applies as is said in the video. I live near a town the name of which simply means place of sharpening in our language, meaning where arrows or spears or knifes would be sharpened.
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I think the experience of following this series is probably a lot different for an American than it is elsewhere. I live in Europe, in a place where when we speak of stuff like the names of things the same applies as is said in the video. I live near a town the name of which simply means place of sharpening in our language, meaning where arrows or spears or knifes would be sharpened.
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suzandouglass5241
Wado for the images of the Remember the Removal bike riders. They come from Cherokee Nation and Cherokee Nation East, and ride their bikes along the Trail of Tears to commemorate the Ancestors. It's an annual event, and is taking place now.
Also shout out to the Muckleshoot Tribe and their revitalization of the Lushootseed language in Washington state.
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Wado for the images of the Remember the Removal bike riders. They come from Cherokee Nation and Cherokee Nation East, and ride their bikes along the Trail of Tears to commemorate the Ancestors. It's an annual event, and is taking place now.
Also shout out to the Muckleshoot Tribe and their revitalization of the Lushootseed language in Washington state.
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JurassicLion2049
My grandma and her people were Yaqui of the desert. They knew and understood it better than most. Even years after she’d left the tribe (long story) she knew how to collect herbs & catch animals in the wilderness. She always had a green touch. Even some of her plants still stand strong 30 years after she passed.
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My grandma and her people were Yaqui of the desert. They knew and understood it better than most. Even years after she’d left the tribe (long story) she knew how to collect herbs & catch animals in the wilderness. She always had a green touch. Even some of her plants still stand strong 30 years after she passed.
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parsicle
Love the shoutout for the Hopewell Earthworks! If you haven't seen, Miniminuteman just made a video about it called the Great Circle Earthworks. I highly recommend you guys check it out. It's more focused on archaeology but is still a very interesting watch
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Love the shoutout for the Hopewell Earthworks! If you haven't seen, Miniminuteman just made a video about it called the Great Circle Earthworks. I highly recommend you guys check it out. It's more focused on archaeology but is still a very interesting watch
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elfdream2007
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, also known as The Qualla Band are a federally recognized tribe who still live in Western North Carolina. Not everyone went west to Oklahoma, some escaped by various means and remained.
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The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, also known as The Qualla Band are a federally recognized tribe who still live in Western North Carolina. Not everyone went west to Oklahoma, some escaped by various means and remained.
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dlo111
This is such important information. Thank you for making this. I live by the Salish Sea on the Canadian side, and the history here is celebrated and visible in every community. So much good is happening now.
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This is such important information. Thank you for making this. I live by the Salish Sea on the Canadian side, and the history here is celebrated and visible in every community. So much good is happening now.
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markpellegrin417
Good series. Keep up the good work.
Stolen bodies working stolen land. It was an engine that did not stop, its hungry boiler fed with blood.
Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad
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Good series. Keep up the good work.
Stolen bodies working stolen land. It was an engine that did not stop, its hungry boiler fed with blood.
Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad
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robertsimon3541
Thank you for another great episode! For so many of us, whether in our ancestral homelands or in diaspora, our identity and heritage is tied intimately with the land and all that dwell upon it
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Thank you for another great episode! For so many of us, whether in our ancestral homelands or in diaspora, our identity and heritage is tied intimately with the land and all that dwell upon it
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StephySon
I’m not gonna lie, I got teary eyed listening to the way you described the relationship between the people and the land. That bond, that unbearable bond. That will never be broken. Thank you
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I’m not gonna lie, I got teary eyed listening to the way you described the relationship between the people and the land. That bond, that unbearable bond. That will never be broken. Thank you
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gee8419
This was a great video. I love so much talk about specific tribes instead of talking about native beliefs and practices in an extremely general and colonial sense that I encounter all the time.
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This was a great video. I love so much talk about specific tribes instead of talking about native beliefs and practices in an extremely general and colonial sense that I encounter all the time.
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crash_course
It’s as my dad says: I don’t touch people’s stuff and I don’t want other people to touch my stuff. Be like my dad. Don’t touch people’s stuff.
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It’s as my dad says: I don’t touch people’s stuff and I don’t want other people to touch my stuff. Be like my dad. Don’t touch people’s stuff.
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FennecFoxFairy
This series has been truly amazing. Che Jim has such an engaging way of speaking. I even got chills at the end.
Here’s to the next thousand years.
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This series has been truly amazing. Che Jim has such an engaging way of speaking. I even got chills at the end.
Here’s to the next thousand years.
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FelixEvers06
I've been reading Robin Wall Kimmerer's book, Braiding Sweetgrass. I highly recommend it; she gives a very well-written account of her experiences.
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I've been reading Robin Wall Kimmerer's book, Braiding Sweetgrass. I highly recommend it; she gives a very well-written account of her experiences.
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Thorania
This is interesting, as today's technology continues to draw us further away from the physical world and deeper into digital realms.
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This is interesting, as today's technology continues to draw us further away from the physical world and deeper into digital realms.
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