Being born and raised in New York, I often look around myself and marvel at the diversity of our city. Encountering many different ethnicities, religions, and cultures on a daily basis has lead me to appreciate the bits of myself that were derived from these influences. I love Mexican food; I enjoy reggae music from the Caribbean. However, one immensely important group of people seems to be in a serious minority, if not near extinction, in our amazing medley of culture. What happened to the Native Americans? You know, as in, like, the people that like, we uhh, like, bought this island we like ummmm, like, sit in class upon??! The original inhabitants of our city, which is often called “The Greatest City in the World”, seem to be missing.
In 1626, the Algonquin Native American Indians called the Manates sold Manahatta to Peter Minuit, on behalf of the Dutch West India Company for simple items now regarded as mere trinkets, which included cloth and beads. As history and time transgressed, the people of Manhattan have dispersed to the few land reservations or have melted into our cities. Although the Native American culture is only celebrated in New York City teachings as an unfortunate afterthought, their impact has shaped our society both locally and globally. Besides the common knowledge that Native Americans helped early European settlers survive, lets think about other forms of their impact… Where did the corn you ate for dinner last night, the tobacco cigarette you smoked before class, your aunt’s prized beaver muff, and my favorite food, potato salad, originate from? Ideas about sign language, our system of federal government, and even Boy Scouts were based on Native American teachings. History has been shaped by Native American culture in innumerable ways.
