Want to learn more about Native American Indian tribes? Read our guide for facts and info on popular American Indian tribes…
The original inhabitants of America known as the Native American Indians lived in separate tribes. The tribes were divided according to ethnic origins, language, beliefs and geographical distributions. Some of the most popular and important tribes are mentioned below.
The Navajo Native American Indiansg
Also known as the Dine tribe these people were dwellers of the Southwestern region of United States. The Navajo tribe is credited as being the largest Native American Indian tribe of North America.
Up until the year 2000 a nation wide census showed almost 298,197 people belong to the Navajo ancestry. The Navajo people live in four different locations of the United States. They have an independent government body which is in control of all its affairs.
The Navajos have been successful in maintaining their culture largely because of the fact that they still speak their original language. However they have become well versed in English as well. This tribe is known for the amazing jewelry that they manufacture as well as traditional Navajo sand paintings.
The Cherokee Native American Indian Tribe
This is perhaps the most popular of all Native American Indian tribes. Originally they were inhabitants of the South Eastern states of Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. In linguistic terms they belong to the Iroquoian family. The people of the Cherokee tribe proudly refer to themselves as the Principal People.
The Cherokee tribe was one of the earliest tribes considered to be amongst the Five Civilized Tribes by the colonists. This was largely due to the fact that they readily adopted the advanced technological and cultural practices of the pilgrims. This tribe is also credited as being the largest of the 563 tribes that the United States government recognizes.
The Apache Native American Indian Tribe
The Apache tribe consists of a number of different Native American groups. They are dwellers of North America and belong to the Southern Athabaskan language family. They are related in terms of the language that they speak to the Athabaskan speakers of Western Canada and Alaska.
Formerly the Apache people used to dwell in the regions of eastern Arizona, New Mexico, Northwestern Mexico and different parts of Texas. They were also to be found in the Great Plains. The people of this group spoke many different languages and thus there was little political unity between them. Today the largest Apache communities are to be found in Kansas City, Oklahoma City, San Diego, Denver, Los Angeles and Phoenix.
Zuni Native American Indian Tribe
The Zuni tribe consists primarily of the Pueblo peoples. They got their name due to their geographical location close to a tributary of the Little Colorado River known as the Zuni River. This region is situated at a distance of 35 miles from Gallup, New Mexico. The total population of Zuni Native Americans is around 8000. Almost half of the Zuni people live below the poverty line. However for the locals of the Zuni tribe they do not consider themselves to be below the poverty line as they are used to living a life of this kind.
