Have you ever wondered why American Indians didn't become terrorists?

Question

I have a little indian blood in me I'm proud to say!

Answer 1

Didn't they conduct raids on white settlements and didn't they lie in wait along settler's trails? Indian rules of war were not the same as American or British, and Indians were vilified for killing whites who had surrendered, taking scalps, mutilating and burning corpses, things like that...these could be called terrorist or guerilla techniques under the current, broad definition of terrorism as used by the US government..

Someone above raised the interesting point that Indians couldn't be terrorists because it was their land. They also wore distinctive garb which could be viewed as the equivalent of uniforms. So this can be argued either way, depending on how you define terrorism.

Answer 2

First and foremost I was raised to treat ALL things with honor and respect. These teachings go back to my grandfathers and their grandfathers before them. Even my enemies.

We are not the invaders, rather the defenders of OUR homelands. As we proudly still our today! And have been throughout the history of this great land we call our mother. Look into the amount of Indian (American) people who volunteer today and have volunteered to defend this land and country through all it's wars and conflicts. Many of our people have spilled their blood and offered their life, they are the true warrior.

Let us look at who the true terrorists were. As it was stated. Read and educate yourself. What did the pilgrims do to the Pequot? What about the Trail of Tears and the death of over 2000 Cherokees? What about the deliberate gifting of tainted blankets to the Lenape, Odawa, and other nations that may have killed hundreds of thousands of Indian people. What about Sullivan's March, and the countless attacks on native villages by armed soldiers against helpless woman and children and elders. All over this land on every nation. Yet history only records our revenges. We did not attack on our own accord, ONLY in retaliation to attacks on us. Over 90% of all Indian wars and battles took place on Indian lands, not treaty lands. I believe that makes us defenders.....

I am proud of our people. I am proud of our ancestors. I am proud of our culture.

What is sad. Is if I was to go back in time. To that first boat coming up the Hudson river to my people. I would go out and welcome them all over again. I would do nothing different. Because my culture, my ways, my teachings, my spirituality are more important then anyones history.

Why didn't Indians become terrorists? Because we are more a people of peace. Always were and always will be.

Read the Great Law.......

Answer 3

Me too, but the fact is, they did - raiding, killing and burning. They thought of it as war. The federal government classed them as rebels and put them in concentration camps where they died by the tens of thousands. Ever hear of the Trail of Tears?
But in the end, to make peace, the feds gave them autonomy in their reservations, provided they remain answerable to the federal government (only).
With gambling and other vices, the Indians have made a pretty nice Sears purse out of a sow's ear. More power to them.
Here's hoping they buy some effective congressional representation with those sinbucks.

Answer 4

I don't think the things the American Indians are doing is called terrorism.

They just want their land back....

Imagine you were living in a house and you were kicked out because some foreigner needed it, what would you do?

Protest.

And that's what I think what the Indians are doing.

Answer 5

As a Proud member of the SIX NATIONS we respsct life and Mother Earth. We only wish to live life as our Fathers.. Father did. Times have changed and yes so have we. Terrorists is not of our languge...We are and have been a peace loveing people,but who came to North America and said , Look this is ALL ours....lets move in.

Answer 6

Actually lots of different groups around the world have suffered injustice without becoming terrorists, Native Americans, Australian Aborigines, Kurds, Tibetans, Koreans under Japanese rule. African Americans have had radicals but no one who fitted the bill of a true terrorist. On the other many terrorist organisations have only suffered imaginary oppression (Bader Meinhoff, Timothy McVeigh), or have greatly exagerrated any injustice they have suffered. eg the Basque terror groups.

Answer 7

What makes you think that they didn't. If you paid attention to history you'd have seen that the Native Americans used terror tactics going back to the early 1700s in Upstate New York, beginning with the Iroquois. Read a book once in a while. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Answer 8

Terrorists usually end up dead. The native Americans are outnumbered by 200 to 1.

Answer 9

We are often described that way today! But it was the invaders who did the terrorist activities, like piurposely giving infected balnkets to the people, they were balnkets used to wrap small pox paitents with

Answer 10

How can you be a terrorist if you fighting to retain your own land against invaders