In the Beginning I Was Here

RUNNING HEAD: In the beginning I was here In the beginning 1

In the beginning I was here

Argosy University/Phoenix

John M. Pardue Sr.

Spring 2006

In the beginning 2

In the beginning I was here, long before the White man and his diseases, his religions and his war-like

ways. I lived upon the land for countless moons, in harmony with the Great Spirit, honoring all life around me.

In this land called Kan-tu-kee, the great meadow, the dark and bloody ground, I was known as Shawnee. I was

also known by other names...Cherokee, Chickasaw, Iroquois, Lanapota, and Cree... I am Native American...the

indigenous tribes of this land, the American Indian. Here is the Commandments of my people, Treat the Earth

and all that dwell thereon with respect. Remain close to the Great Spirit. Show great respect for your fellow

beings. Work together for the benefit of all Mankind. Give assistance and kindness wherever needed. Do what

you know to be right. Look after the well being of mind and body. Dedicate a share of your efforts to the

greater good. Be truthful and honest at all times. Take full responsibility for your actions.

We were taught in school that Christopher Columbus discovered America when he set his feet of boats

ashore at Plymouth Rock in 1492. We were taught that he in fact came across Native Americans who welcomed

him and his crew to a thanksgiving dinner. We were also not told that Christopher Columbus also kidnaped

these Natives and used them as slaves. So what does the story of Christopher Columbus tell us that our

schooling did not? It tells us that Native Americans were on our lands long before Christopher Columbus

landed here. These Natives welcomed Columbus with open arms and shared food, which shows us that they

were warm people with a knack for cultivating the land. The discovery of the New World brought about the

pursuit of raw materials and markets, which in turn lead to worldwide European colonization.

Thanks to the Native Americans already here we received many great contributions that we use today in

our everyday lives. These people gave to us: tobacco and we to them wine. It is astonishing that the wine we

introduced them to killed off or damaged them in many ways, through many generations, as alcoholism is huge

in the Native American population. The tobacco they introduced us to has killed off, will kill off and has

damaged us in many ways, as cancer is huge in America. They introduced to us a new form of cotton, rubber,

asphalt. They also introduced us to something we eat at Thanksgiving, which is turkey. Native Americans

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cultivated more than fifty plant species that are now a major significance worldwide such as, Maize

(Indian corn), beans, potatoes, tomatoes, chili peppers, chicle (gum of the sapodilla, which is the main

ingredient of chewing gum), cacao (chocolate), pineapples, squashes, artichokes, cashews, and maple

sugars were all given to the world by Native Americans. They also gave us new methods of fertilization

and sowing seeds, they showed us the Hilling process as opposed to dense planting. They introduced us

to Polycultural planting, which is corn planted with beans and squash, which reduces soil depletion.