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Native Americans

1,000 years ago, Native Americans in the Southwest likely traded for cacao beans from far-away parts of Mexico and South America.

New Research

Early Americans Went to Great Lengths to Get Caffeine

Pottery shards reveal 1,000-year-old traces of caffeine in places where it wasn’t readily available

Previous analysis of the Kennewick Man's skull suggested that he might be closely related to Asian populations and Polynesians. But new genetic analysis indicates his ancestral roots are in the Americas.

New Research

Genome Analysis Links Kennewick Man to Native Americans

Ancient DNA sequenced from the skeleton adds to the controversy over the individual’s ancestry

Moai on the slopes of the Rano Raraku volcano of Easter Island

New Research

Ancient Easter Islanders Likely Sailed Back And Forth to South America

The 4,600-mile roundtrip couldn’t have been easy—even for people who had already migrated from Polynesia in wooden outrigger canoes

Trending Today

Columbus Day Is Now Indigenous People’s Day in Seattle And Minneapolis

Some cities seek to change the second Monday in October to a more politically correct, inclusive holiday

In 1794, President Washington commissioned a wampum belt for the Canandaigua Treaty

Illuminating the Treaties That Have Governed U.S.-Indian Relationships

These documents were both a cause and a salve for the fraught relations between the United States and Indian Nations

Chippewa men performing in an annual powwow held near Cass Lake, Minnesota.

Cool Finds

An American Tribe Wants a German Museum to Return Native American Scalps

The German Museums Association says that scalps are not subject to the same ethical guidelines that govern other human remains

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Cool Finds

Explore Native Alaskan Stories As a Young Iñupiaq Girl in This New Video Game

Never Alone draws on the art, stories and culture of Alaskan Inuit

Cool Finds

The Snowy, Barren Arctic Actually Contains a Sophisticated Network of Inuit Trails

Compiled from accounts over the past 200 years, a new atlas documents a network of trails stretching across the Arctic

Navajo Code Talkers during World War II.

Trending Today

The Last Navajo Code Talker Has Died

Chester Nez played an instrumental role in World War II

Far View House, Mesa Verde

Cool Finds

This “Lake” at Mesa Verde Is Actually a Ceremonial Structure

The old theory, that it was a reservoir, didn’t hold water

Everything at This 4,500-Year-Old Site Was Removed—And Then Reburied

An unprecedented trove of artifacts and burials found at a development site were recently removed and reburied

Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat, by Simon de Myle

Ten Ancient Stories and the Geological Events That May Have Inspired Them

If you dig deep enough, say scientists, you can find some truth to legends and creation stories

Cool Finds

Spokane Indians’ New Uniforms Have Team Name in Native Spokane Salish Language

Here come the fighting Sp’q’n’i

The Miami Circle

Cool Finds

Miami Developers And Preservationists Are Fighting Over the Fate of an Incredible, 1,500-Year-Old Settlement

The archaeologists who found it say it’s “likely one of the most significant prehistoric sites in the United States”

Russia and Alaska's current coastlines (the dashed black lines), compared to ancient Beringia (shown in green), the land bridge that brought humans to North America.

New Research

Ancient Migration Patterns to North America Are Hidden in Languages Spoken Today

Languages spoken in North America and Siberia are distantly related. What does that tell us about the first Americans?

New Research

Neanderthal Hunters Probably Didn’t Herd Mammoths Off Cliffs

Not that it’s impossible, in general; it just probably didn’t happen at this one particular spot

This illustration appeared on the cover of Tribal Force #1, which came out in 1996

Cool Finds

Tribal Force, the First Comic to Feature a Team of Native American Superheroes, Is Returning

Tribal Force was the first comic to feature a superhero team made entirely of Native American characters

This gold and pearl hair ornament from the days of China’s Qing Dynasty shows the symbolic significance of the phoenix in Chinese culture. Come see an exhibit at the Sackler Gallery showcasing materials from the creation of Chinese artist Xu Bing’s Phoenix Project, on display until September 2.

Hurry In! These Smithsonian Exhibitions Won’t Be Here Much Longer

Spend your remaining summer days at the museums, and don’t miss out on the Smithsonian’s soon-to-be-closed exhibits

Johnny Depp’s Tonto Isn’t Offensive, Just Weird, Says the Director of the American Indian Museum

We sent the Director of the American Indian Museum to the Lone Ranger; here’s what he thought

Witness a cultural performance of Garifuna songs and drumming at the Folklife Festival Wednesday, July 3. The Garifuna are an ethnic minority in Central America with a diverse background and distinct culture and language.

Events July 2-4: Discover Genetic Coding, Experience Garifuna Culture and Watch ‘March Point’

This week, check out an exhibit on genes, witness a Central American song and dance performance and watch Native American film “March Point”

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