The Native American Indians are an important part of the culture of the United States.
Native American. n. 1. (Peoples) A member of the indigenous peoples of North America. adj. 2. (Peoples) of, relating to, or characteristic of Native Americans or any of their languages. n. A member of any of the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere. The ancestors of the Native Americans are generally considered by scientists to have entered the Americas from Asia by way of the Bering Strait sometime during the late glacial epoch. Native American adj. Pow Wows are the Native American people’s way of meeting together, to join in dancing, singing, visiting, renewing old friendships, and making new ones. This is a time method to renew Native American culture and preserve the rich heritage of American Indians. Another belief is that when the Native American tribes were forced onto reservations the government also forced them to have dances for the public to come and see. Before each dance they were lead through the town in a parade, which is the beginning of the Grand Entry. In the United States, Native Americans are considered to be people whose pre-Columbian ancestors were indigenous to the lands within the nation's modern boundaries. These peoples were composed of numerous distinct tribes, bands, and ethnic groups, and many of these groups survive intact today as sovereign nations. In 1817, the Cherokee became the first Native Americans recognized as U.S. citizens. Under Article 8 of the 1817 Cherokee treaty, Upwards of 300 Cherokees (Heads of Families) in the honest simplicity of their souls, made an election to become American citizens. In the United States, persons of Native American descent occupy a unique legal position. On the one hand, they are U.S. citizens and are entitled to the same legal rights and protections under the Constitution that all other U.S. citizens enjoy. Native American water rights combine the features of the appropriative and riparian systems. The legal foundation for Indian water rights is the 1908 U.S. Supreme Court case Winters v. United States, 207 U.S. 564, 28 S. Ct. 207, 52 L. Ed. In 1871 Congress added a rider to the Indian Appropriations Act, signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant, ending United States recognition of additional Native American tribes or independent nations, and prohibiting additional treaties. In 1817, the Cherokee became the first Native Americans recognized as U.S. citizens. Under Article 8 of the 1817 Cherokee treaty, Upwards of 300 Cherokees (Heads of Families) in the honest simplicity of their souls, made an election to become American citizens. The Native American name controversy is an ongoing discussion about the changing terminology used by indigenous peoples of the Americas to describe themselves, as well as how they prefer to be referred to by others. Preferred terms vary primarily by region and age. During the latter half of the 20th century and the rise of the Indian rights movement, the United States government responded by proposing the use of the term  Native American , to recognize the primacy of indigenous peoples' tenure in the nation. Native American Indians. The Native American Indians are an important part of the culture of the United States. While their people have lived on this land for thousands of years, today their numbers are dwindling. Once, the Native Americans lived on this continent with little discourse and disruption · Native American and Indian are not exact equivalents when referring to the indigenous peoples of Canada and Alaska. Native American, the broader term, is properly used of all such peoples, whereas Indian is customarily used of the northern Athabaskan and Algonquian peoples in contrast to the Inuit and the Yupik. Alaska Native (or less commonly Native Alaskan) is also properly used of all indigenous peoples residing in Alaska. n. A member of any of the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere. The ancestors of the Native Americans are generally considered by scientists to have entered the Americas from Asia by way of the Bering Strait sometime during the late glacial epoch. Native American adj. There are examples of so called Full Blood Indians that have both BIA and CDIB cards and a family tree of Native American Blood dating back hundreds of years that have had the DNA test to show that they are only 30% – 40% Native American and the other 60% – 70% was a mix of European, African and Asian DNA. 
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Native+Americans http://www.powwows.com/what-is-a-pow-wow/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Native+American+Rights https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_name_controversy http://www.indians.org/articles/native-american-indians.html http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Native+Americans http://www.powwows.com/2012/08/01/what-is-a-native-american/
what is a native american