Slavery among the indigenous peoples of the Americas

Under the heading of slavery among the Indians of North America three historical facts must be described: First, traditional Indian slavery, namely the enslavement of Indians by Indians; secondly, the enslavement of Indians by whites; and third, the enslavement of African Americans by Indians.

Slavery among the Indians

Slavery was among the Indians by no means universally common, but has been used in some peoples to a greater extent. The Haida and Tlingit of southeast coast of Alaska were known as fierce warriors and slave-owners, their prey and campaigns led her to California. Slavery was hereditary, and slaves were regarded as prisoners of war. In some tribes of the Pacific Northwest was about a quarter of the population of slaves.

In Canada, some of the First Nations practiced slavery of prisoners of war. Slavery operated tribes were the Comanche in Texas, the Creek in Georgia, the Pawnee in Nebraska, Klamath, Tupinambás and the Northern California fishing people of the Yurok. Many of slavery -applying Indians hoped through the slave trade with the colonists on better relations with the British settlers to prevent their own enslavement.

Enslavement of Indians by whites

Shortly after the "discovery " of America by the fleet of the navigator Christopher Columbus in 1492, it came to the enslavement of Native Americans by the colonists. One of the first places of intense slavery (including the Arawaks ) and slave labor were the gold mines in Hispaniola.

In the 17th century it was common among the European colonists to enslave Indians. Many of these slaves were from the mainland to the island colonies, especially to the " sugar islands" in the Caribbean, abducted. The historian Alan Galley estimates that British slave traders sold Indians from the south of present-day territory of the United States over the period 1670-1715 24000-51000.

In colonial California, the trade was organized with Indian slaves through the missions of the Franciscans, the Indians could theoretically allow only ten years to work for you, but in the long run they actually kept unfree; until the mid- 1830s they were released. When California became American following the Mexican-American War, were the Indians of this region from 1850 to 1867 again in slavery.

In order to be able to keep Indian slaves, White had to pay a deposit. Indian slaves were recruited by raids and as a (temporary) punishment for vagrancy (English vagrancy ).

Enslavement of African Americans by Indians

After her attempted adaptation to the society of European immigrants (see Five Civilized Tribes ) began the Cherokee and some other Indian tribes in the early 19th century, to buy black slaves and use. This practice they retained even after they have been deported in the 1830s to the Indian Territory in the area of present-day Oklahoma. The attitude of black slaves in the Cherokee also happened after the model of the slavery of whites. Marriages between Cherokee and blacks were forbidden. Cherokee who supported slaves were punished with flagellation. Black could hold within the Cherokeegesellschaft neither offices nor bear arms still own property. Illegal it was to teach blacks to read and write. After the end of the American Civil War, undertook the root to resume his 1863 freed slaves ( freedmen ) as full members of the tribe, the right to vote, however, was never implemented. In the 20th and 21st century, this status has been repeatedly challenged by representatives of the Cherokee Nation. Since the 1980s, processes to the nationality of the freedman are pending. To-date ( mid-2010 ), the processes have not been completed due to an injunction pronounced exclusions have been suspended until the courts make a final decision. In August 2011, the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court decided, the Supreme Court of the independent Cherokee Nation in the United States, that the constitutional amendment the right to vote still withholds the descendants of former slaves, was lawful. The right to vote can obtain only those who can demonstrate at least a Cherokee among his ancestors, which excludes the majority of the descendants of former slaves.

The Congress of the United States to continue to support initiatives of the Cherokee Nation from federal funds were launched in the 21st century, must depend on the recognition of the freedman as full members of the people.

Other indigenous peoples, such as the Seminoles, granted escaped African-American slaves refuge and took them as Black Seminoles in their tribal composite on.