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Great Sioux War
The Great Sioux War (also given as the Black Hills War, 1876-1877) was a military conflict between the allied forces of the Lakota Sioux/Northern Cheyenne and the US government over the territory of the Black Hills and, more widely, US policies...

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Battle of Fort Washington
The Battle of Fort Washington (16 November 1776) took place during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) as part of the British effort to seize control of Manhattan Island. It saw a British and Hessian force capture Fort Washington...

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A Soldier Recalls the Trail of Tears: John G. Burnett Account
John G. Burnett (b. 11 December 1810) was a private in the US Army in 1838 when he was ordered to act as interpreter between US officials and the Cherokee during the forced removal of Native Americans now known as the Trail of Tears. On his...

Definition
Canyon de Chelly
Canyon de Chelly or Canyon de Chelly National Monument is a protected site that contains the remains of 5,000 years of Native American inhabitation. Canyon de Chelly is located in the northeastern portion of the US state of Arizona within...

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Paiyatuma & the Maidens of the Corn
Paiyatuma and the Maidens of the Corn is a legend of the Zuni nation of the Pueblo peoples of the Southwest of the modern-day USA. Paiyatuma (also given as Paiyatamu) is a kachina spirit – an elemental entity – known to the Zuni as "The God...

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The River of Separation, a Navajo Creation Story
The River of Separation is one of the many versions of the Navajo creation story detailing how the people first came up from below the earth, learned to live on its surface and, just as importantly, learned to live with each other. Versions...

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Ulunsuti Tales
The Ulunsuti tales of the Cherokee deal with the mystical jewel, the Ulunsuti ("transparent"), a diamond on the forehead of the great horned serpent Uktena. The Ulunsuti appears in several Cherokee legends, but the story is developed through...

Definition
Coyolxauhqui
Coyolxauhqui (pron. Koy-ol-shauw-kee) was the Aztec goddess of the Moon or Milky Way who was famously butchered by her brother Huitzilopochtli, the god of war, in Aztec mythology. This story was commemorated in a celebrated large relief stone...

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George W. Crooks' Account of the Dakota War of 1862
George W. Crooks' Account of the Dakota War of 1862 is a narrative of the events leading up to the "Minnesota Massacre" known as the Dakota War of 1862, given by the Dakota gentleman George W. Crooks (l. c. 1856-1947) in 1937 when he was...

Definition
Battle of the Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn (25-26 June 1876) is the most famous engagement of the Great Sioux War (1876-1877). Five companies of the 7th Cavalry under Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer (l. 1839-1876) were wiped out in one day by the...