Welcome to Crash Course Native American History! Over the next 24 episodes, Che Jim will introduce you to the deep, ongoing history of the Indigenous peoples who’ve called these lands home from time immemorial to today. Course Description: Over the course of 24 episodes, we’re going to learn about Native American history. Host Che Jim will teach you about the deep, ongoing history of Native peoples in what’s now known as the United States—from time immemorial to the Land Back movement. This content was developed with a team of Indigenous experts, and based on an introductory college-level curriculum.
Native American history didn’t begin in 1492, and it didn’t end in 1900. It stretches back thousands and thousands of years and extends into the present – and the future – of the United States. In our first episode of Crash Course Native American History, we’ll explore why and how we plan to tell this history.
What is tribal sovereignty? In this episode of Crash Course Native American History, we’ll explore how tribes can and can’t govern themselves, and why sovereignty isn’t something the U.S. ever gave to tribes — it’s an inherent right they already had.
From sports mascots to “the First Thanksgiving,” bland representations of Native Americans are everywhere. In this episode of Crash Course Native American History, we’ll tackle common myths and misconceptions about Native people and uncover the truth behind tribal casinos, government handouts, and more.
What makes a Native American? Is it the way a person looks, their family history, or something else? In this episode of Crash Course Native American history, we dive into the ways people define and reclaim tribal identity, from blood quantums and federal recognition to language and more.
What do we mean when we say that Native Americans have a strong connection to the land? In this episode of Crash Course Native American History, we’ll explore how Native peoples’ long, deep history on their homelands informs their culture, languages, and identity to this day.
Just like everyone, all Native Americans are unique. But what do they have in common? In this episode of Crash Course Native American History, we’ll explore similarities in Native worldviews, from harvest traditions to humor.
Archaeology and anthropology are amazingly interesting fields, but they also have a legacy of dehumanizing and mistreating Native peoples. In this episode of Crash Course Native American History, we’ll uncover the dark history of Native grave robbing, explore the ways these fields are righting past wrongs, and discover the story of one Inuk’s journey to honor his late father.
The scientific method isn’t the only way to gain knowledge—Native people have been learning and innovating in their own ways for millennia. In this episode of Crash Course Native American History, we’ll discover the ways Western science and Indigenous knowledge can braid together to create a better world.
What does food sovereignty mean—and why does it matter? In this episode of Crash Course Native American History, we’ll explore how Native peoples’ deep ties to their traditional foods splintered under colonization, and why many Native people are fighting to keep those foods in their communities or bring them back.
In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue…and drastically changed the lives of Native Americans forever. In this episode of Crash Course Native American History, we’ll unpack misconceptions around first contact between Europeans and Natives and explore how Native peoples are still resisting colonialism today.
It’s time for the Eras Tour… well, the colonialism version. In this episode of Crash Course Native American History, we’ll unpack the history of the Treaty Era and the Reservation Era, and all the broken promises and ripple effects that came with them.
What did it mean to “Kill the Indian, Save the Man”? In this episode of Crash Course Native American History, we’ll learn about assimilation and allotment: a period where the U.S. government tried to eliminate Native Americans by erasing their culture, their way of life, and their claim over the land.