Native Americans

After centuries of encroachment, warfare and neglect, American Indians remain a vital force in the life of America. In this collection, delve into stories from We Shall Remain, a five-part 2009 series on the history and lives of Native Americans, and from other American Experience films. Follow American Experience into the Everglades, where, more recently, in 2018, we interviewed members of the Seminole and Mikasuki tribes, to learn about their families' histories in southern Florida.

Films

Film
We Shall Remain

From the award-winning PBS series American Experience comes We Shall Remain, a provocative multi-media project that establishes Native history as an essential part of American history.

Features

The Swamp | Interactive
A Place to Remember

Indigenous stories from the Everglades.
We Shall Remain | Clip
Hill High Low

Michael Little gives us a glimpse into his life as an artist in Phoenix, Arizona.
We Shall Remain | Clip
Navajo Artist

Meet Ryan Singer, a Navajo artist from Arizona.
We Shall Remain | Clip
Running: Connection to Ancestral Land

Guy Narcomey shares his love of running and a deep connection to his tribal ancestry.
The Pilgrims | Clip
The First Thanksgiving

The first Thanksgiving wasn't the same holiday we celebrate today.
Annie Oakley | Article
Biography: Sitting Bull

Sitting Bull was the political and spiritual leader of the Sioux warriors who destroyed General Custer's force in the famous battle of Little Big Horn.
Mount Rushmore | Article
Native Americans and Mount Rushmore

The Black Hills are sacred to the Lakota Sioux, the original occupants of the area when white settlers arrived.
The Alaska Pipeline | Article
Native Land Claims in Alaska

Between 1902 and 1926 the federal government had set aside 54 million acres as national parks and wildlife refuges. All the rest was potentially subject to Native title. However, Congress had never made any treaties with Alaska Natives.
The Alaska Pipeline | Article
The Impact of the Pipeline on Alaska Natives

Willie Hensley joined the company in 1997 to act as liaison between Alyeska and the Native community.
The Gold Rush | Article
The Gold Rush Impact on Native Tribes

The native tribes of California saw themselves as stewards not owners of the land. The white settlers who arrived during the Gold Rush brought a different view.
The Gold Rush | Article
Act for the Government and Protection of Indians

In 1850 the California legislature passed and act that essentially forced many Native Americans into servitude.
The Transcontinental Railroad | Article
Interview: Native Americans

Donald Fixico, Thomas Bowlus Distinguished Professor of American Indian History and Director of the Center for Indigenous Nations Studies at the University of Kansas, talks about the West before white settlement.
The Transcontinental Railroad | Article
Native Americans and the Transcontinental Railroad

As white explorers and settlers entered Western territory, they disrupted a centuries-old culture — that of the Plains Indians.
We Shall Remain | Clip
We Know What We Saw

Clarissa and Connie Archilta tell us what they really saw — a mighty myth.
Building the Alaska Highway | Article
Alaska Natives Before Statehood

In the early spring of 1942 Alaska's population was approximately 73,000. About half of those residents were Native Alaskans, members of indigenous groups who inhabited Alaska before it was colonized by Russia.