We Are Still Here!

We Are Still Here! — page 1
Our Native Nations have always been here We are Indigenous to the continent now called North America Our leaders are sovereign and have power to make rules Our ways of life changed when white people arrived from Europe In 1776 white people broke free from England and created their own country called the United States of America which affected our lives even more Like European rulers before them the leaders of the new US government signed legal agreements called treaties with our Native Nations These treaties recognized the sovereignty of our Native Nations to exercise control and power over our people and lands But some treaties forced Native people to leave our homes or sell the lands where our ancestors lived The US government made promises to Native Nations in almost four hundred treaties altogether But the federal government did not always keep its promises to the tribes Most of the time their laws and policies have been devastating Most people do not know what happened to Native Nations and our citizens after treaty making stopped in 1871 4