AMERINDIAN

Continent: North America, South America Countries: USA, Canada, Alaska, Groenland, several Southern merican countries Languages: The Amerindian languages are not one single related language family as they include numerous families of variable sizes as well as isolated languages.       The Amerindians, also called Indians of America, Indians or native Americans are the native inhabitants of America before the arrival of the European colonisation. The ethnonym "Amerindian" derives from American Indian. This term has been invented as a result of the explorer Christopher Columbus who mistakenly thought having reached the Indian subcontinent, when he landed in America, in 1492. HISTOIRY OF THE NATIVE POPULATION Archaeological finds date the first human migrations in America to more than 40.000 years ago. They would have come from Siberia. They would have crossed the Bering Strait, situated above the seashore line length during the ice age. Other theories explain that Oceanian populations would have crossed the Pacific Ocean, and it's even stated that European people (DNA confirmed assumption).  It is estimated that these European migrants have arrived between 12.000 and 36.000 years ago; they would actually relate to a very restricted group of indigenous people who are the Ojibwe, the Nuu-Chah-Nulth, the Sioux and the Yakama tribes. AMERINDIAN LANGUAGES The Amerindian languages are not one single related language family as they include numerous families of variable sizes as well as isolated languages. The lowland Indians had developed an auxiliary sign language to communicate beyond their mother languages.  TheAmerindians also use drums that allow distant communication. AMERINDIAN SYMBOLS The symbols used by the Amerindians have a very strong relation with nature, the animal world, the plant world, trees, minerals and the stars. These drawings are used by all the tribes going from the rich and meaningfull mural paintings of the Navajos, until the language used in the Stone Age. Sources: Wikipedia / Site: www.alta-california.com - "Symbols of the indian nation"