Turtle Island.  North America.

Canada, the United States and Mexico.

And the original home of 500 other Nations.

Some call it Manifest Destiny; others call it an invasion.  Regardless of semantics, the Onkwehonwe (Original People) are very much still here and maintaining a culture and heritage indigenous to this continent.

The history of the relationship between the Native and non-Native is one of contrasting values, divergent 

philosophies and differing accounts of history itself.  Much has been written about the First Nations from a non-Native perspective; yet the essence of what it means to be Native can never be documented.  The intensely personal feelings, outlook on life and interpretation of the world in which we live are all a matter of fact to the Aboriginal community.

The 500 Native Nations of Turtle Island were each affected by the introduction of European (and to a lesser degree, Asian) culture.  Whether beneficial or exploitive, these people experienced change which was neither planned or anticipated and the consequences would have a profound effect for centuries.

One small webpage could hardly do justice to an entire continent of cultures.  To lump all these First Nations together under the misnomer of 'Native Americans' is not only a gross injustice, but tends to trivialize the individual cultures.  It's akin to merging Scandinavian society with that of Spanish society and calling everyone 'Native Europeans'.

Rather than attempt to reiterate information which is already available, the intent of this page is to provide a starting point to explore the history and culture of the First Nations.  The links provided here are intentionally general in nature; it's left up to the reader to follow the suggested links which point in many directions.

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Cosmic Messenger Jean-Luc Ponty : Cosmic Messenger