Greetings everyone,

At some point when it comes to Anawak culture we have to come to terms with how to describe many things. Anawak is a word in Nawatl (Nahuatl) usually spelled “Anahuac.” The phonetic spelling of the Nawatl language will be used on this site which we will then parenthesize the colonial spelling that everyone is used to, so you may research it.

Anawak is the term that best describes all ov the Americas. This page will be discussing topics related to the Americas which include the nations, tribes, languages, customs, art, food, science, math, philosophy, medicine, warring and history.

Most of what we understand about Anawak history has either been written by foreigners or left to oral tradition with caretakers and currently on archeological sites. However, you have to be careful because not all the information is accurately conveyed. Prior to 1492 the Americas were inhabited by only Native Americans who did not use that term “Native American.” We called ourselves the people mostly in our languages because we did not label people, places or things.

The foreigners labeled and renamed us. They also decided to define us with their scientific terminology and western mentality. Sometimes these labels are degrading and derogatory or they are inaccurate descriptions. The foreigners tried to eradicate Native American cultures during the colonization of the Americas they massacred, raped and pillaged. They destroyed books and buildings. They also used Christianity to indoctrinate and change the Native philosophy. They removed us, the original Natives from our lands and put many of us on reservations, haciendas, or boarding schools. They forbade us to speak our languages or practice our traditions.

To be fair some archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, and scholars are trying to aid in understanding what was lost during the colonization. But, that does not make up for what their ancestors destroyed and it is a very sensitive issue when a foreigner thinks they know who we are as the descendant Native Americans on this continent.

Since we now speak these colonial languages such as English and Spanish it is very hard to keep the essence of our languages in tact. Many aspects of our culture, traditions, philosophies, rituals and ceremonies are lost in translation. Some literally perform ceremonies in English or Spanish for lack of the knowledge. So we have to come up with some commonalities to protect and preserve our way ov life.

After 527 years, even our elders have lost many of the traditions and we have had to adapt to this New World.

Therefore, this page is dedicated to the reciprocity and validation of the Americas. My colleagues and I will do our best to clarify terms and give definitions as well as descriptions of Anawak culture. Please ask questions and add your thoughts at the bottom of each post. We will do our best to answer or create posts to explain each topic.

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