What did the "Native Americans" call their race before white people took their land?
"To this day, if you ask an American Indian, "what are you?" he or she will, in my experience, usually identify with his or her tribe. Because of the close similarity of many Algonquian dialects and the vagaries of 17th Century phonetic spelling in English, there has been a lot of confusion about tribal names. One of the more shining examples of that confusion was by James Fennimore Cooper, whose Last of the Mohicans manages to thoroughly confuse the Mahican tribe of the Hudson River area with the Mohegan tribe of Connecticut. I think that both names are a variant of the word "Muhhekunneuw (http://www.dickshovel.com/Mahican.html)," which means "people of the great river." This would make sense since the Mahicans were along the Hudson and the Mohegans were located along the Thames. On a vaguely related note, Herman Melville (http://www.literaturepage.com/read/mobydick-81.html) saw fit to name Captain Ahab's ship Pequod, which "you will no doubt remember," says Melville, "was the name of a celebrated Indian tribe of Massachusetts Indians, now extinct as the ancient Medes." Even though Melville got the tribe's location wrong (they're in Connecticut, not Massachusetts) and the tribe's status (not only do they exist, they're now the wealthiest tribe in America), Melville may have known that "Pequot" means "the destroyers." "It varries greatly, since "Native Americans" refers to a large and disparate group of peoples, with different languages, cultures, and worldviews. The name for themselves was very often something corresponding to "the people", like with the Dineh. Their name for others was often something corresponding with "enemy." Often the name that we think of when thinking of an Indian tribe is another tribes' name for them (often "enemy"), which was the first we learned. "Navajo", the common name for the Dineh, comes from a Spanish version of a Tewa word, while "Mowhawk" is a Narraganset name meaning "flesh eaters", "Apache" is said to be a Spanish corruption of a Zuni word meaning "enemy," "Sioux" is a French corruption of a Anishinabe word also meaning "enemy."
How did Temujin (aka Genghis Khan), with no understanding of geography or awareness of the West, manage to conquer so much territory?
There is a petrography (cave painting) dated 5000 years back in Arkhangai province, Chuluut sum of Mongolia where North star and Big dipper depicted. Even modern Mongol nomads, oriented by those stars rarely get lost in our vast steppes, those stars can be clearly seen on our eternal blue sky. Mongolia has 250 sunny days a year. Astronomy and astrology is not alien to the Mongols. Khitan people - Wikipedia and Tuoba - Wikipedia had well written books about astronomy, big libraries and astronomers long before anyone knew about it.Tribal or indigenous people, nomads who live in harmony with mother nature are very observant and aware of their surroundings. They can have more knowledge of geography and land structure than any professional geographer and geologist. In one sentence Mongols were army of cavalries with astronomy knowledge.Door of the Mongol ger always faces east, where the sun rises. It helps not only to see the sun rise but the actual ger and its dome is a sun dial that helps determine the time and direction.Belle Blanch's answer to Do Mongolian gers have windows?Also there were special units consisting Aravts (10 soldiers) who rode ahead of the army to spy what is waiting upfront and to find short and easy routes. They drew maps, observed local terrains and points convenient to attack the enemy.And, of course there were “MASKED” merchants who spied on countries and empires and drew detailed maps for Mongols khans and their army. Later those maps were used for Silk road and Yam (route) - Wikipedia (Mongolian logistic system.)Belle Blanch's answer to Why was trade so significant to the Mongols?Belle Blanch's answer to How good was the Mongol Army's logistics during its peak?
How did native Americans and pioneers drink water with micro-organisms in it without getting sick?
Same way the Mexicans drink water in Mexico when it makes Americans sick. They grow up with the water and their bodies have adapted to it.
How did egyptians do trade from the nile river?
Egyptians pioneered the development of river craft and there were many different types built for various uses. Agricultural produce, troops, cattle, stone and funeral processions were all carried on the Nile and its canals. These boats were made of bundles of bound papyrus reeds. Papyrus is different from paper because papyrus is a laminated material made from thinly cut strips from the stalk of Cyprus Papyrus plant It was believed to be first used about 4000 B.C., and became Egypt's major exports. There were many types of boats that Egyptians used. Papyrus boats were used by Egyptians. Papyrus boats were built with bundles of papyrus. They were steered with oars. Sailboats were used a lot by Egyptians. Sailboats were steered by two oars. Sailboats usually only had one square sail. Funeral boats carried dead people down river. They were used to carry the dead across the Nile River. The funeral boats were very elaborate. The earliest record of a ship under sail is depicted on an Egyptian pot dating back to 3200BC. These Egyptian boats were made of either native woods or conifers from Lebanon. Papyrus boats were useful for hunting or crossing short stretches of water, using a paddle or a pole. These boats were made of bundles of bound papyrus reeds, and were lashed together into a long thin hull form in the style of a slight crescent. This lifted the ends out of the water. The bundle was made as wide as possible for stability, and an extra bundle was put on top so that the cargo and crew were kept reasonable dry. They had ferries so people without boats could cross the Nile. These ferries carried people and goods across and along the river. Royal boats allowed the pharaoh and his family to ride in style. A huge canopy protected the royal family from the sun and people staring at them. The Egyptians even had cattle boats. These boats had wide flat decks for the cattle. The farmers would do almost anything to protect their cattle because their cattle was where most of their money came from.
How did Plains Native Americans survive prairie fires?
Most burned the prairie. This kept the fires smaller and safer and promoted new growth for animals. The burning was a form of range management and to make it safer. It was still dangerous. They timed the burning to keep it safer. Native Americans set their fires at certain times of the year depending on what the purpose of that fire was. For example, fires set to clear land for growing crops and stimulating berry growth were set in the early spring in the northern part of North America just as the new growth was starting. Fires were set at regular intervals, often as frequently as every 1-5 years. This was more often than naturally occurring fires. Because fires were set more frequently than normal there was less time for larger plants such as shrubs and trees to grow back. This meant there was less fuel to feed a fire, the fires were less intense, and more likely to burn along the surface. Research during the latter half of the 20th century has shown that many or most of the presettlement fires were intentionally caused. With the invasion of Europeans, fires reduced and forests followed. Fires became less frequent and more intense.“The many original diaries, letters, books, and reports by eyewitnesses of Indian fire use from the 1600’s to the 1900’s have yielded considerable evidence that American Indians did use fire to change ecosystems (Barrett 1980, 1981; McClain and Elzinga 1994; Russell 1983; Whitney 1994). Of course, not all tribes burned the landscape often. For example, Indians living directly along the coast in the Pacific Northwest rarely used fires, because their food came from the ocean and rivers. But the tribes living a few miles inland extensively used fire to maintain the prairies or savannas they depended on for food (Norton et al. 1999). “American Indian Use of Fire in Ecosystems Referenceshttps://www.fs.fed.us/fire/fmt/f...Wildland fire in ecosystems: effects of fire on flora