I am a Native American, I was born in the USA.

There are no Homo Sapiens indigenous to the entire Western Hemisphere. None that we know about anyway. I don't object (actually encourage) to the term, "First Americans". But, the American Indians, the first Americans, are just as much of immigrant stock as I am.

In my opinion, there were tribes here that were more civilized than the Europeans who betrayed their trust. The Cherokee, for instance, and the Narragansett. Thanks to Roger Williams, the Narragansett still live in their ancestral lands. Stone age technology or not, if the Cherokee and others as civilized had a maritime tradition, they might have discovered Europe and the "savages" who lived there.

But, please stop using the term "Native Americans" unless you include me and others of Asian, African and/or European heritage.

To change the subject, Do any of you "non-Yankee" (not from the five New England States) people knopw how come Roger Williams founded the State of Rhode Island and Providence plantations? (our official name) He was an Anglican clergyman forced to leave the Massachusetts Bay Colony because of his liberal and enlightened philosophy. Suffering from Bronchial pneumonia,in the dead of winter he paddled a canoe to what is now Providence, where, upon landing, he was greeted by a Narragansett who asked, "What Cheer, Neetop?" (in English) which in today's vernacular would translate as, "What's happening, friend?" They nursed him back to health. He learned their language, and also learned Pequod (who now operate the foxwood Gambling casino in North Eastern Connecticut) As a result he arbitrated a treaty between the Rhode Island "First Americans" and the English settlers. Unfortunately, and contrary to his intent, the Narragansett suffered greiviously at the hands of the savage Englishmen. But, They still live here, in harmony with their neighbors, and enjoy a good deal of autonomy in their own lands.

Roger Williams' philosophy of "learn to like your neighbors" survives to this day in most of our state. We make jokes about eachother, but knowing that it comes from friends, no one is offended. Like Don Bosquet's, now famous, cartoon depicting two Woonsocket-ites, of French descent, hoofing it , on stage, and singing "We travel along, singing our song, side by each"

When the Hasidic Jews from Portugal and Spain, fleeing the inquisition, came to Newport, the Quakers, who were here first, learned to like their new neighbors so much, that they petittioned the King to grant them the same rights as Englishmen. He did. And, this is our tradition, to this day.