Lesson 7: Hardship for Native Americans Flashcards
(35 cards)
Corral Definition
an enclosure for animals
Jerky Definition
a type of dried meat
Reservation Definition
a limited area of land set aside for Native Americans
Tepee Definition
a tent made by stretching buffalo skins on tall poles
Travois Definition
a sled pulled by a dog or horse
What was the true amount of tension between Americans and Native Americans? (Modification from lesson)
This video downplays the tension and conflict between white settlers looking for gold in Colorado and several Native American tribes that were granted this land according to the Treaty of Fort Laramie. After gold was found in Colorado in 1858, several Native American nations, including the Cheyenne and Arapaho, were forced to negotiate with white settlers to migrate to a much smaller portion of their previously-held land. White settlers saw Native American refusal to sign away their land as hostile and an act of war. Tensions grew, leading to isolated incidents of attacks and destruction of livestock, supplies, and crops. The increasing violence, along with the start of the Civil War, led to one of the worst massacres of Native Americans in our country’s history. The Sand Creek Massacre in 1864 resulted in roughly 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho casualties compared to the less than 10 Colorado white settlers. Horrific acts of violence were committed by the white settlers leading to the destruction and fragmentation of the Cheyenne and Arapaho culture.
What were the culture and skill of the Plains Indians? How did different tribes communicate? What were their main source of food?
Plains Indians had rich and varied cultures. They were skilled artists. They also had well-organized religions and warrior societies. Each nation had its own language. People from different nations used sign language to communicate with one another. At one time, most Plains Indians were farmers who lived in semi-permanent villages. From there, they sent out hunting parties that pursued on foot herds of buffalo and other animals. Agriculture, however, was their main source of food.
How did horses impact the way of life of the Plains Indians?
During the 1600s, the Plains Indians’ way of life changed as they learned about horses from neighboring tribes. Christopher Columbus had brought horses to the Americas in the late 1400s, and the Spanish brought them to the North American mainland in the 1500s. At first, Native Americans were not allowed to own horses, but they did learn how to care for them and ride them. After the Pueblo Indians revolted against the Spaniards in 1680, the Pueblos were left with thousands of horses. They started trading these horses to neighboring tribes. Eventually, the horses reached the tribes of the northern plains. Plains Indians used horses while hunting. They also used horses when moving their villages and going on raids.
How significant were buffaloes to the Plains Indians? What did they use them for? What is a tepee? What is a travois?
The buffalo served as a living grocery store for Plains Indians. After acquiring horses, they followed the huge buffalo herds that had roamed their homeland for centuries. Plains Indians began to live in tepees (TEE peez), or tents made by stretching buffalo skins on tall poles. The tepees could easily be carried on a travois (truh VOI)—a sled pulled by a dog or a horse. The migration of the Plains Indians mirrored the movement of the buffalo. In winter, small groups of buffalo moved to protected valleys and forests. In summer, huge buffalo herds gathered on the Plains where the grass was plentiful. In the same way, Plains Indians spent the winter in small bands and gathered in large groups during the summers.
What were the two ways the Plains Indians hunted buffalo?
There were different ways to hunt buffalo. Before horses came to the Plains, a group of hunters would shout and wave colored robes at the buffalo. The hunters would gradually drive a herd of buffalo into a corral, or enclosure. There they killed the trapped buffalo. When the hunt was over, the women and children joined the hunters in cutting up the buffalo and taking it back to camp. Once they had horses, hunters would ride the horses right into the herd and kill the buffalo with bows and arrows.
How did buffalo sustain the way of life for Plains Indians?
Although the Plains Indians also hunted deer and elk, they depended on the buffalo for food, clothing, and shelter. Buffalo meat, rich in protein, was a main item of the Plains Indians’ diet. Women cut up and dried the meat on racks. The dried meat was called jerky. Women also tanned buffalo hides to make sleeping robes and tepee covers. They wove buffalo fur into coarse, warm cloth. The cloth was used as an outer covering for a tepee.
How were Plains Indians councils and ceremonies like? Where did they take place?
Many Native American groups met on the Plains. They hunted together and attended special events. Summer gatherings were the time for councils. At the councils, the elders were consulted about the problems that affected an entire Plains Indian nation.
The most important religious ceremony was the Sun Dance. Hundreds of people attended the four-day ceremony to thank the Great Spirit for blessings, good hunts, and help in times of trouble. Sun Dancers also asked the Great Spirit for good fortune in the coming year.
Remember: Women and men usually had specific roles in Plains Indian society. In some tribes, women helped men with the hunting and governing. A Blackfoot woman, Running Eagle, led many hunting parties herself.
Women and men usually had specific roles in Plains Indian society. In some tribes, women helped men with the hunting and governing. A Blackfoot woman, Running Eagle, led many hunting parties herself.
What were the roles of women in Plains Indian society?
Women oversaw life in the home. They gathered food and prepared meals for their families. The women not only made the tepees, but they were also responsible for raising and taking down tepees. Women cared for the children and, along with the men, passed along the traditions of their people. Women also engaged in many crafts. They made the baskets and blankets. Their work often showed great artistic skill and design. In fact, a woman’s ability in crafts helped establish her rank in society.
What were the roles of men in the Plains Indian society?
The men of the Plains Indians had important responsibilities, too. They hunted to provide food and other materials they needed. They also protected the women, children, and the elders. They passed on their valuable skills and knowledge to the boys. They supervised the spiritual life of the community by leading religious ceremonies. Another important responsibility of the men was to provide military leadership. They waged war to defend or extend territory, to gain horses and other riches, or to seek revenge. More than anything else, however, men waged war to protect their people and to prove their bravery and ability. The most successful warriors gained great respect from the members of their nation.
Remember: Two of the major roles for males in Plains Indian cultures were hunting and waging war.
Two of the major roles for males in Plains Indian cultures were hunting and waging war.
What was the conflict between the Plains Indians before the European and American settlers? How about after? Why did settlers and miners enlist the government for help?
Before Europeans and Americans began to settle on the Plains, the Plains Indians often fought with one another over territory or other resources. But as American settlers began to encroach on Plains Indians’ lands, their attention turned toward this new threat. Conflict on the Plains began as early as the 1840s, when settlers and miners began to cross Plains Indian hunting grounds. The settlers and miners asked for government protection from the Native Americans.
What did the U.S. government do in response to settler’s and miner’s requests for help? What was the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851? When was the treaty broken? What was the aftermath?
The U.S. government built a string of forts to protect settlers and miners. In 1851, federal government officials met with Plains Indian nations near Fort Laramie in Wyoming. The officials asked each nation to keep to a limited area. In return, they promised money, domestic animals, agricultural tools, and other goods. Officials told the Native Americans that the lands that were reserved for them would be theirs forever. Native American leaders agreed to the terms of the Fort Laramie Treaty. However, in 1858, gold was discovered at Pikes Peak in Colorado. A wave of miners rushed to land that the government had promised to the Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples. Federal officials forced Native American leaders to sign a new treaty giving up the land around Pikes Peak. Some Native Americans refused to accept the agreement. They attacked white settlers.
What was the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864?
The settlers struck back. In 1864, Colonel John Chivington led his militia against a Cheyenne village whose leaders had come to a fort asking for protection. When Chivington attacked, the Native Americans raised both a white flag of surrender and the flag of the United States. Chivington had thought the Native Americans were hostile. He either ignored or did not see the flags. He ordered his men to destroy the village and take no prisoners. In what would become known as the Sand Creek Massacre, the militia slaughtered more than 150 men, women, and children.
What was the aftermath of the Sand Creek Massacre?
After the massacre, soldiers said they found scalps of whites in the camp, indicating that there had been some hostile Native Americans there. A congressional committee that investigated the massacre condemned Chivington’s actions, but Chivington had already left the army. As a result of the massacre, Plains Indians went to war. They attacked white settlers and U.S. troops. U.S. troops responded by attacking Indians.
What was discussed at the Peace Commission in 1867, following many wars on the plains?
In 1867, federal officials established a peace commission to end the wars on the Plains so that settlers would be safe. The commission urged Native Americans to settle down and live as white farmers did. It also urged them to send their children to white schools to learn “American” ways.
In 1867, what treaty did southern Plains Indians, like the Kiowas, sign that forced them to relocate to Oklahoma? Why did they sign it? What did the Lakotas and Arapahos agree on in the second Fort Laramie Treaty?
In 1867, the Kiowas, Comanches, and other southern Plains Indians signed a new treaty with the government. They promised to move to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. The soil there was poor. Also, most Plains Indians were hunters, not farmers. The Native Americans did not like the treaty but knew they had no choice. The Lakotas and Arapahos of the northern Plains also signed a second Fort Laramie Treaty in 1868. They agreed to live on reservations in present-day South Dakota. A reservation is a limited area set aside for Native Americans.
How did the decrease in the buffalo population affect the Plains Indians?
The Plains Indians suffered from lost battles and broken treaties. Even worse for them, however, was the destruction of the buffalo. The decline of the buffalo began before the arrival of white settlers. Herds of buffalo lived in areas west of the Mississippi and east of the Rockies. However, with disease, drought, and destruction of the areas in which they lived, the herds were slowly growing smaller. As the market demand for buffalo robes increased during the 1830s and 1840s, professional buffalo hunters killed more buffalo. In addition, buffalo hunting became a pleasure sport when railroads cut through the areas in which buffalo lived. Native Americans themselves learned to hunt more efficiently. Some Plains Indian tribes, such as the Pawnees, continued to hunt buffalo even though they recognized that the number of buffalo was decreasing. The buffalo hunt was a part of their culture that they did not want to give up. As the buffalo disappeared, so did the Plains Indians’ way of life.
Remember: Settlers and miners continued to move into the West. They wanted more and more land for themselves. Even on reservations, Native Americans were not left in peace.
Settlers and miners continued to move into the West. They wanted more and more land for themselves. Even on reservations, Native Americans were not left in peace.
