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The Culture of the Plains Indians - Case Study of Lakota Sioux - Coggle…
The Culture of the Plains Indians - Case Study of Lakota Sioux
The Plains were Vast and Dangerous. White Americans Believed They were Inhabitable Before the 1840s
The Plains were an area of open grassland which lay between the Mississippi River in the East and the Rocky Mountains in the West.
There were few resources there such as wood or water. Temperatures varied greatly from well below freezing in the winter to over 40 degrees Celsius in the summer.
Most White Americans saw the Plains as a great desert before the 1840s and therefore not worth settling. They referred to it as 'The West'.
During this time-period, Plains Indians would adapt their way of life to suit their life living on the Plains. There were differences in the approach of the Plains Indians.
During the 1820s, White Americans had begun to travel West across the Plains into the Rocky Mountains - they were fur trappers known as 'mountain men'.
Mapping and exploration had been done and trade took place with Native Americans
The mountain men travelled across the Plains and into the Rocky Mountains. The American Fur Company established an annual rendezvous in the Rocky Mountains.
They traded with Native Americans who would guide them through the Rocky Mountains.
Between 1820 and 1840 the relationship between Native Americans and mountain men in the West was mostly positive and peaceful.
From 1840, this changed due to White Americans wanting to claim the land. This would become known as the 'Manifest Destiny'.
Migrants travelling over the Plains began to settle in Oregon, California and the Pacific Coast looking for new opportunities.
Mormons escaping religious persecution settled at the Salt Lake in the desert.
Gold was discovered in the Rocky Mountains.
By 1840, a Number of Different Native American Nations Lived on the Great Plains. Each had its Own History and Culture - They also Shared Many Characteristics
Many Native American nations lived on the Great Plains in the 1840s.
The Apache
The Apache live on the south-west Plains and had survived almost entirely on buffalo.
They were a fully nomadic horse culture.
Apache warriors were feared across the southwest Plains.
The Sioux
The Sioux were divided into the Lakota, the Dakota and the Nakota.
The Lakota Sioux had moved onto the Great Plains as they were experienced with horses so could follow the buffalo as a source of food.
By the 1830s, the Lakota Sioux obtained goods from White American traders.
The Sioux homelands filled up with other Native American tribes.
Lakota Sioux - lived on northern edge of Plains near Great Lakes
Leadership and organisation
Organised each tribes into bands. Usually led by a powerful warrior.
They had a nomadic lifestyle which meant they constantly wandered around following the buffalo.
Food
Mainly ate buffalo. Able to hunt on larger scale with guns.
Foraged woodlands and grew a small amount of crops.
Shelter
Lived in tipis (tents) made from buffalo hides.
Warfare
Fought on horseback using bows and guns.
Young men learned to fight from childhood.
Warrior societies were very powerful in Sioux politics.
Beliefs
Believed in the Great Spirit, Wakan Tanka.
Believed that the Black Hills of Dakota were the sacred centre of Sioux power.
Believed that nobody could own land and that farming was disrespectful to the earth.
Relationship with White Americans
Generally hostile to White Americans - fought to keep control of lands and made treaties to protect their interests.
Cheyenne - lived on edge of northern Plains
Leadership and organistation
Organised into tribes and bands - usually led by a powerful warrior or trader.
They were partially nomadic but it depended on the tribe. Some settled near trading posts.
Food
Mainly ate buffalo but also traded with white traders.
Fought with other tribes for control of hunting grounds.
Shelter
Lived in buffalo tipis.
Warfare
Fought on horseback using bows and guns.
Young men learned to fight from childhood.
Warrior societies, like the Dog Soldiers, were a powerful force.
Beliefs
Believed in the All Being
Thought that the Noahavose Hill was the sacred centre of Cheyenne lands.
Believed that the Cheyenne were a 'called out people'.
Relationship with White Americans
Saw trade with White Americans as key to their survival on the Plains. Brought items to trade with other Native American tribes.
Married into white trading families.
Nez Perce - lived in Pacific North West region
Leadership and organisation
Organised into villages. Each village elected a leader called a headman. This was chosen on his ability to organise and negotiate trade.
They were not really nomadic - they had fixed villages.
Food
Hunted buffalo on the Plains in the summer but ate fish and camas root in the winter.
Shelter
Lived in huts in the winter an tipis in the summer.
Warfare
Fought on horses but only during summer buffalo hunts. Sold horses to other Plains tribes.
Warrior societies were less influential than headmen.
Beliefs
Believed in the importance of staying near the Bitterroot Mountains, which they saw as their sacred home.
Believed that land could not be bought or sold by people.
Relationships with White Americans
Friendly with White Americans. Helped to rescue the Lewis and Clarke expedition to the West in 1804-05.