American west- key topic 1 Flashcards
How did horses come to America?
Spanish invaders brought horses to the continent and in 1640 the Pueblo Indians of Mexico revolted and captured many of the Spanish horses which were bred and traded between the Indian Nations.
Why were horses important for the Indian Nations?
it allowed them to move out into the great plains, hunt buffalo easier and improved warfare
What is a buffalo dance?
a ceremonial ritual which lasted several days where the Indians would dress as buffalos and copy their movements
What is the purpose of the buffalo dance?
to call on the spirit world for help in their hunting and to call the buffalo herd closer to them- plains Indians believed this would bring them good luck and would ensure a successful hunt
Describe a buffalo hunt
- bands joined together to hunt
- policed by members of warrior societies
- 2-3 successful hunts a year was enough to feed and shelter the band
- They warriors would stampeded the buffalo and kill them by firing arrows at the running animals
- arrows were marked- gained prestige
What are the features of a tepee?
- made from ten to twenty buffalo skins and supported by a frame of wooden poles arranged in a circle
- at the top of the tepee there ‘s two flaps that can be moved to direct the wind so that the smoke from the fire inside could escape
-strict rules about behaviour- rude to pass between another person and the fire
What did a band consist of?
10-50 families who each had their own tii
What was the role of men in plains Indian society?
- hunters
- warriors
-horsemen
What was the role of women in Plains Indian society?
- responsible for the tipi
- preparing food and fetching water
- making clothes
- valued as the bearers of children
What was the role of children in Plains Indian society?
- didn’t go to school but learned essential life skills from their parents and relatives:
. boys were taught to ride and hunting and fighting skills
. girls were taught how to maintain a home
What was the role of old people in Plains Indian society?
- gave advice in council
- passed on the history of the people
- when too old to travel they were left behind so the band could survive
Describe love matches in Plains Indian society
- a young man would have to impress a girl with his bravery with the gift of horses or buffalo it would also convince her parents of his ability to support a wife.
- when a man married a women he would go and live with the wife’s family
What was the reason for polygamy in Plains Indian society?
due to the dangers of hunting and warfare- made sure all women were cared for and that the band had as many children as possible
How did chiefs gain power?
they weren’t elected and didn’t inherit power but instead became chiefs because of their wisdom, their spiritual power or ‘medicine’ and their skills as hunters and warriors.
Describe the nature of Plains Indian’s councils
- important decisions were taken in councils and the men of the band would decide what to do- chiefs and elders would listen with respect
- smoke a ceremonial pipe will talking until they agreed
What was the Wakan Tanka?
the great spirit that had created the world and all life.
- everything has spirits and spirits influence your life
How would Plains Indians get visions?
- use a sweat lodge to clean their body
- they would pray and fast then receive their vision
What are some example of Plains Indians getting visions?
- the medicine man can interpret visions so warrior can receive their adult name (sitting bull)
- women would easily be able to contact the spirit world after reaching puberty and they would receive training from a medicine women
- Before the battle of little bighorn, sitting bull dreamed that he saw the US army soldiers on horseback upside down falling into the sioux camp- he believed this meant they would die in battle
What are some Plains Indian dances?
- sun dance
- buffalo dance
- scalp dance
What were individual warrior’s reasons for warfare?
- to prove their bravery and gain personal glory
- capture horses and weapons and to become wealthy
- for chiefs it was to test their spiritual power, their medicine, and to increase their standing
What was ‘counting coup’?
to show bravery by getting as close to the enemy as possible
When was the Indian removal Act?
1830
What did the Indian Removal Act consist of?
- established a permanent Indian frontier in the west- as new territories created Indian territory shrank until it was just Oklahoma
-allowed the removal of south-eastern Indians’s so that their land would be available for settlement- they were moved to land in Indian territories
When was the Indian appropriations act?
1851
What did the Indian appropriations act consist of?
it focused on trying to ‘civilise’ the Indians by confining them to reservations and setting up schools.
- set up legally recognised reservations, intended to protect Indians from westward expansion
What was the belief of manifest destiny?
that it was God’s will that the US should expand it’s territory
What were the different factors for the early pioneers crossing the great plains?
- manifest destiny
- territorial expansion
- war with mexico
- negotiations with Britain
- The mountain men
When did the US annex Texas?
1845
Why did the war with mexico cause pioneers to cross the great plains?
- Texas was admitted as the 28th state so negotiations with Mexico broke down
- in 1847, the US army won the battle of Buena Vista, capturing Mexico city and California forcing Mexico to sign the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
What was the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?
made the US gain the Rio Grande as the southern boundary for Texas
