American West - Native Americans Flashcards
Where did they come from?
The original native Americans were from north Asia
Then they spread throughout North America
Why did they go West
To trade goods - guns for Indian warfare Horses - originally none but traded between Indian nations. Ability to move and hunt buffalo easier Diseases - brought cholera and smallpox Gold Land Hunting opportunities Fur Coffee and sugar (resources) Rifles and knives Lots of food in Oregon
Factors that helped them
Horses to carry things, quicker transport, easier for fights
Lots of space so a lot to build their farm on - different conditions of the land
Lots of water so people and horses never went thirsty
Hunting opportunities to get buffalo for food
Factors that hindered them
Overpopulation Harsh climates Dangerous enemies Sometimes a struggle for survival Had to hunt for everything Could easily freeze to death Came across 50-60 bears per day Adaptations to wilderness Unfriendly so they became isolated
Problems they faced
Buffalo (these could be killed so they dressed up as wolves as the buffalo didn’t mind wolves coming near them)
Some tribes were more warlike as they had horses and performed counting coup (poking someone with a stick was worth more than actually killing someone)
Impact on America
Very little
They had tipis made of buffalo skin as it was easy to get which meant there were less buffalo about
The horses had to hunt buffalo and carry things around as they weren’t an easy target to hit
Who are they
Indians who adapted their lifestyle to different environments
They didn’t originally settle on Great Plains - they lived in river valleys to the East
In the 18th century they began to move
They were called Indians because they went to Cuba and America on horseback
