Facts (Native Americans) Flashcards
What Native American tribe lived on the plains?
Sioux (pronounced Soo)
Why were the Sioux nomadic?
followed the buffalo
Name 3 ways the Sioux used the buffalo to overcome a lack of resources on the Plains.
Food, skin for clothes, tipi etc., stomach for cooking pot, tail for fly swatter, horns for cups, sinew for bows, hooves boiled for glue etc
What was considered wealth or currency to the Sioux?
Horses
Name 3 strategies the Sioux used to hunt the buffalo with horses.
Scouted and planned, buffalo hunt dance, war paint, split the herd, caused a stampede, picked out older/slower buffalo, women dismantled buffalo at the hunt, young braves trained
What was a travois and how does it prove that the Sioux adapted to their life?
Tipi posts tied behind horse to transport goods whilst following the buffalo herd
Why was the tipi the perfect shelter for the Sioux? 2 reasons
Easy to take up and down quickly, easy to transport, used resources available (buffalo skin), cool in summer and warm in winter
Why did the Sioux practise polygamy?
Braves lost in hunting/war. Distinct gender roles (e.g. men hunted) meant that women and children of dead braves/warriors would be looked after
What did the Sioux usually go to war over?
Horse theft
Name one Sioux weapon invented for warfare.
None, bow and arrow and tomahawk
How did the Sioux get guns?
Trade with mountain men
Describe what a coup stick was for. (pronounced coo)
It was braver to sneak up and touch an enemy than it was to kill them. Enemy was dishonoured if snuck up on
Why did the Sioux scalp their enemies?
As trophies from battle, but mainly to ensure that their enemies soul escaped and did not go into the afterlife
What were feathers for?
A uniform. Like war medals, the feathers indicated military achievements
When did the Sioux fight?
Usually in the summer when supplies were plentiful
Did the Sioux own land?
No, they believed that the land and all of the world’s creatures belong to the Great Spirit
What was a ‘nation’?
The overall Sioux tribe which broke up into smaller bands to follow the buffalo
How did a chief get his position?
Chosen by the council, elders, warrior society and medicine men for bravery and wisdom. Not inherited or elected
What was the purpose of the ceremonial pipe?
Smoked whilst the council discussed matters to inform the spirit world and guide the council to make a good decision
Why did the Sioux and American government find it difficult to negotiate who owned the Plains?
Americans believed in owning land, but the Sioux did not
What was the Bureau of Indian Affairs?
A government department with agents sent to learn about the Sioux and help make decisions regarding how to deal with the Indians
What year as the Indian Removal Act passed?
1830
What did the Indian Removal Act do? (2 things)
The Plains, west of the Mississippi River, would be Indian land and tribes from the agriculturally valuable south east (cotton and tobacco plantations) were moved there
Why did the government have to pass the Indian Appropriations Act in 1851?
More Americans were moving across the Plains in the 1850s. To protect the Sioux, the government created reservations (land reserved for tribes)
