Great Plains and Plain Indians Flashcards
What were the three main reasons it was difficult to survive on the Great Plains?
Climate, food, resources
What was the difficulty with climate?
The Plains were very hot in the summer (up to 40) and very cold in the winter (below 0)
What was the difficulty with food?
There were little resources on the Plains
What was the difficulty with resources?
No trees to provide shelter or wood for cooking, very little water
What did Indians respect?
Nature
Why did the Indians respect nature?
Because they believed the land was sacred and spirits lived in everything (even the trees)
What did Indians do with resources?
They did not waste them and only took what they needed
What did Indians think about the land?
They respected it and lived in harmony with nature. The land was seen as a living thing so nobody owned it. It was like a mother to them
What did Indians say ploughing the land would be like?
Ripping open their mothers breast
Where was the most holy part of the land for the Indians?
The black hills
What did Indians think about the Spirit world?
They believed in the Great Spirit called Wakan Tanka who created the world. All things had spirits like plants, rocks, rivers, animals
What did the Indians say about visions?
The spirit world could be contacted through visions. Young men were given their adult name when they had a vision
What did the Indians say about circles?
Life was a circle from birth to death, everything revolved around circles e.g. the sun, moon, built their tipis in a circle
What did the Indians say about dances?
They danced to celebrate success and to ask the great spirit for help. They did the Buffalo Dance for hope, and the Sun Dance for inspiration, and the Scalp Dance for celebration
What happened in 1876
Sitting Bull did a sundance before the Battle of Little BigHorn because he had a vision of victory
What are the key things to remember for values and beliefs of the Indians?
Respected resources and the land, spirit world, visions, circles and dances
Why did Indians do the Buffalo Dance?
For hope
Why did Indians do the Sun Dance?
For inspiration and guidance
Why did Indians do the scalp dance?
For celebration
What are the three things to remember about the tipi?
Assembly, lightweight, weatherproof
What was so good about the assembly of the tipi?
It was easily assembled and repairable - good for their nomadic way of life
What was good about the tipi being lightweight?
It could be moved quickly from place to place to follow the buffalo
What was good about the tipi being weatherproof?
It was suited to all kinds of weather on the Plains
What are the main aspects of Sioux Warfare?
Fighting, bravery, scalping
How did the Sioux fight?
In small groups
They tried to take horses or women from their enemies
They fought for revenge
Did not fight in winter
What did the Sioux say about bravery?
It was not heroic to die in battle
They believed in ‘counting coup’: touching an enemy with a coup stick. You could gain a reputation for bravery. It was very shameful to have this happen to you
What did the Sioux say about scalping?
They took the scalp from their enemy to prove how brave they are
If the scalp was taken, the Indian would not enter the afterlife
What are the main aspects of the resources of the Indians?
Food, resources, respect
What did the Indians say about food?
The buffalo provided fresh meat. They were nomadic hunter-gatherers
What did the Indians say about resources?
They used the buffalo for everything and used all parts of the buffalo: skin for clothes, tipi, horse saddles, bone for arrowheads
What did the Indians say about respect?
They respected the buffalo and buried the heart of the animal because that’s where the soul is
What four things did the Indian use the horse for?
Hunting, transport, wealth and horsemanship
What did Indians use horses for in hunting?
The horses found the buffalo, it helped them to hunt more efficiently than on foot
