Indigenous society and beliefs

Question 1

Did all Indigenous tribes get along?

Answer 1

No - some were sworn enemies and would fight on sight

Question 2

What name was given to large tribes such as the Sioux?

Answer 2

Nations

Question 3

How many people could be in a band within a tribe?

Answer 3

20-30 or several hundred

Question 4

When would all the different bands in a tribe meet, and for what purpose?

Answer 4

In the summer for a great tribal camp

To co-operate to ensure survival on the Plains

Question 5

What tribes made up the Sioux nation?

Answer 5

Lakota, Dakota and Nakota

Question 6

How many sub-tribes made up the Lakota Sioux tribe?

Answer 6

7

Question 7

What gender were chiefs?

Answer 7

Men

Question 8

Give three examples of types of chief

Answer 8

1) A war chief

2) A spiritual chief

3) A chief who led negotiations with other tribes

Question 9

Why did the system of chiefs lead to problems with the white Americans?

Answer 9

The white Americans found it difficult to understand that one tribe could have multiple chiefs

Question 10

Why would someone be chosen to be a chief?

Answer 10

Their wisdom, leadership and spiritual powers, or their skill as warriors and hunters

Question 11

Were chiefs in position for life?

Answer 11

Rarely

Question 12

What role did the band chief play?

Answer 12

Guided the band to find enough to eat and protected the band from danger

Question 13

Who made up the tribal council?

Answer 13

Band chiefs and elders

Question 14

What did the tribal council decide?

Answer 14

Where to declare war or negotiate peace

Question 15

How were decisions made in the tribal council?

Answer 15

Unanimously - everyone had to agree

Question 16

Did bands have to follow chiefs?

Answer 16

No - in tribes like the Lakota Sioux, they could make their own decisions

Question 17

Who would be part of the warrior brotherhood?

Answer 17

Young men who had proved their bravery and skill

Question 18

What did warrior brotherhoods teach their members?

Answer 18

The tribe’s beliefs and values

Question 19

What did warrior brotherhoods NOT have to respect?

Answer 19

Peace treaties negotiated by tribal councils

Question 20

What would leading men from the warrior brotherhoods join?

Answer 20

The guard unit

Question 21

What three things did the guard unit do?

Answer 21

1) Organised the tribe’s yearly buffalo hunt

2) Looked after old and ill tribe members

3) Chose where the tribe should gather to make camp

Question 22

What was the Last Child Society?

Answer 22

A warrior brotherhood in the Oglala Sioux made up of only youngest sons, said to be the bravest and most daring

Question 23

What role did women play in a tribe?

Answer 23

Feeding and clothing their families

Processing buffalo hides and meat

Question 24

Were women respected in Indigenous peoples society?

Answer 24

Yes - they had a specialised role

Question 25

What was the key resource for the Indigenous peoples?

Answer 25

The buffalo

Question 26

What was the fat of the buffalo used for?

Answer 26

Cooking and making soap

Question 27

What was the skin of the buffalo used for?

Answer 27

Made into leather for clothing, bags, horse harnesses and tipis

Question 28

What was the bladder of the buffalo used for?

Answer 28

Food bags or water skins

Question 29

What were the bones of the buffalo used for?

Answer 29

Arrow heads, tools, jewellery, and frames for sledges

Question 30

What benefits did horses bring to the Indigenous peoples?

Answer 30

Allowed them to live a nomadic lifestyle, following the buffalo herds as they migrated across the Plains

Question 31

What did the Indigenous peoples use horses to carry?

Answer 31

People, sledges carrying folded-down tipis, and camp equipment

Question 32

How did the Indigenous peoples kill the buffalo?

Answer 32

They would fire arrows or guns while riding their horses at full speed

Question 33

What evidence suggests that horses were important status symbols to the Indigenous peoples?

Answer 33

They were stolen during warfare, and Indigenous peoples often measured their wealth in the number of horses they owned

Question 34

Why was buffalo skin a suitable material to make into the tipi?

Answer 34

It was light and easy to carry, and it did not need a lot of wood to make the frame

Question 35

What did Indigenous peoples believed was contained in everything in nature?

Answer 35

A spirit

Question 36

How did Indigenous peoples believed they could contact the spirit world?

Answer 36

Through 'vision quests', guided by spirit animals, or special ritual dances

Question 37

What was the sacred land of the Lakota Sioux?

Answer 37

The Black Hills of South Dakota

Question 38

What activities were seen as disrespectful to the land in Indigenous beliefs?

Answer 38

Farming or mining

Question 39

What did Indigenous peoples believe about the status of land?

Answer 39

It could not be bought or sold

Question 40

Describe TWO ways Indigenous tribes minimised the number of men killed in raids

Answer 40

1) The raid would only go ahead if it looked as if it would work 2) Only selected warrior brotherhoods would go on a raid

Question 41

What was 'counting coup'?

Answer 41

A special type of fighting in which a warrior would attempt to hit or touch (not kill) an enemy and get away without being injured or killed