Key Issue 1: The Plains Indians

Question 1

What natural hazards are there on the Plains?

Answer 1

• Appalachian Mountains difficult to cross; colonies settled in East because of this and prevented their growth
• Mississippi River was difficult to cross

Question 2

What were the Great Plains like (weather, conditions)?

Answer 2

• little wildlife due to infertile land and difficult conditions
• very hot + dry in summer
• very cold, snow in winter
• harsh winds

Question 3

How were the buffalo used by the Native Americans?

Answer 3

• hide used for clothes, tipis, moccasins, harnesses and shields
• skull used for religion; ceremonies and general worship
• fur used for blankets and saddle covers
• flesh used for food; eaten raw or cooked
• hearts planted in ground to ‘speak to buffalo’ (needs checking for accuracy

Question 4

How were the buffalo hunted?

Answer 4

• buffalo dance peformed before a hunt
• dressed up in a wolf skin to trick the buffalo so they could get close
• used horses to cause the buffalo to stampede, and then would drive off a cliff edge

Question 5

How were Native Americans split up within their society?

Answer 5

GROUPS
Nation: Huge group and only meet together once per year (for example: the Sioux).

Tribe: Smaller groups within a nation (for example: Santee Sioux).

Band: 10-50 families within a tribe who live and move around together.

INDIVIDUALS
Chief: Represents band and makes decisions for their band.

Council: Made of important or elder men who decide band’s actions.

Warrior Society: Made up of all men. Their job was to hunt, fight and protect.

Question 6

List the family roles.

Answer 6

MEN: Hunt, fight and protect family.

WOMEN: Look after tipi, make things from buffalo, teach female children.

CHILDREN: Male: Learn how to hunt and fight. Female: Learned how to look after the tipi, cook, etcetera…

ELDERLY: Help raise and educate the children.
Side-note: ‘exposure’ was the word for an elderly person leaving themself behind if they were slowing the band down; ensures their survival.

Question 7

How did the tipi solve the problems of the Plains?

Answer 7

• all they needed to make a tipi were poles and so combated the lack of wood
• conical shape to withstand winds (side-note: the tipi is also circular which links to religion)
• the bottom of the tipi could be rolled up in the summer to combat overbearing heat, and the bottom could be banked with earth in the winter to combat the cold
• quick and easy to collapse and move; useful, as they were nomadic

Question 8

Discuss Indian warfare.

Answer 8

SUNDANCE
Thought to bring power to warriors.

ATTITUDES TO WAR
Nations and tribes fought against each other, but valued all life so used the counting coup (see below).

COUNTING COUP
Indian vs. Indian fighting (when fighting white people, guns would be used). Used a long stick to touch enemy instead of killing the enemy.

SCALPING
This happened very, very occasionally. They sometimes scalped enemies after they had killed them to stop their body going into the afterlife, but not often.

Question 9

Discuss Indian religion.

Answer 9

• worshipped Great Spirit Wakan Tanka
• Black Hills in North were sacred; was where the Sioux Nation was started
• circles were important in religion; circle of life
• believed land was sacred and had a soul; cannot be farmed or sold, for this reason
• practised buffalo dance and ghost dance etc. to contact spirit world
• have visions to get their names and to get advice
• Medicine Man contacted spirit world for you; help + advice