KT1 Flashcards
How were tribes divided?
Into bands, with each having a chief alongside a council of advisors.
Describe bands.
-Most members in bands were related to each other.
-Led by chief + council of advisors, deciding what band did.
-Survival and protection of whole band more important than survival of any one individual within.
-Consisted of approximately 50 families.
Describe chiefs.
-In 19th century, bands would appoint chiefs, though not usually for their lifetime.
-Were chosen due to wisdom and skills as warrior/hunter.
-Chief and council decided where the band would go and what punishment would be given to those who did not follow customs or traditions.
-The rules enforced by them however did NOT have to be obeyed.
-In council, no law passed until every member agreed.
Describe the tribes.
-Bands within a tribe would help other ones for their survival
-Tribal meeting occurred annually to arrange marriage, trade horses and discuss issues.
-Chiefs and elders (respected for their wisdom and experience) formed advisors to tribal chiefs.
-Some tribes were in larger groups called nations.
Describe warrior societies/brotherhoods.
-Consisted of group of best warriors of band.
-Members could supervise hunting and protected bands from attack.
-All short raids and wats led by tribal council and them, and were also consulted by the council before any implementation of law.
Who lived in America before its discovery?
Before European settlement and Christopher Columbus’ discovery in 1497, the Indigenous (first people to live in a place) / native (original) Americans lived there.
What was the nickname given by European settlers to the native Americans?
American Indians, and for those in particular who lived on the Plains, Plain Indians.
Location of the Great Plains?
Between Mississippi river in east and Rocky mountain range in west, stretches from border of Canada in north to border of Mexico in south.
What was the nickname for the Great Plains by European settlers, and why?
The Great American Desert, due to the land lacking trees and water, with strong winds and extreme temperatures.
Definition of a nation.
Major group, like the Lakota, who share same descent, culture, language and location.
Describe the Lakota nation.
1 of the Oceti Sakowin (The 7 Councils of Fire) in 19th century, in the US at the time controlled large areas of the northern Plains. Nation known by Europeans at the time as the Sioux.
What was Lakota society like?
-Very different to that of European settlers
-No laws passed until every member of a council agreed to it
-Rest of tribe/band not forced to obey to rules
-Elders guided by spirit world through visions
Consequences of this traditional Plain Indian society?
In 1868, when Red Cloud signed a treaty to move onto reservations, the government thought this mean that the whole tribe would do this, however bands led by Chief Sitting Bull in the Lakota opposed this and did not conform.
Describe band roles.
-Each individual viewed as having equal importance of ensuring band survival.
-Men (braves) hunted, fought enemies and looked after horses. Also would raid tribes or confirm hunting grounds, gaining respect as courageous warriors.
-Women (Squaws) made clothing, fed the family, looked after tipis, searched for water and some also fought.
-Elders were respected though if they were saw as weakness that could risk band survival, would be left behind.
-Everyone looked after children, learning the skills of their parents.
Consequences of care of children in Plains society
Plains Indian children were taught by many band members and so when government tried to break band/tribe into family plots/send them to school miles away, the children were unable to learn skills and traditions of the tribe, as well as their way of life.
Description of Great Plains enviroment.
Very tough, very dry with very hot summers and very cold winters.
And significance of toughness of Plains environment?
Tribe members therefore depended on each other, the land and animals like the buffalo and horses to survive.
When were horses first introduced to the Plains?
By Spanish invaders, with the tribes breeding, trading and even stealing horses between each other.
Significance of buffalo.
-Every part of the animal except the heart, left on the Plains, was used for food, clothing and equipment.
-Heart left in the land as they believed it gave new life to a herd.
-Women and children would cut the meat, eaten raw/cooked, with some being stored for the winter known as jerky.
-Caught best using horseback
Describe significance of horses.
-Impossible to live without use of horses for hunting.
-Wealth + status denoted by number of horses an individual/tribe owned
-Used in war
-Carried Indians + their belongings on journey to follow buffalo migrations.
Describe nomadic lifestyle of the Plains Indians.
-Many followed buffalo migrations in summer and autumn, having a nomadic lifestyle at these times.
-Often ate wild fruits and plants, not settling long enough to grow crops.
-Tipis were conical tents made up of poles covered in buffalo hides, were great for Plain life, as flaps provided ventilation in hot summer, and could easily be taken down within minutes, used for eating, societies and council meetings
-In winter times, moved to sheltered valleys in wooden lodges insulated by thick layers of soil.
Significance of Indians’ nomadic lifestyle.
Tribes often found it difficult on reservations permanently as they were unable to travel and hunt freely.
Indians’ belief in terms of nature
-Everything in nature had a spirit, and these spirits could help/harm humans
-Humans are only a part of nature and so should work with the spirits rather than trying to tame and control nature
-Contacting spirit world techniques included visions and ritual dances
Lakota belief in nature?
Nation had very close connection with nature, believing in the Wakan Takan, the Great Spirit, who connect things in a sacred web of life, and this gave them their traditions used for life like leaving the heart of a buffalo at its hunting grounds.
Plain Indian beliefs of land and property.
-Some lands were sacred to the tribes
-The Saha Papa in the Black Hills were quite sacred for the Lakota Sioux, as they believed it was the tribal birthplace
-Families sometimes had garden plots, but generally no-one owned any land, as it was believed that it was everyone’s property and not something that one person should be able to buy and own solely for themself.
Consequences of Plain Indian beliefs of property and land.
White settlers had very different views on property, wanting to own land that they could exclude tribes from, which led to tension and conflict.
Plain Indian beliefs of war
-Society was full of war, a near-constant feature of Plains life, though tribes avoided too much killing as young men were viewed as essential for tribe survival.
-Raids nearly each summer were held
-Highest respect given to warriors, usually young men by doing a counting coup; landing a blow to an enemy with a short club called a coup stick, and then being able to escape from the battle untouched; the ultimate proof of courage and skill.
-Parties would run away if they believed that wars turned against them
-Shooting enemy not considered very honourable and so when guns arrived on the Plain, were highly disliked by the Indians.
Consequences of Plain Indian beliefs of war
US Army found it very difficult to fight tribes when they would run away if they believed the fight was turning against them, not like the army’s traditional way of fighting until the last man, and so had to devise new techniques to deal with this strategy.
What occurred in 1776?
US begins to grow from the 13 colonies established by the British, gaining independence from the foreign power in 1776
-As more settlers from Europe increased over time, number of US settlers therefore increased, and some begin to spread west.
What occurred in 1830?
-Settlers reach Mississippi river, wanting to go through land owned by the Indigenous people, mistaking the Indians’ respect for nature as unsocialized savagery and inability to use land to its full potential
-This attitude led president Andrew Jackson to pass the Indian Removal Act, taking land from the Indigenous People on the East, giving them Plains land instead, some tribes like the Cherokee and Seminole resisted, however were forcibly marched to the Plains, with thousands dying on the strenuous journey.
-70-100,000 Indigenous People moved to Plains by 1840
What occurred in 1834?
Indian government passes Indian Trade and Discourse Act, regulating relations with the tribes, creating a frontier between them and the rest of the USA, called the Permanent Indian Frontier
-Concluded Plains land was treeless, waterless and so useless.
What occurred in 1848?
USA wins Mexican-American War, gaining western territory in land soon known as states of California and Oregon.
-Indigenous people find themselves sandwiched between US settlement at east and west of them, with tensions increasing in the tribes as some settlers attempt to cross their land without permission.
Name and explain the 6 pull factors to the west.
-Freedom and independence
-Fertile land and adventure in California and Oregon
-Space
-Cost of land; Pre-Emption Act by government in 1841 allowed settlers to buy 160 acres of land at a very cheap cost before offering it to other.
-Oregon Trail; discovery of safe route through Rocky Mountains in 1836 made journey quite easy
-Gold; discovery of Gold in California in 1848 triggered the Californian Gold Rush of 1849
Name and explain the 3 push factors to the west
-Collapse of what prices due to banks and businesses failing in economic depression in 1832
-Unemployment widespread
-Overpopulation and poor living conditions led to outbreaks of cholera and yellow fever
What occurred in 1824?
Explorer Jedediah Smith passes explores South Pass in Rocky Mountains
What occurred in 1836?
First migrants reach Oregon via wagon
What occurred in 1837?
Economic depression in west causes increase of migration rates in 1837 as settlers go to find better living conditions
What occurred in 1841?
Government funds expedition camps in Oregon Trail to publish guidebook for migrants
What occurred in 1846?
Governor of Illinois orders Mormons to leave the state
What occurred in 1848?
Gold discovery in California
What occurred in 1858-9?
Gold discovered in Rocky Mountain
