Plains Indians Flashcards
What were the Great Plains?
large, flat grasslands
What were 2 physical barriers of the Great Plains?
rocky mountns. & mississippi river
What is a push factor?
something that pushes someone to move away from their home
What is a pull factor?
something that attracts someone to move somewhere
Give an example of a Plains Indians tribe
Sioux
What was a push factor for the Sioux moving onto the Great Plains?
other Indian nations pressuring with threat of attack
What was a pull factor for the Sioux moving onto the Great Plains?
lots of buffalo - continue nomadic lifestyle
Why were buffalo important to the Plains Indians way of life?
PI= nomadic & followed buffalo herd’s migration -> hunt them
What parts of the buffalo did the Plains Indians use? give examples
All of it! except <3
eg. skins = tipis, bladders = food bags
Why did the Plains Indians not use the buffalo heart?
left on Great Plains as believed to bring new life
What are 3 reasons horses were important to the Plains Indians way of life?
essential to hunting buffalo, raiding tribes for resources & transport
What are tipis made out of?
10-20 buffalo skins
Why were tipis important for the Plains Indians way of life?
practical for a nomadic lifestyle as women could put them up & down - 10 mins
What did the Plains Indians believe about land ownership?
could not be owned
Why was mining seen as disrespectful?
no one could own the land
What land was sacred to the Plains Indians? Why?
Black Hills of Dakota - believed to be closest to spirit world
What was the Sun dance?
importany ceremony led by medicine man. Men tortured themselves & hoped to get guidance about questions they had
How did boys gain their adult name?
go to sweat lodge for few days, to pray, fast and for Shaman to interpret visions to gain name
How could spirits be contacted?
visions
Why did the Plains Indians think circles were important?
believed everything has cycle
What was scalping?
removing scalp of enemy so that they cannot get to afterlife
Why did the Plains Indians ‘scalp’?
dying in battle was not heroic
What was ‘Counting Coup’?
instead of killing enemy, touch him with coup stick and record by making notches on coup stick
Why did the Plains Indians ‘Count coup’?
braver to touch enemy with coup stick than kill & increase rank as warrior
Give 2 examples of weapons used.
bows & arrows
spears
How were Plains Indians attitudes to warfare compared to the white settlers?
raids only happen if looked successful
American soldiers disagreed with retreating
What was a warrior brotherhood?
younger men trained in warrior skills, beliefs & values
What did warrior brotherhoods not believe in compared to American soldiers?
peace treaties
What was manifest destiny?
White settlers belief that it was God’s will for them to ‘civilise ‘ West
What was the Indian Removal Act?
1830 - PIs were forced to move onto Great Plains & thousands died Trail of Tears
What was the Indian Trade and Intercourse Act? When was it?
1834 - establishment of the Permanent Indian Frontier
What was the Permananent Indian Frontier and its impact?
boundary separating PIs & WSs - conflict & tension between PIs & WSs
When did the USA gain the California territory?
1848 - after winning war with Mexico
What was the impact of the USA gaining new territories in the West? eg. California
less freedom of movement for PIs & conflict from white army
What was the Indians Appropriations Act? When was it created?
1851 - PIs had to move onto reservations to encourage farm life like WIs
What was the impact of the Indians Appropriations Act on the Plains Indians?
changed culture - nomadic -> reservations
