Plains Indians Flashcards
(5) Briefly describe the main features of the lives of the Plains Indians.
1 mark for each valid example identified, 2-3 marks for any examples that
are described or explained.
Examples might include: nomadic, depended on the buffalo, believed in the Great Spirit, lived in tepees, used a travois to move possessions around, lived in bands
and tribes, the men hunted, the women put up the tipi, loaded the travois, old
people went off by themselves to die.
(7) Explain why many white Americans thought the Plains Indians were savages?
two reasons explained and two identified.
eg ‘They thought they were savages because of what they did. When an
Indian was old and was in danger of holding up the rest of the tribe he
was left behind to die. This made sense as the Indians were nomadic
and they accepted this would happen to them. However, white
Americans thought this was a barbaric practice and this is why they
thought that they were savages. It was seen as cruel and was not
something white Americans did.’
(5) Briefly describe how the Plains Indians survived the harsh conditions of the Plains.
The Plains Indians survived the harsh conditions by
1 mark for each valid example identified, 2–3 marks for
any examples that are described or explained.
Award a maximum of 1 mark to general answers lacking in
specific contextual knowledge.
Examples might include: tepees, use of buffalo, nomadic.
Eg ‘The Plains Indians survived the harsh conditions by
moving around and keeping up with the buffalo which they
needed for their food and lots of other things like clothing
and weapons.’
