Plains Indians-beliefs And Way Of Life Flashcards
1
Q
Chiefs and councils
A
- chiefs were leaders of plains Indians society
- each band had a chief
- band chiefs and elders made up the tribes council,in some tribes,council would declare war on another tribe
- everyone could give opinion.no decision was made until everyone on council agreed to it
2
Q
Famous chiefs
A
- red cloud- bought together Sioux and Cheyenne tribes in red clouds war against white Americans.
- sitting bull- rejected peace treaty
- crazy horse- had visions of white soldiers,inspired many Sioux to fight us army
3
Q
Warrior brotherhoods
A
- several different brotherhoods within a tribe
- important because they trained young men in fighting.also taught young men and tribe beliefs and values
- not under control so might not respect peace treaties
4
Q
Women and plains Indian society
A
- women couldn’t be chiefs-polygamous relationships
- responsible for feeding and clothing families.responsible for processing buffalo hides and meat
- roles respected very highly.
5
Q
Survival on Great Plains
A
- amazing horse riding and archery skills.
- nomadic lifestyle
- used every part of buffalo-food,fuel,clothing,shelter etc. Meat was preserved by drying it in sun
- deep respect for buffalo.believed nature and land itself must be treated with great respect
6
Q
Use of buffalo
A
- raw hide-bags,harnesses,shields
- horns-head dresses,spoons,cups
- skull-painted and used in religious rituals
- tongue-hair brush
- fur-blankets
- hair-string
- bones-knives
- hooves-tools
- fat-soap
- intestines-buckets
- bladder-food bag
- dung-fuel
7
Q
Importance of horses
A
- needed them to hunt buffalo
- significant for warfare and status
- men measured wealth in horses
- raids were often to steal horses
8
Q
Beliefs about nature
A
- believed everything in nature had spirit
- believe could contact spirit world through visions guided by Spirit animals.
- dances special ritual dances like sun dance to enter spirit world
9
Q
Beliefs about land and property
A
- land was sacred
- black hills most sacred for Lakota Sioux - believed people had been created in a special cave in hills by great spirit
- farmed land aswell as Hunting,fishing and gathering plants.in this case,farming plot belonged to family rather than whole tribe
- farming or binging were seen as disrespectful by some plains Indians
10
Q
Attitudes to war
A
- raids would only go ahead if it might work and raiders would escape quickly-unlike American soldiers who were taught to believe a soldier should never run away
- only selected brotherhoods would go on a raid.reduced tribe losses if raid failed
11
Q
Conflicts over land
A
- whites felt either the plains Indians should learn to farm the land or move off it and let others farm instead
- us government had two main approaches to tackling this conflict- keeping white settlers and plains apart or encouraging plains to become like whites
12
Q
Permanent Indian frontier
A
- 1830,president Jackson signed Indian removal act forcing 46,000 Indians to move west of Mississippi River
- 1834, us government passed Indian trade and intercourse act that said Indian territory was only beyond river and not in Missouri,Arkansas or Louisiana.
- 1834 act also prohibited whites from setting on Indian land,prevented the sale of guns or alcohol to Indians by white traders and gave us army role of policing frontier
13
Q
Westward expansion
A
- 1840s- USA gained huge new territories after winning war with Mexico.
- expansion of USA had major consequences for American Indian policy.american Indians lands were now in the middle of USA
14
Q
Government support for westward expansion
A
- us government wanted citizens to move into new territories in west.
- people travelling west followed trails.us government used army to force plains Indians to move away from trails and stop them attacking travellers.
15
Q
Indian appropriations act (1851)
A
- us government passed Indian appropriations act. provided government money to pay for moving Indians in Indian territory onto reservations.
- by reducing amount of land plains Indians had available for hunting,government hoped to encourage them to take up farming to live like Americans
