The Native Americans and early pioneers Flashcards
How did the Native Americans arrive in North America?
They migrated across the Bering Strait
Where did the Native Americans originate from?
North Asia
Where did the Indians first settle?
The river valleys of the East
Why did the Indians move on to the Plains?
Because the European settlers began settling in America
What did the European settlers bring that the Native Americans had not previously been subject to?
Diseases such as smallpox and cholera
What were the Plains marked as on early maps?
‘The great American desert’
Where do the Plains lie between?
The Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, they stretch from Canada in the north to the Mexican border in the south
What word is used to describe the Plains that means ‘little water?’
Semi-arid
What animals were the Plains inhabited by?
Locusts, grasshoppers, wolves, gophers, antelope, rabbits and birds
Describe the weather conditions of the Plains
Harsh, freezing winters, cold winter gales but very hot in summer
Describe some features of the Plains
Gently rolling grasslands and slow flowing rivers
Lack of trees(excluding Black Hills and area closest to the Mississippi)
Flat and featureless
Enormous size
Name the most famous Indian tribes
Sioux, Cheyenne and the Apache
What tribes dominated the northern Plains?
Blackfoot, Assiniboine and the Crow
Which tribes were located in the central Plains?
Sioux and Cheyenne
Which tribes were in the south?
Comanche, Kiowa and Arapaho
What type of lifestyle did the Indians live?
Nomadic, they did not live in one permanent place
Why were the Indians nomadic?
They had to follow the buffalo, they also believed that land was created by the Great Spirit to share, and by permanently living somewhere you are claiming it for yourself
Who was a band led by?
The Chief
Why was a Chief chosen as a leader?
Because of his wisdom and skills as a hunter or warrior. Many medicine men became Chiefs
Did a Chief have any formal power over his people?
No, but he was greatly respected by them because of his bravery or wisdom
What was smoked at the start of a council meeting and why?
A ceremonial pipe, to bring wisdom to the discussion
What shape did the Chiefs sit in at a council meeting?
A circle
What is the home of Native Americans called?
The tipi
Who made the tipi?
The women
Why was the tipi made in the shape it was?
To withstand strong winds on the Plains
Who unpacked the tipi and packed it onto the travois?
The women
What was the outside of the tipi often decorated with?
Geometric designs or animals
What was the role of Native American women?
To prepare the buffalo, tipi and food. They also made clothes
What was the role of Native American men?
To hunt the buffalo
What religious group travelled west due to persecution in the east?
The Mormons
What year was the Mormon religion founded, who by and in what location?
Joseph Smith in the 1820s, New York
Why did Christians disagree with Mormon teachings?
They believed it was blasphemous
Where did Joseph Smith first move his followers?
Kirtland, Ohio
Why did many non-Mormons blame the Mormons despite the fact that they were not to blame?
The Mormon bank collapsed, as many other banks, and a lot of non-Mormons lost their savings
After the Mormons were chased out of Ohio, where did they go first?
Missouri
What was the name of the city that the Mormons moved to in Illinois?
Nauvoo
What year did Smith adopt the practice of polygamy?
1844
What happened to Smith in 1845?
He was shot dead by a mob at the jail he was being held at
What was the name of the new leader of the Mormons?
Brigham Young
Why did Young take the Mormons west?
To escape persecution
Where did Young take the Mormons and why was this place significant?
The Great Salt Lake, it was the most isolated place on the Oregon Trail
What did Young plan to do to get the Mormons to the Great Salt Lake?
Build a winter camp near the Missouri River, en route to the Great Salt Lake
What year did the first group of Mormons arrive in the Great Salt Lake?
July 1847
What did the Mormons build in The Great Salt Lake?
A successful new home, Salt Lake City, designed with a temple in the centre
Why did mountain men hunt for pelts?
Fur hats and clothing became popular in Europe
Where did the mountain men go each year?
The Annual Rendez-Vous
What happened at the Rendez-Vous?
Mountain men met with other mountain men and with traders to sell fur and buy things such as rifles, they then spent their money on gambling and prostitutes
What was life like for mountain men?
Lonely and difficult
Although mountain men spent most of their time alone, who did many of them marry?
Native American women
What did many mountain men do after fur went out of fashion?
Became tour guides on the Plains
