plains indians early pioneers homesteaders

American West Revision

Friday 11th June

Who am I?• ‘I built the first cow town in the 1860s.’• ‘I started the Mormon Church in 1830.’• ‘I was defeated by the Sioux at the Little

Bighorn in 1876.’• ‘I led the Mormons to the Salt Lake Valley in

the 1840s.’• ‘I was one of the first cattlemen to start

ranching on the Plains.’• ‘I invented barbed wire.’• ‘I was a criminal myself before I became

marshal of Dodge City’.• ‘My warriors defeated the US Army at the

Little Bighorn.’• ‘My vision sparked off the “ghost dance” in

1890.’

Wovoka

General Custer

Joseph Smith

Joseph McCoy

Wyatt Earp

Sitting Bull

Joseph Glidden

Brigham Young

John Iliff

Task 1: A picture to summarise the course – What can you see which is relevant to the

course?

Topic 1: The Plains Indians

How do the Plains Indians make use of

me?

Reasons for nomadic lifestyle

• The buffalo – Depended on buffalo for all everyday needs. Buffalo

herds moved across the Plains so the Indians followed them.

• Religious Beliefs– Because of their belief about the land. Indians

believed that the land was provided by the Great Spirit for all to share. Therefore they believed that no one should ever live permanently in one place because they would be claiming that land for themselves,

Family Life

• Families travelled together in BANDS of about 100-500 people.

• Children were taught: – to respect their elders, to value all living things, boys learnt

hunting and warfare, girls learnt how to make clothes from buffalo skins, how to prepare food, how to take down the tipi

• A family of 8-10 people lived in a tipi. Tipis could be adapted to allow for comfort in both winter and summer and could be taken down quickly

• Indians practised polygamy – in their society women outnumbered men. The Christians thought this meant the Indians were savages

• Elderly were greatly respected. Always listened to on the councils. When they were too old and weak they would be left behind.

Organisation

• A council of elders who met with the chief made decisions

• In the summer, the bands within a tribe would meet up and chiefs would hold a special council but individual bands could ignore the decision of this council

• In some tribes, like the Cheyenne, there were important groups called DOG SOLDIERS. These were made up of younger men who were responsible for protecting women and children and organising hunting.

Religion

• Believe the Great Spirit (Wakan Tanka) created the world and all living things

• They think that spirits can help them and so try to communicate with them in special ceremonies like the sun dance

• Dances would take place before important events such as the buffalo hunt

• Some people in the tribes like shamen or medicine men had special powers that allowed them to communicate with spirits

• Indians believed that the spirit of a dead person went to the ‘happy hunting ground’

The Buffalo

• The Plains Indian would hunt by:– Creeping up on them and shooting arrows– Disguise themselves in wolf-skins– Stampede them into a ‘buffalo jump’

• Two or three successful hunts a year was sufficient to feed and shelter the band.

• Warriors would gain honour and prestige from the number of buffalo they killed.

• Buffalo used for everything in life – skull in religion, dung for fuel, meat eaten, Tongue for

a hair brush etc Food

Warfare• Indians fought one another, but this

was usually small groups carrying out raids. They attacked for revenge, honour or to steal horses.

• They saw no point in making a stand and fighting to death – if the fighting went badly they retreated

• Sometimes Indians would kill their enemy, but a greater sign of bravery was to ‘count coup’ – ride up to an enemy and strike him with a stick. Special feathers were awarded for this.

• Indians scalped their enemies so they would not meet up with them after death. Scalps were often hung as trophies.

The attitudes of whites towards Indians

• Some whites, like George Caitlin, the painter got to know Indians well and understood their customs. He admired the Indians for the way they were able to adapt to life on the Plains

• Many whites saw the Indians as savages because:– They practised polygamy, they scalped their enemies, they

carried out strange dances, they left old people behind to die.

• Some whites were angry that the Indians were in the way of them cultivating the land on the Plains

• Some whites thought they were cowards for the way they retreated from battle.

• Some whites wanted the Indians to be exterminated

Reasons for Conflict• Manifest destiny – belief that they had God

given right to take all the land – lead to homesteading, railroads etc – took Indian land

• Gold – brought miners to Black Hills – sacred to Indians – broke treaties and caused wars

• Destruction of buffalo – through hunting etc – took away Indian’s way of living

• Army Policy – felt Indians were inferior and needed to be exterminated

Sample Exam Question 1

• How did the tipi suit the Indian way of life? (6 marks)

Sample Exam Question 2• Using Source E and your own

knowledge, explain how Plains Indians tribes were organised and governed. (9 marks)

• From the Source I can learn that Indian tribes were . . .

• From my own knowledge I know . . .

From The Hunting Grounds of the Great War, by Colonel R Dodge, 1877.

I cannot say exactly hoe the powers and duties of these three forms of government – chiefs, councils and dog soldiers blend together. I have never met an Indian or a white man who could satisfactorily explain them. The result, however, is fairly good and well suited to the character and needs of the Plains Indians.

Sample Exam Question 3• Why did some white people consider that the Plains Indians were

uncivilised savages?

• There are many reasons why white people considered that the Plains Indians were uncivilised savages:

• In my opinion, the main reason was . . .

Topic 2: The Early Pioneers

• Who were the mountain men?

• Why had tens of thousands of white farmers travelled across the Plains by 1850?

Topic 2: The Early Pioneers• Who were the 49ers?

• Why did they travel to California?

• What problems did they encounter?

• How did they solve some of their problems?

• What were mining towns like?

• What happened after 1852?

Topic 3: The Mormons

• Picture Round

The Mormons• In Kirtland the Mormons were unpopular because . . .

– Smith said that he and his followers were God’s chosen people– The Mormons believed in hardwork and this made them very successful– Smith set up a bank for Mormons and non-Mormons. The bank

collapsed in 1837 and people lost their savings• The Mormons were chased out of Kirtland and moved to Missouri

but . . .– The Mormons were against slavery– The Mormons were not unfriendly towards the Indians

• The Mormons fled Missouri and settled in Nauvoo in Illinois, here they became unpopular because . . . – Smith announced that men could marry more than one wife.

• In 1844 Joseph Smith was put in jail. A mob broke in and murdered him.

The Mormons• Why were the Mormons able to settle successfully in the West?

• It was far enough away that they wouldn’t face persecution• Leadership of Brigham Young

– Journey and once there• Land was shared out fairly – each family got a plot. The largest families got

the largest plot. Laws were made that no one could own the land• An irrigation system was built to provide everyone with fresh water. Each

person was given an exact time when they were able to draw water from the ditch.

• Each town built in Utah was given a carefully planned broad range of settlers

• Young sent Missionaries to the east coast and Europe to persuade others to join the Mormons

– The Perpetual Emigrating Fund was set up to give money and equipment to people travelling to join the Mormons.

• Compromise after Mountain Meadows Massacre

plains indians early pioneers homesteaders

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