Section 2

Native Americans

The Native Americans are obviously very important to this topic as they were the native people.

There other names include American Indians or Plains Indians. This is because Chris Columbus

thought that the had reached India and not America in 1492.

- The Native Americans are not a single group of people, instead

they are made up of many different tribes as you can see below.

Tribes

SiouxCheyenneBlackfootApache

Buffalo- The Native Americans were very well adapted to their environment.- They relied heavily on the buffalo which roamed the Plains in huge herds before their mass slaughter in the 1870s.

Provided meat

Provided skins for wool, clothing, shoes, harness and tipis

Provided bones for tools and weapons

Provided sinews for bow strings and ropes

They were considered a gift from the Great Spirit

Their destruction by settlers affected the Native American way of life.

Horses

Horses brought change and

improvement

- horses made hunting and travel much

easier.- as tribal boundaries were changeable,

horses made it easier to move from one

place to another.

- Horses were used effectively in combat.

- Members were taught to ride from a young

age and were therefore very skilled

horsemen.

Why the long face?

Lifestyles

Their view of the world

- Land could not be bought or sold.

- Generosity was expected,

particularly from the chief.

- Some possessions were treasured

but Native Americans never had

more than they would need.

Men’s roles

- All men were warriors, fighting rival

tribes was a way to gain respect.

- Completing symbolic acts of

bravery like touching and enemy and

running away.

- Warfare was heavily ingrained tribal

culture.

Women’s roles- Farming and agriculture- Collecting food- Making tipis and clothes- Making goods- Making dried meat

Religion and Tradition

Nature- Humans were part of the world and it

was not their role to rule over it.

- They believed in the Great Spirit, this a

similar idea to God in Christianity and

Islam.- All parts of nature had a spiritual identity

and was therefore not to be misused.

Circles and Spirits- Native Americans believed everything was connected and therefore the never ending shape of a circle was very important.- Animals had spirits and should be shown respect through rituals and dance.- Even mountains and rocks were thought to have sprits. Activities like mining and using dynamite would upset them.

Religion and Tradition

Medicine Men

- These members of the tribe had a

special connection to the spirit world.

- These men were able to use this

connection to gain strength, courage

and powers of healing.

An oral history- The Native Americans did not have writing. Important ideas were passed down verbally.- This type of history has its problems as stories can be easily lost or altered.- Native Americans were susceptible to European diseases like smallpox and some stories were lost.

Think time…

- How might the Native American way of life causes problems when white settlers arrive?

- How do you think white settlers viewed the land they were soon to conquer?

- How could Native American culture be removed? Would it be easy?