-missouri river tribes-osage and iowa planted crops and settled in villages.
-sioux anc cheyenne gathered food and hunted buffalo
-when native americans in new mexico were given horses in 1598 from the spanish- hunting and traveling changed forever and yet again when they were given guns.
-this led to wars when tribes would trespass on another tribes hunting grounds.
-for the young men, participating in this activity earned them prestige and honor
-earned honor by killing their enemies and "counting coup" (touching a live enemy with a coup stick and escaping unharmed.
-some would call a truce in order to trade goods, share news, or have harvest festivals.
-buffalo was used for nearly everything-tepees, clothing, shoes, blankets. meat was used for jerky or mixed with berries and fat to make a food called pemmican.
Family life
-lived in small extended family groups with other bands who spoke the same language
-young men trained to become hunters and warriors while the women helped butcher the game and prepared the hides
-Plains indian tribes believed powerful spirits controlled the natural world
-children learned through stories and examples set by their elders
-no single person controlled the tribe, rather it was controlled by a counsel.
Settlers
-believed owning land, making a mining claim, or starting a business gave them a stake in their country
-thought indians weren't improving the land;therefore, thought rights were forfeited and land was unsettled
Attractions
-GOLD AND SILVER AND OTHER RICHES!!!
Government Restrictions
-1834- passed an act that designated the great plains as indian territory
-1850's- changed policy and designated certain areas for each tribe
-NA's didn't listen and continued to hunt their grounds
Battles
-Massacre at Sand Creek- (November 29, 1864) cheyenne thought they were safe returning to Colarado's Sand Creek reserve for the winter but were attacked by General S. R. Curtis' army. killed over 150 inhabitants, mostly women and children
-Death on the Bozeman Trail (December 1866)-trail ran directly through sioux hunting grounds in the bighorn mountains. after unsuccessfully ending white settlement on the trail, Warrior Crazy Horse attacked Captain William J. Fetterman and his army at Lodge Trail Ridge killing over 80 soldiers. Known to the NA's as Battle of the Hundred Slain, known to whites as the Fetterman Massacre. Disputes continued until gov. closed the trail. Treaty of Laramie (1868) was forced on Sioux leaders agreeing to settle on a reservation along the Missouri River. Sitting Bull never signed the document and expected to continue hunting on their grounds.
-Sitting Bull-warrior, spiritual leader, and medicine man of the Sioux. Determined that whites should leave their territory. At Little Bighorn fight, famously said, "They tell me I murdered Custer. It is a lie... He was a fool and rode to his death. Surrendered to federal government in 1881, was killed by NA police at Standing Rock Reservation in December 1890.
-Red River War (late 1868)- war broke out as Kiowa and Comanche engaged in six years of raiding that led to the war (1875-1875) U.S army brought friendly tribes on to reservations while shooting at others, thus killing resistance on southern plains.
-Custer's Last Stand (early June 1876)- Sitting Bull had a vision of soldiers falling off their horses during a Sun Dance. NA's, led by Crazy Horse, Gall, and Sitting Bull. were ready when George A. Custer and his army attacked. The entire Army, including General Custer, was killed.
The Dawes Act- 1887- Congress passed act to "Americanize" NAs. Broke up reservations giving 160 acres of land to each head of houshould and 80 acres to each unmarried adult. The remainder of the land was to be sold to settlers and money going to the NAs for farming implements. By 1932, 2/3 of the set aside land belonged to the whites and no money was ever given to the NAs
Battle of Wounded Knee- December 28, 1890, the Seventh Cavalry gathered 350 starving Sioux and took them too Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota. Next day weapons were taken from NAs. sodiers opened fire with a deadly cannon. within minutes 300 unarmed NA's were killed including several children. This war is thought to have ended this era in history to an end
Cattle becomes big business
Vaqueros and Cowboys-after buffalo herds disappeared, cattle and horses were the common business on the Great Plains. Settlers learned to care for the longhorns from their neighbors in Mexico who had raised cattle in Spain.
A Day in the Life of a Cowboy
When the meeting of Abilene, Kansas and the Chiholm trail which ran from San Antonio, Texas to Kansas, the cowboy rose. At least 55,000 worked on ranches between 1866 to 1885, 25% were African American and 12% were Mexican.
-worked 10 to 14 hours a day on a ranch or 14 or more on the trail protecting the cattle from dangers
-most started at age 15 and were done by the age of 40.
-usually did not own horse, expert rider and roper, gun was used mostly to protect cattle from various dangers
-season began with a spring roundup where several hands would herd all the longhorns they could find on the open range into a corral. kept there until they were so hungry that they would rather graze than run away. they would then mark new calves that had not yet been branded.
Long drive
-included 1 cowboy for every 250-300 head of cattle, a cook who drove the wagon and set up camp, and a wrangler who cared for the horses. a trail boss earned $100 or more a month for supervising and dealing with settlers and NA's.
-Conditions- in the saddle dawn to dusk, slept on the ground and bathed in rivers. risked death and loss of cattle every day.
-Legends: James "Wild Bill" Hickok and Martha Jane Burke (Calamity Jane)- never even dealt with the cows but served as spies for the military.
The end of the Open Range
- overgrazing of land, extended bad weather, and invention of barbed wire
-between 1883-1887 dry summers and harsh winters wiped out whole herds
-Ranchers turned to smaller ranches with fenced in cattle, thus ending the wide-open West.
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