Native Americans - Late 19th Century

Native Americans During the Late 19th Century : 

Native Americans During the Late 19th Century By April Ancheta

Natives of the Great Plains : 

Natives of the Great Plains Last of Native Americans to go before whites took over land No typical Plains Indian Communication between tribes depended on special sign language Nomadic way of living Followed the buffalo and bison Carried all possessions on wheel- less carts called travois dragged by dogs Expert farmers and hunters Life revolved around the buffalo Ate the meat, wore the hide, used bones for crafting Most tribes lived in wigwams or tipis Examples of tribes: Sioux, Cheyenne, Apache, and Nez Percé

Famous Figures : 

Famous Figures Geronimo – leader of Apaches of Arizona in warfare against whites Sitting Bull – leader of Sioux during wars of 1876-1877 Chief Joseph – leader of Nez Percé tribe who conducted a brilliant but unsuccessful military campaign Red Cloud – leader of Oglala Lakota (Sioux) in resistance of white expansion into Wyoming Crazy Horse– respected war leader of Oglala Lakota Geronimo Sitting Bull Chief Joseph Roles of Women Performed so many tasks that appeared to be slaves to settlers Primary responsibility: to raise children Life centered around food, clothing, and shelter Skinned and scraped buffalo Washed and designed clothing Integrally involved in constructing dwellings

So Who Are These Pale-Faced Men? : 

So Who Are These Pale-Faced Men? Farmers, ranchers, and miners move into or pass the Plains uninvited Take Native American hunting grounds Hunt and graze own livestock of buffalo Force existing tribes to relocate Native Americans resisted by attacking American wagons, stagecoaches, and trains War was always an option

Um, Sure We’ll Sign Your Treaties… : 

Um, Sure We’ll Sign Your Treaties… Federal government signed treaties with Plains Indians to pacify them at Fort Laramie and Fort Atkinson Marked beginning of reservation system in West Established boundaries for territory of each tribe Attempted to separate Native Americans into “colonies” of north and south to open a corridor for white settlement But Native Americans had no concept of authority outside immediate family and life was pretty nomadic so didn’t abide by treaties often

Even Though I Don’t Really Think There’s Going to be Peace : 

Even Though I Don’t Really Think There’s Going to be Peace Sand Creek Massacre Colonel Chivington’smiltia massacred Cheyenne and Arapacho Natives in Colorado About 400 hundred died Native Americans thought they had been compromised with immunity, but killed in cold blood Women shot praying for mercy Children's’ brains dashed out Sioux Uprising Sioux war party ambushed Captain Fetterman’s 81 soldiers in Wyoming Mountains Attempted to block construction of Bozeman Trail to Montana goldfields Not a single survivor Grotesquely mutilated corpses

Yeah, This Whole Sharing Land Thing is Really Not Working Out : 

Yeah, This Whole Sharing Land Thing is Really Not Working Out Battle of Little Big Horn General Custer led an expedition into Black Hills of South Dakota (part of Sioux Reservation) Announced he had discovered gold Greedy gold-seekers swarmed to area Insulted Sioux took to war under influence of Sitting Bull Some 2,500 Natives completely wiped out Custer’s Cavalry Broke Treaty of Laramie Wounded Knee Massacre U.S. troops (7th Cavalry) ordered to arrest Big Foot and disarm his warriors of the Sioux tribe since left reservation Troops met with compliance, but one deaf tribesman couldn’t understand commands and open fire began About 200 Natives died, but was avoidable

Any Help from the Government? : 

Any Help from the Government? Dawes Severalty Act (forced assimilation doctrine) Dissolved many tribes as legal entities Wiped out tribal ownership of land If they were “good” they’d get full title to holdings as well as full citizenship in 25 years

Attempts to Americanize : 

Attempts to Americanize Some Americans felt the Native American situation could only get better through assimilation Reformers saw opportunity to Christianize them, but didn’t show much respect for culture Dawes Act set up individual tribes with 160 acres of land (remaining land sold and proceeds placed in trust for Natives) Set up schools with extra money to teach Native Americans English customs and values

Thanks for Your Sympathy, But I Don’t Think It’s Enough : 

Thanks for Your Sympathy, But I Don’t Think It’s Enough By 1880s, some Americans begin to feel remorse for Native Americans Helen Hunt Jackson, writer from Massachusetts, wrote books inspiring sympathy for Native Americans Sold hundreds of thousands of copies Pricked moral sense of Americans

The Ultimate Demise : 

The Ultimate Demise Disease Cholera Small pox Typhoid Showed little resistance Buffalo Used them for everything Extermination of buffalo doomed Plains Indians’ nomadic way of life Railroad Brought out troops, farmers, and white settlers to the west Took Native American land and buffalo

Native Americans Today : 

Native Americans Today Own over 87,000 mi2 of land 562 federally recognized tribal governments (independent from U.S.) Have right to: form own government enforce laws tax establish requirements for citizenship Most live in CA, OK, and AZ Face problems of poverty and alcoholism Some tribes still live on reservations

Slide 13: 

http://americanhistory.si.edu/kids/buffalo/matching/horn-spoons.html Buffalo Parts Matching Game