Impact of Westward Expansion on American Indians

Plains Indians were nomads who relied almost entirely on the buffalo for food, clothing, fuel, and shelter. What inference can be made about the ability of the plains Indians to sustain themselves after 1889?

Government involvement The US army sanctioned and actively endorsed the wholesale slaughter of bison herds. Predict why they would do this. The US federal government promoted Bison hunting because It allowed ranchers to range their cattle without competition It weakened the North American Indian population by removing their main source of food. It pressured Native Americans onto reservations.

General Philip Sheridan “Let them kill, skin, and sell until the buffalo is exterminated, as it is the only way to bring lasting peace and allow civilization to advance.”

Market Hunters Professional marksmen went West Buffalo hide could sell for $3 in Dodge City (a huge winter coat could bring $50) at a time when most workers in the East made $1 per day Commercial hunting killed between 2,000 and 100,000 buffalo per day Used a.50 gun Shot so many times each rifleman would keep two to let one cool down Hire men to retrieve the bullets from the buffalo carcasses

Hunting by Rail

America: The Story of US American Buffalo history/native-american-cultures/videos/american-buffalo history/native-american-cultures/videos/american-buffalo 3 minutes

Native American Response As ranchers, miners, and farmers moved onto the Plains, they deprived Native Americans of their hunting grounds, broke treaties, and forced relocation. Native Americans attacked wagon trains, stagecoaches, and ranchers. Occasionally an entire group would go to war against nearby settlers and troops. This was fairly intermittent in the early 1850s through around The struggles increased in intensity around the 1870s. Why do you think this is?

Little Big Horn Chief Sitting Bull Lakota Sioux, became the chief of the united Sioux tribes Was respected for his bravery and courage in battle As gold was discovered in South Dakota, his tribe had increased conflict with the US government In 1876 Sitting Bull and the tribal armies waged war against the US for refusal to stay off tribal lands in the Black Hills

Little Big Horn

Soldiers from Fort Lincoln (North Dakota) were sent to force the Native Americans back to their reservations General Custer led an attack against the tribal armies, but was outnumbered 3 to 1 It took less than an hour for Crazy Horse and the tribal army to wipe out Custer and his men Despite winning this battle, the Native Americans lost as the US redrew boundaries to open up the Black Hills to white settlers

Nez Perce and Chief Joseph Forced to move to a reservation in Idaho Chief Joseph refused and fled towards Canada with his tribe (some 1,300 miles) Yellow: Nez Perce and government agreement from 1850s about size of homeland Green: new size of reservation in the 1870s

Chief Joseph “You might as well expect all rivers to run backward as that any man who was born a free man should be contented penned up and denied liberty to go where he pleases. If you tie a horse to a stake, do you expect he will grow fat? If you pen an Indian up on a small spot of earth and compel him to stay there, he will not be contented nor will he grow and prosper. I have asked some of the Great White Chiefs where they get their authority to say to the Indian that he shall stay in one place, while he sees white men going where they please. They cannot tell me. {continued on next slide}

Chief Joseph Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to talk, think and act for myself – and I will obey every law or submit to the penalty. Whenever the white man treats the Indian as they treat each other then we shall have no more wars. We shall be all be alike – brothers of one father and mother, with one sky above us and one country around us and one government for all.” Washington DC, 1879

Nez Perce and Chief Joseph Soldiers caught up to the tribe and forced them to surrender. Tribe was in Montana, almost to the Canadian border. “It is cold, and we have not blankets. The children are freezing to death…Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.”

Dawes Act Released in 1887 Aid American Indians in becoming farmers or ranchers Divided reservations up – gave land to each head of an Indian family 160 acres if they farmed 320 acres if they ranched Land not given was considered “surplus” and opened for white settlers Broke up reservations

Assimilation Cultural assimilation is the process by which a person or a group's language and, or culture come to resemble those of another group. Also called “Americanization” Education Boarding Schools were very common, helped assimilate Indians “Kill the Indian in him, and save the man”

Assimilation Colonel Richard Pratt – operated first Indian Boarding School "A great general has said that the only good Indian is a dead one, and that high sanction of his destruction has been an enormous factor in promoting Indian massacres. In a sense, I agree with the sentiment, but only in this: that all the Indian there is in the race should be dead. Kill the Indian in him, and save the man."

In what ways is this an example of assimilation?

Ghost Dance Resistance to assimilation most tribes were living on reservations by 1890 In 1890, Wovoka, a Paiute, had a vision Believed if the tribes danced this non-violent dance it would rid the world of white society This would restore their way of life Many tribes participated

Ghost Dance American government feared this movement and the Bureau of Indian Affairs outlawed it – thought it would reunite the tribes Led to the death of Sitting Bull and the Battle of Wounded Knee In 1890 Sitting Bull is shot and killed while being arrested by US and Indian agents, they were fearful of his involvement with Ghost Dances

Wounded Knee Located in southwestern South Dakota Conflict between Indians and the US government December of 1890 US 7 th Cavalry came to disarm the Lakota – this is part of an attempt to stamp out the Ghost Dance In the process Lakota were killed Last official battle of the Indian Wars

Wounded Knee Lakota Sioux witness American Horse: “A mother was shot down with her infant; the child not knowing that its mother was dead was still nursing…The women as they were fleeing with their babies were killed together…and after most of them had been killed a cry was made that all those who were not killed or wounded should come forth and they would be safe. Little boys…came out of their places of refuge, and as soon as they came in sight a number of soldiers surrounded them and butchered them there.”

Wounded Knee

Three weeks after the battle a blizzard hit the area which delayed the burial of the dead.

Wounded Knee

America: The Story of US Last of the Sioux history/native-american-cultures/videos/the-last-of-the- sioux history/native-american-cultures/videos/the-last-of-the- sioux

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Wounded Knee – “Sioux Outbreak” Read General Miles’ “Sioux Outbreak” According to Miles what were some of the principle causes of the “Sioux Outbreak”? Rally Robin with shoulder partners Write one and trade (continue for several rounds)

Lakota Sioux Today As the video plays take notes on: the current life of the Sioux some of the negatives that the Sioux deal with

Lesson Plan Information /bhcurriculum/woundedknee.html /bhcurriculum/woundedknee.html