Plains Indians - Great Plains or Great American Desert : Grasslands -Nomadic lifestyle: roamers -importance of the horse : Speed & mobility - and buffalo: Tepees from Hides - *Clothing, shoes, blankets- skin *Meat -communal living : sharing and trading with other tribes -Common use of the tribe’s land: Land could NOT be owned, belonged to the Great Spirit -Sioux, Lakota, Cheyenne, Apache, Nez Pierce, Blackfeet

American Interests -Lands given by treaty to Indian groups : Whites argued NA forfeited rights to land b/c they had not settled down to “improve” land -California Gold Rush, Homestead Act, 1862 : Gave Settlers free land to be developed into farms, 5 year commitment to stay on land, responsible for settling 10% of US -transcontinental railroad building Massacre of the buffalo herds

American Interests -Central and Union Pacific Railroads -Irish and Chinese Immigrants - *Huge land grants to RR Companies from Fed Gov’t - Purpose: Connect the West Coast with the East Coast - *Race to lay track -Promontory Point, Utah May 10 th Union Pacific track joined the Central Pacific Linking the E to the W - *Set off population & economic explosions

Indian Restrictions -treaties were broken -Indians forced onto reservations -gov’t payment and supplies were not delivered as promised -Many Native Americans began to fight for their land -Indian Uprisings -Dakota Uprising, 1862

Indian Restrictions -treaties were broken -Indians forced onto reservations -gov’t payment and supplies were not delivered as promised -Indian Uprisings -Dakota Uprising, 1862

Indian Restrictions -Massacre at Sand Creek, 1864 John Chivington leads Army unit in massacre of Cheyenne - Killed over 150 people, mostly women and children -Fetterman’s Massacre, Upset white man’s trail was running directly through their hunting grounds -unsuccessfully appealed to Gov’t, upset and angry they attacked. -Fetterman’s small army band crushed by Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Red Cloud’s warriors - Treaty of Fort Laramie: Gov’t closes trail. Sitting Bull never signed it.

Indian Wars -Gold found in the Black Hills of the Dakotas 4 years after treaty is signed -Sioux try to defend area promised to them -Army sends George Armstrong Custer “ *Hills have gold from the grass roots down” - White prospectors & NA attack one another -Little Bighorn, 1876 Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull lead 4,000 warriors as Custer and all his men (7 th Calvery) were killed

Indian Wars -Gold found in the Black Hills of the Dakotas -Sioux try to defend area promised to them -Army sends George Armstrong Custer -Little Bighorn, 1876 Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull lead warriors as Custer and all his men were killed

Indian Wars -Nez Perce Indians, resisted white encroachment -Led by Chief Joseph, they refused to go to reservation -chased by the Army for over 1000 miles until captured in Canada (several hundred people) -”I will fight no more forever” - “ *We were contented to let things remain as the Great Spirit Chief made them. They were not, and would change the rivers and the mtns if they did not suit them”

Assimilation -”Century of Dishonor” Helen Hunt Jackson - Book that exposed the Gov’ts many broken promises, mistreatment & betrayal of NA -Dawes Act passed, 1887 “Americanize the NA” 160 acres to each family most of land was eventually taken by NA received NO $ from sales of these lands

End of the Indian Lifestyle -assimilation education of Indians to be more like whites - *giving up the ways of life & beliefs to becomes part of the white man’s culture -

End of the Indian Lifestyle *Most Significant Blow to the NA: -destruction of the buffalo - *Tourist & fur traders shot buffalo for sport million buffalo roamed the Great Plains roamed

End of the Indian Lifestyle -Ghost Dance Movement Sioux spiritual dance N ew ritual that promised NA lands & ways of life would be restored, & ancestors would rise up from the dead, peace -* 25,000 NA danced - *alarmed military leaders & white settlers, called for intervention Dance was outlawed -* sent to arrest Sitting Bull

End of the Indian Lifestyle -Wounded Knee, 1890 massacre of several hundred Sioux …. *Soldiers demanded NA give up all of their weapons - *shots fired (unclear which side) - minutes, 7 th US Calvary has slaughtered (several children) - *Soldiers left corpses to freeze on ground -Indian era comes to an end