“HOW THE WEST WAS WON”  Plains Indians

PLAINS INDIANS  Plains stretched from Central Canada to Southern Texas  Native Tribes relied on horses and buffalo to survive  1850 around 75,000 Native Americans lived on the Plains  Treaty of Fort Laramie: first major treaty between U.S. government and the Plains Indians Allowed tribes to keep land U.S. could travel, build forts and roads through Indian land U.S. would pay for any damages Lasted about 7 years, or until gold was discovered in Colorado

CONFLICT  Reservations did not offer proper buffalo hunts  Miners and pioneers demanded protection from US Army while travelling through Indian territory  Many different tribes went to war with U.S. Sioux – Dakota’s and Wyoming Comanche – Texas and Oklahoma Cheyenne – Montana Utes – Utah and Colorado

THE GHOST DANCE  Religious movement that predicted the fall of the white empire and a Native American paradise  Led by a Paiute Indian named Wovoka  Caused cultural misunderstanding between Indians and whites  N.A. wore brightly colored shirts with images of eagles and buffaloes. These "Ghost Shirts" they believed would protect them from the bluecoats' bullets.

BATTLE OF THE LITTLE BIGHORN -George Custer discovered gold in Black hills of South Dakota -Sioux leaders including Sitting Bull refused to give up land -June 25, 1876 Custer lead 264 troops to attack Sioux camp -Entire command killed, including Custer -Worst Army defeat in West -Last major Sioux victory

MASSACRE AT WOUNDED KNEE  December 29, 1890  Sioux nation was all but defeated Forced to live on reservations, no buffalo, lifestyle completely altered  Sioux, led by Chief Big Foot headed to Pine Ridge Reservation for winter camp, intercepted by Army  Early in morning during a powwow a shot was fired, in the ensuing chaos the massacre was on  300+ Sioux dead including Big Foot only 25 soldiers

WARS END  Battles raged in all parts of the west Navajo fought in Southwest – Arizona and New Mexico Long Walk – 300 mile march of Navajo captives through desert to a reservation in New Mexico Nez Perce in Oregon before removed to Oklahoma  Ended in late 1880’s with Geronimo surrendering and ending Apache resistance