Key topic 1: The Plains Indians

Question 1

who led bands?

Answer 1

chiefs and council of advisers

Question 2

what did the council of advisers do?

Answer 2

they agreed to everything that the band did

Question 3

the protection of the band as a whole was seen as more important ……

Answer 3

than the individuals within it

Question 4

why were chiefs chosen?

Answer 4

because of their wisdom, leadership and spiritual powers or for their skills as warriors/hunters.

Question 5

what did the chiefs and councils do?

Answer 5

they decided where their bands would go and what should happen to those who broke with customs and traditions

Question 6

did you have to obey chiefs and councils?

Answer 6

no - the rest of the tribe or band did not have to obey the decision

Question 7

Indians didn’t have to obey decisions by chiefs, what was the consequence of this when the US government signed a treaty?

Answer 7

US thought all the tribe should obey the terms of the treaty if a chief ever signed one but that was not how plains indians society worked.

Question 8

why were tribal meeting held each year?

Answer 8

to arrange marriages, trade horses and discuss issues.

Question 9

who formed tribal councils that advised tribal chiefs?

Answer 9

chiefs and elders

Question 10

who formed the warrior society?

Answer 10

the best warriors from each band

Question 11

what did members of the warrior societies do?

Answer 11

• supervised hunting
• protected their bands from attack
• led short raids and wars

Question 12

how was Plains Indian society view leadership differently from whites?

Answer 12

• no decision could be made until everyone at the council had agreed to it
• the rest of the tribe or band did not have to obey the decision
• chiefs and elders were often guided by the spirit world through visions

Question 13

what were the role of men (braves)?

Answer 13

hunting and fighting enemies

Question 14

what were the role of women

Answer 14

• made clothing
• fed the family
• looked after tipis

Question 15

who looked after children?

Answer 15

everyone

Question 16

how were elders viewed in plains indian society?

Answer 16

• respected for wisdom

- left behind to die if their weakness threatened the survival of a band

Question 17

What was the consequence of US government trying to break up Indian society into family units or moving Indian children to schools far away from their tribe?

Answer 17

• they no longer fitted in with their families
• children didn’t learn all the skills and traditions of their people
• impacted plains indian ways of life

Question 18

what was the climate of the Great Plains?

Answer 18

very dry, with hot summers and extremely cold winters

Question 19

what wealth and status measured by?

Answer 19

the amount of horses an Indian or a tribe had

Question 20

some Indians were nomads which meant…..

Answer 20

they ate wild fruits and plant but did not settle long enough to grow crops

Question 21

when did Plains Indians migrate?

Answer 21

summer and autumn

- followed buffalo migrations

Question 22

Why were tipis ideal for Plains life?

Answer 22

• their coned shape protected them against strong winds
• flaps provided ventilation in the summer heat
• they could be taken down and packed away in minutes

Question 23

In winter, were did bands move to?

Answer 23

sheltered valleys where they lived in wooden lodges, insulated with thick layers of soil

Question 24

Why did nomadic tribes find it difficult to live permanently on reservations?

Answer 24

because they were used to travelling and hunting freely

Question 25

Band sizes changed depending on…

Answer 25

how much food was available

Question 26

Why did bands splits up and spread out when food was scarce?

Answer 26

so that there was more chance of everyone getting enough to eat

Question 27

Beliefs about nature and spirits

Answer 27

• everything nature had a spirit and these spirits could help humans or harm them
• humans were a part of nature and should work with the spirits of nature rather than try than tame and control nature
• they could contact the spirit world through visions and special ritual dances (like the sundance)

Question 28

Beliefs about land and property

Answer 28

• tribes had sacred areas
• no one owned land: land was not anyone’s property ad not something that one person could buy and keep for themselves
• Land was seen as the “mother” of the Plains Indians

Question 29

Attitudes to war

Answer 29

• avoided killing too much because young men were essential to each tribe’s survival
• highest respect and prestige was given to warriors for counting coup
• flee if losing a battle

Question 30

counting coup

Answer 30

landing a blow on an enemy and getting away without being injured

Question 31

what are the uses of the buffalo

Answer 31

Dung = fuel
bones= knives and sledge runners
Fur= blankets, mittens and saddle covers
Tongue = hair brush
Sinews= bowstrings, thread
Hooves = glue and tools

Question 32

what is the importance of horses to Plains indians

Answer 32

• needed to hunt buffalo and to travel across the Plains in search for food
• highly significant for warfare and for status within Plains Indians society
• raids on other tribes or white settlers were often to steal horses

Question 33

In the 1870s, how many horses did the comanche have and how many people were in the tribe?

Answer 33

nearly 8,000 horses in a tribe of 3,000 people

Question 34

What happened when food was scarce?

Answer 34

conflicts occurred as tribes pushed into hunting areas that were traditionally used by others

Question 35

Plains indians thought that farming and mining was _________

Answer 35

disrespectful to the land

Question 36

What would happen if farming and mining was done on sacred land?

Answer 36

it would disrupt the sacred link between the tribe and the spirits

Question 37

What were white americans opinions on Plains Indians

Answer 37

• they were savages

- did nothing to improve the land: they just lived off the resources the land produced naturally

Question 38

Why did white Americans think they deserved the land more than Plains Indians?

Answer 38

because they were trying to improve it:

• ploughing it for farming
• digging up its minerals for manufacturing
• clearing its forests for timber
• developing America into a civilised country

Question 39

what were two main approaches to tackling the conflict whites and Indians

Answer 39

• keeping white settlers and Plains Indians apart
• encouraging Plains Indians to become like white settlers

keeping white settlers and Plains Indians apart meant that the Indians continued to follow their traditional ways of life rather learning white ways

Question 40

Why were individual US states not allowed to negotiate with American Indians?

Answer 40

• Because state governments were often openly hostile towards Indian populations and very keen to get hold of their land
• Indians were the responsibility of the federal government: provided Plains Indians with some protection

Question 41

How was the relationship between American Indians and the federal government unequal?

Answer 41

• federal government viewed the American Indians as being like children who needed to be kept safe while they were guided towards a civilised way of life
• Indians rights as the original inhabitants of the lands were not given any respect and their deep understanding of their environment and how to manage its resouces was largely ignorned