GREAT PLAINS NATIVES Analisa, Sydney, and Bailey
AREA The Great Plains includes the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The area had a thick layer of grass. Native Americans arrived in about Dakota and Sioux tribes of Minnesota were pushed out to the Great Plains area. The Cheyenne also migrated from Minnesota farming areas.
CULTURE Teepees, feathered war bonnet, war paint, and nomadic existence (following buffalo migrations) Shared the belief of Animism: the religious belief that the universe and all natural objects have a spirit Believed in the “Great Spirit”, the Sun Dance, and used Shamans to heal people Buffalo provided food, clothing, fuel, covering for dwellings, and materials for tools -Horses and rifles for buffalo hunting were provided by Spanish settlers -By the 19 th century, white sport hunters had nearly exterminated all buffalo herds in the area Languages: Algonquian, Caddoan, Uto-Aztecan, and Athabaskan
SIOUX -”Little Snake” -Nomadic -Had chiefs designated for war, civil rules, and medicine men -Fought with settlers over land -Mostly found in South/North Dakota
PAWNEE -Known for lots of festivals (Harvest Festival) -Men belonged to one of three groups: warriors, hunters, or medicine men -2 kinds of medicine men: priests that conducted ceremonies, and spiritual doctors that held the power to heal -Pawnee ceremonies revolved around use of magic objects and herbs -Known for beautiful pottery, hide paintings, and woven baskets -Decorated with bright colors -At the height of their existence there were about 10,000 people, but diseases such as cholera and smallpox wiped out about 600 Pawnee Indians
CROW -Made up of many small clans -Once inhabited the Yellowstone River Valley -Women played important roles within the clan -Death rituals sometimes consisted on the mourning family inflicting pain on themselves to leave a scar -Warriors moved on to become chiefs of the clan if they fulfilled several actions -Tribe members fasted up to three times in their life -Sacred pipe was smoked and passed around by chiefs before tribal meetings. Believed that it would help solve problems.
CHEYENNE -Consisted of two tribes: Southern Cheyenne and Northern Cheyenne -Hunting was important so they made easily relocatable homes (teepees) in order to follow buffalo herds -Used Plains Sign Language to communicate with other local tribes, but communication within their tribe used the Algonquin language -Cheyenne Dog Soldiers: military driven band of Cheyenne warrior Indians who were known to fight to the death to protect their people -Friendly with the Sioux and with the Arapaho -Beading was their most famous form of artwork -Counting coup involved acts of bravery such as touching the enemy and getting away unharmed -Young girls learned how to cook, clean, and skills to relocate their homes, and young boys learned skills to feed a family such as hunting and fishing and how to fight in battle
ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTIONS The Great Plains Indians generally lived in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. They were nomadic hunters and farmers and traveled by horse or travois. The Great Plains Indians typically hunted buffalo, deer, elk, bear, beaver, porcupine, antelope, and wolves. They cultivated maize, squash, sunflowers and other plants. They created “buffalo jumps” which were large funnels of trees, rocks, poles, and people to try and channel stampeding buffalo off a cliff. They lived in teepees situated along rivers for easy traveling and fishing access.
HUMAN INTERACTIONS The Great Plains Indians engaged in trade with members of the same tribe, other tribes, and Europeans. They often traded bison robes, dried meat and tallow for agricultural products such as corn and squash. From the Europeans they traded for horse and guns. Through interaction with Europeans they contracted diseases such as smallpox and typhoid. They made a Blackfoot Confederacy which consisted on the Piegan people, the Blood people called the Kainai, and the Siksika and Sacree Tribe.
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