Chapter 8-3 Native Americans

Plains Indians nomadic warlike depended on the buffalo lived in extended family networks labor divided between genders religion based on power of nature expert horsemen could shoot 20 arrows in the time for 1 shot from a soldier

Cultures Under Pressure Native Americans clashed with whites who took land and broke treaties 1862 - First major uprising on the Plains by Sioux in Minnesota

Dakota Sioux Uprising Dakota Sioux agreed to live on a reservation in exchange for annuities ($ from gov’t) 1862 – Congress delayed payments many Indians starved Chief Little Crow asked for food on credit for his people “Let them eat grass or their own dung.”-Andrew Myrick 2 weeks later the Dakota attacked found Myrick dead with grass in his mouth

Troops put down the uprising 307 Dakota sentenced to be executed Led by Little Crow wanted to fight the military not civilians, but angry Dakotas slaughtered settlers Troops put down the uprising 307 Dakota sentenced to be executed Lincoln lowers to 38 Army sent patrols to Plains to prevent hostilities (made things worse)

Fetterman’s Massacre Army had fort on the Bozemen Trail in Lakota territory Lakota didn’t want settlers to get their land Led by chiefs: Crazy Horse Red Cloud Sitting Bull

Hundreds of Warriors were waiting in ambush Dec. 1866 - Crazy Horse tricks Capt. Fetterman and 80 soldiers to chase what they thought was a small raiding party Hundreds of Warriors were waiting in ambush wiped out the entire detachment

Sand Creek Massacre In the 1860s, Cheyenne & Arapaho unhappy with miners coming to Colorado for gold & silver Began to raid wagon trains & steal cattle and horses from ranches By 1864 – travel was no longer safe Dozens of ranches burned ~200 settlers killed

Indians ordered to surrender at Fort Lyon would be given food and protection if not would be subject to attack November 1864 – Chief Black Kettle brought several hundred Cheyenne to the fort to negotiate told to camp at Sand Creek Colonel John Chivington of the Colorado Volunteers Attacked even though they wanted to negotiate (believed there could be no peace) (

Several conflicting reports by witnesses: White flag of truce ignored? Savage massacre while they slept? or Ferocious battle? 14 soldiers died death total of Cheyenne varies widely

Indian Peace Commission Formed in 1867 by Congress Created 2 large reservations One for the Sioux Another for southern plains Indians To be run by Bureau of Indian Affairs Plan doomed to failure Chiefs forced to sign Can’t ensure tribe members will follow agreement Poor conditions on reservations Army to deal with groups that don’t report to or stay on reservations

By 1870’s many Indians had left the reservations in disgust Went in search of the buffalo Buffalo had disappeared Professional hunters Railroads Army By 1889 very few buffalo remained

Battle of Little Bighorn “Custer’s Last Stand” Lakota Sioux put on reservation in South Dakota Gold discovered, fortune hunters overrun the reservation Lakota go to hunt buffalo in Montana Lt. Col. George A. Custer of the 7th Calvary underestimates the Indians He attacked 2,500 Lakota & Cheyenne camped along the Little Bighorn River in broad daylight on June 25, 1876

All 210 men with Custer are killed Newspapers claim Custer was “massacred”

The Ghost Dance 1888 – started by Paiute Indian named Wovoka Lakota performed in hopes that Settlers would disappear Buffalo would return They would be reunited with dead ancestors “Ghost Shirts”

Battle of Wounded Knee Lakota on reservation ordered to stop the Ghost Dance in 1890 Government wants to arrest Sitting Bull Killed when supporters resist and gunfire exchanged Dancers flee reservation and are chased by Army to Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota Troops kill ~200 Lakota men, women & children (soldiers had machine guns) Final resistance of Native Americans to federal authority

Assimilation Most Americans want Indians to assimilate (live like whites) Dawes Act – 1887 passed by Congress broke reservations into individual allotments for families to farm few Native Americans wanted to farm or ranch most unwilling to adopt the white man’s ways in place of their own Huge Failure