Native Americans and Settlers

Pioneer Settler Population Growth and Native Population Decline Settlers = >25 Natives = <20,000 Settlers = < 300,000 Natives = > 2,

Why the decline? Disease: The pioneers and other settlers brought new diseases to the area. - Typhoid –Diphtheria –Colds –Influenza –Chicken Pox –Tuberculosis –Scarlet Fever –Measles –Small Pox Before the pioneers, Spanish Explorers had also brought new diseases to Utah. Reduction of food supply from settlers hunting.

Clash of Culture Things the settlers didn’t understand about the Native Americans: –Why the Natives abandoned disabled older people and disabled babies. –Indian slavery Utes would take Goshute and Paiute slaves. Things the Native Americans didn’t understand about the settlers: –Why the settlers had so many rules. –Harsh discipline. –Farming/property. –Why they were so competitive with each other.

Most settlers and Native Americans lived PEACEFULLY. Even with their cultural differences, the settlers and Native Americans lived peacefully. –When settlers were starving in the winter, the Native Americans helped them find food. –Indian Relief Society – Settler women would make clothing for Indian women and children. –The Indians would work for the settlers for food.

Indian Relief Society

Conflict Among Tribes The Shoshone, Utes and Paiutes were rivals and felt animosity towards each other. Battles often would lead to retaliation for aggressive acts. Many Native American leaders welcomed the settlers because they thought they would become allies and help them fight their other Native enemies.

U.S. Government and the Indians The U.S. Government dealt with Native Americans in 4 ways: –Assimilation –Removal –Relocation –Sovereignty

Assimilation The U.S. government and the Mormons would try to force Natives to act and live like white people. –Indian Farms and schools. Like many Americans, Mormons believed their agricultural lifestyle and religion was better for the Native Americans. Natives that went to Indian farms and schools often lost some of their cultural identity.

Assimilation Throughout the United States Indian Schools were set up to “civilize” the Indians. They would take Indian children away from their families and home and force them to change their religion and culture. In Utah the Mormons were not as harsh as other parts of the U.S.

Assimilation

Removal Sadly, the U.S. government and the Mormons had some battles with the Utah Native Americans. –Walker War – 1853 to 1854 Utes were raiding settlements and stealing horses and cattle. Settlers built forts. Few were killed Walkara, one of the Ute leaders met with Brigham Young to make peace in Juab County. While there, Brigham Young gave a healing blessing to one of Walkara’s children and that eased tensions. Utes were forced to leave the area near Utah Lake.

Removal Goshute War – 1860 –Goshutes started attacking Stage Coach stations in Utah and Nevada. –Seven stations were destroyed in Utah. –U.S. Army attacked the Goshutes. At Simpson Springs, the army surrounded and slaughtered an entire Indian camp of men, women and children. –Over 100 Indians were killed. Only 16 whites were killed.

Removal –Bear River Massacre – Many people traveling west past Utah, shot at and frightened friendly Shoshone Indians. Then small groups of Shoshone then started attacking wagon trains. U.S. soldiers, led by Patrick Connor, attacked and massacred about 300 men, women and children. –Mormon settlers who witnessed the battle were sickened by the sight and disappointed in the U.S. Army for what they did. Watch the Video Clip

Removal Black Hawk War – 1865 – 1868 –The LONGEST and most DESTRUCTIVE conflict in Utah. –Brigham Young had met with Indian leaders and had made a treaty. That treaty was sent to Washington D.C., where is was rejected by the U.S. Congress. –Black Hawk (the greatest single leader against pioneer expansion) began to attack settlements to get food for the starving Indians who had been forced from their lands. –About 50 to 70 settlers were killed and 50 to 70 Indians were killed. –After the war ended, 1,500 Utes were forced to move to the reservation.

Relocation Native American groups were forced to move to Indian Reservations: –1861 – President Lincoln creates the Uinta Valley Indian Reservation where the Utes were forced to go. –1884 – Navajo Indian Reservation created. –1891 – Shivwitz Reservation created and Paiutes were forced to move there.

Relocation - Before the Pioneers came, the Utes controlled 45% of Utah’s land, after they were put on reservations they only controlled 9% of their former lands. (about 4% of Utah land). Shoshone UTESGoshutes Paiutes Navajo

Utah’s 7 Major Indian Reservations Unitah-Ouray Navajo Washakie Skull Valley Goshute Kanosh Shivwitz

Sovereignty Tribes were given the power to govern themselves on Reservation lands (a nation within a nation). In 1934, Native Americans won the right to have Tribal councils. Navajo Nation Video

Religious Conversion Throughout Utah, many Utah Indians converted to the Mormon religion. Jacob Hamblin taught and converted many Paiutes. The Paiutes trusted him because he took the time to become friends with them and learned their language.

John Wesley Powell While exploring the Colorado River, John Wesley Powell met with Kaibab Southern Paiutes and Jacob Hamblin to get information about the area.