Last Resistance… Chief Joseph (1877) led his tribe, the Nez Perce 1,500 miles to Canada –Within miles of border they were captured Geronimo crosses U.S./Mexican border and attacks U.S. settlements –Captured in 1886 –Geronimo is seen as one of last Native Americans to not give in to the U.S. government

Chief Joseph, leader of the Nez Perce “I will fight no more forever” ~ Chief Joseph

Geronimo – Symbol of American Indian resistance to US expansion What is a folk hero???

American Indian Way of Life Destroyed The Destruction of Buffalo –Importance of Buffalo The Skull, Horns, Bones, Hide, and Meat all used by Native Americans –65 Million in –1 Thousand in 1870.

Uses of the Buffalo meat - roasted on the campfire, boiled, for pemmican and jerky, sausages hides with the hair left on - winter clothing, gloves, blankets, robes, costumes for ceremonies or for hunting. hides - ropes, blankets, shields, clothing, bags, tipi covers, bull boats, sweat lodge covers, containers, drums sinew (muscles) - bowstrings, thread for sewing, webbing for snowshoes bones - for making hoes, shovels, runners for sleds, pointy tools, knives, pipes, scrapers, arrowheads horns - spoons, cups, bowls, containers to carry tobacco, medicine or gunpowder, headdresses, arrow points, toys hair - rope, pillow stuffing, yarn, shields, medicine balls

Uses of the Buffalo (#2) beard - decoration on clothes and weapons tail - fly swatter, whip, tipi decoration brain - used for tanning the hides (to soften the skin) hoofs - rattles, boiled to make glue fat - paint base, hair grease, for making candles and soap dung (manure chips) - fuel for campfires and smoke signals teeth - for decorating, necklaces stomach - containers for water and for cooking bladder - medicine bag, water container, pouches skull - ceremonies and prayer

Unfairness Exposed A Century of Dishonor –Book by Helen Hunt Jackson –Exposed the broken promises of the U.S. government –An example of early muckraking (journalism that exposes corruption) –Targets the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Organization responsible for the relationship b/w government and reservations

Author of A Century of Dishonor, Helen Hunt Jackson sought to make all aware of the maltreatment towards American Indians

Problems w/ 3 rd Policy (Assimilation) Assimilation – plan under which American Indians would give up their beliefs and way of life and become part of American (white European) culture Comprehensive attempt to alter the way of life of American Indians (clothing, education, language, lifestyle, etc…)

Dawes Act Dawes Act (1887) –Supposed to “Americanize” the Native Americans –Broke up reservations and gave land to individuals for the purpose of farming –Rest of land sold to settlers and money used to build Indian schools and for farming tools –Native Americans who agreed could become American citizens A great deal of money allotted to American Indians never gets to them

A comparison of American Indians lands in 1775 (top picture and lands in 1894 (bottom)

Reservation lands today according to the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs)

Carlisle School for Children

Navajo Boy: Tom Torlino Student at Carlisle

Six Components of a Political Cartoon 1)Characters 2)Humor 3)Symbolism 4)Headings 5)Action 6)Caricature

starvation rations

American Indian / U.S. Gov’t Relationship Today American Indian Movement rises in 1968 w/ the purpose of protecting indigenous people Challenges the BIA and calls for change BIA offers apology in 2000 Indigenous:

Today’s Reservation 550 recognized tribes 56.2 million acres of reservation land –Largest is Navajo reservation in Arizona American Indians are subject to all U.S. law, but reservation laws may be different