Omaha In the beginning…

You must ask yourself…  In what ways did White Americans change the life of the plains Indians?  What were the positive and negative impacts that the whites had on the plains Indians?  If I were a Native American during this period, how would I treat the White settlers/traders?  What compensation do you think Whites owe the Native Americans? If any, what?

First Tribes  River Tribes “Farmers ” - Ponca - Otoe - Omaha  Inland “Hunters” - Pawnee (Eastern Central Nebraska) - Sioux (Central Nebraska) - Cheyenne (Western Nebraska) Each tribe “fed” on each other – The horse changed everything. Sioux and the Cheyenne had horses

The Big Picture Omaha Otoe Ponca Pawnee* Sioux* Cheyenne* “Native American Food Chain” * Nomadic

River Tribe Villages  The 3 river tribes were permanent settlements  The Indians lived in Earthen lodges  These were a pit 4 feet deep and 12 feet across, circular in shape

Lewis & Clark Expedition & French Traders  Explorers Meriwether Lewis & William Clark headed out in 1804  They arrived in Council Bluffs area where they ran into French traders  Manuel Lisa and Lucien Fontenell  French Traders used the Indians to go out and trap the animals for their skins  Traders would give the Indians guns & other items

Manuel Lisa  Manuel Lisa was much like every other French trader  He had a French wife in New Orleans  At this camp, he had 5 Indian wives  When the U.S. Army came, they liked his place so much that they put up a fort right next to his place  What is the Fort today?

Lucien & Logan Fontenell  Lucien Fontenell married into the Omaha Tribe solidifying his place among them  Lucien married the Chief’s daughter & had a son named Logan (half Indian/half white)  When the chief died, Logan became the chief of the Omaha people  In 1854, when the whites show up, Logan makes a deal w/ them by giving up some of the land – if we don’t give whitey some, they’ll take it all  The Omaha Res. is established Lucien Logan

Peter Sarpy  Lucien Fontenell ran the Missouri Fur Trading Company until his death in 1832  The Missouri Fur Trading Company turned into the American Fur trading Company & Peter Sarpy took over  Lucien Fontenell set up his operation in the Bellevue area (Bellevue toll bridge)  The establishment had the only ferry crossing as well a trading post

The Mormons meet Peter Sarpy  The Mormons crossed the Missouri River at Bellevue and met w/ Peter Sarpy, the American Fur Trading Representative  Sarpy couldn’t help them-he sent them to the area of Florence  The Indians up there made a deal w/ the Mormons  The deal was they would show the Mormons how to grow winter crops and get fish  In exchange, the Mormons gave the Indians a cut of whatever they grew or caught

The American Fur Trading Company today Halleck Park, Bellevue, Nebraska Hwy 370