1. Natives and The Great West

2. Indians embattled in the west
By 1890, territories were being carved out of the West
Indians were being squeezed out and pushed onto reservations
The period between was the final showdown for independent Indian tribes
Natives in the “Great West”
Hunted and relied on the vast herds of Buffalo that roamed freely

3. Pressures on western lands
Pre-Civil War
Guns
Disease
Cattle
Post Civil War
Migration west by settlers- forced tribes further west
Tribes caused to come in contact with each other, causing competition between tribes for land and resources
Politicians Had Tried to Pacify Tribes with Treaties
Treaty of Ft. Laramie- Tribes got $50,000 a year for 50 years in exchange for the govt. right to build roads and forts on the native land
Treaty of Ft. Atkinson- Attempt to establish peace among Plains Indians, and facilitate the building of the Transcontinental Railroad
This was the beginning of the reservation system out west

4. Fort Laramie Treaty Land Survey

5. Reservations
Over time, Natives were confined to even smaller reservations
Exchanged this for the promise to be left alone, food, or other supplies
Reservations
Northern Plains Indians- the large Dakota territory (“Great Sioux Reservation”)
South- Indian Territory in present- day Oklahoma
Promises broken
Led to Sioux uprising in Minnesota during the Civil War- bloodily crushed

6. Indian Wars 1868-1890 Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry
Constant warfare between Indians and federal government
Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry
Used to fight against natives
Western Indians much bigger challenge than Eastern Indians

7. Receding Native populations
Atrocities perpetrated by both sides
Sand Creek Massacre- 1864
Surprise attack by US troops on Cheyenne
Done during peace negotiations with federal government
Indians attempted to surrender but US forces continued to attack
Killed over 200 Cheyenne tribe members
Led to Plains Indians Wars
Fetterman Massacre- 1866
Powder River, Wyoming
Indian forces defeated Captain Fetterman and killed all 81 troops
Worst US military defeat against natives to that time

8. Battle of Little Big horn- June 1876
Custer leads expedition into Black Hills of S. Dakota
Reports discovery of Gold in Sioux territory
Hordes of gold seekers rush into Sioux territory
Sioux attack “invaders”- led by Sitting Bull
Custer’s 7th Cavalry sent to bring “peace”
Custer’s troops wiped out at Little Big Horn- All 264 of Custer’s men Killed
Gen. George A. Custer
Chief Sitting Bull

9. Other native tribes Nez Perce Apache Go to war in Idaho- 1877
Government had shrunk their reservation by 90%
Chief Joseph leads on 1700 mile trek to avoid US military
Surrendered and sent to reservation in Kansas, where 40% die of disease
Apache
Located in AZ and NM
Most difficult to subdue
Most aggressive
Led by Geronimo
Ultimately resettled in OK

10. Buffalo as a control tool
million buffalo on plains
1885- fewer than 1000
By 1870’s many Natives had left their reservations
Mostly to hunt buffalo
Buffalo rapidly disappearing
Professional buffalo hunters, seeking hides
Some killed for sport, leaving carcasses to rot
Railroad companies paid sharpshooters to kill buffalo on tracks
US Army encouraged killing to force N.A. back onto reservations

12. The End of the Trail 1880’s national consciousness awakening
Helen Hunt Jackson- A Century of Dishonor
Humanitarians
Christianize the Indians
Turn them into productive farmers
Integrate them as citizens
Hardliners insisted on forced containment

13. Assimilating Indians Christian missionaries Ghost Dance Cult
Ignored the culture of tribes
Tried to force Indian culture out on reservations- didn’t work
Ghost Dance Cult
Provided hope and unity
US government outlaws the performance of Ghost Dance
Wounded Knee Massacre
US troops attack group gathered for Ghost Dance
Sitting Bull Killed
200 Lakota men, women, children killed
Last major conflict between natives and US government

14. Dawes severalty act- 1887 Attempts to transform Indians into farmers
Ends reservation policy- marks shift in Indian policy
Provisions
Wiped out tribal joint ownership of land
Individual family heads given 160 acres of land
Full title ownership given in 25 years if behaved
Leftover reservation land sold, money used to educate and “civilize’ Indians
Missionaries and teachers sent to reservations to Christianize and teach women to sew and keep house

15. “Kill the Savage, Save the Man”
Indian schools
Apache children at their arrival at the Carlisle Indian School (PA)
The same children 4 months later

16. Failure of the dawes act
Why do you think the Dawes Act Failed?
Few natives had the training or enthusiasm to farm
Many sold land to white settlers, further reducing the size of the reservations
By 1900, Indians had lost half of the land they had held 20 years earlier
Dawes act remained basic framework for Native relations until 1934
Later changed to Indian Reorganization Act- tried to restore native culture