Native American Cultures Exam 2

Environment of the Great Plains

Area; little rain, extreme temperatures, strong winds; eastern plains; western plains; animal resources; vegetable resources

What land is included in the Great Plains?

North to southern Canada, south to central Texas; east to the Rocky Mountains, west to the Mississippi

Environment of the Great Plains

Area; little rain, extreme temperatures, strong winds; eastern plains; western plains; animal resources; vegetable resources

What land is included in the Great Plains?

North to southern Canada, south to central Texas; east to the Rocky Mountains, west to the Mississippi

Environment of the Eastern Plains

Called “High Plains”; short grasses, lots of bison (60 million in 1800); few trees and little surface water; agriculture basically impossible

Environment of the Western Plains

Called “Prairie Plains”; tall grasses; less bison; relatively well wooded and watered; agriculture at river bottoms

Great Plains animal resources

Bison, pronghorn antelope, deer, bear, elk, rabbits, wild turkey, sage grouse, quail, birds of prey

Great Plains vegetable resources

Wild turnip, tubers, berries, prickly pear cactus

Introduction of the horse

Evolution; diffusion; material culture; consequences; demands; wealth

Evolution of the horse

Evolved in the Americas, migrated to Asia on land bridge, went extinct in Americas during Ice Age, reintroduced by Europeans in 16th century (Cortez)

What were horses called by Natives, and how were they used?

“Spirit dogs”; first pack animals and food, then hunting buffalo

Horses new material culture

Saddles, bridles, etc

Horse consequences

For the first time, people could live in the Great Plains year-round; draws people to the Great Plains

Horse demands

Moving around for water and grass

Horse as wealth

Horses become a form of wealth, status; goods of exchange and prizes of war

Farming Groups subsistence

Agriculture (corn, beans, squash); bison hunted seasonally

Farming Groups settlement patterns

Densely populated villages by rivers; earth lodges; sometimes fortified

Farming Groups kinship

Typically unilineal (both kinds)

Farming Groups social and political organization

Clans; influenced by southeastern chiefdoms and southwestern pueblos; no coercive power; inequality (wealth in produce)

Nomadic Groups subsistence

Buffalo, other hunting, gathering

Nomadic Groups settlement patterns

Gathered and dispersed with buffalo; large groups in spring/summer, smaller groups in fall, small groups in winter; lived in tipis

Nomadic Groups kinship

Typically bilineal (some exceptions)

Nomadic Groups social and political organization

Achieved status; ruled by consensus; chiefs, warchiefs, and councils; inequality (wealth in horses)

Technology

Parfleche, Travois, Bull boat, weapons

Parfleche

Leather envelopes used for storage and transportation

Travois

Sled used to carry possessions

Bull boat

Small round watercraft made of bison skins stretched over a wooden frame

Weapons

bow and arrow, lance, club, knife, shield

Origins of the Teton Lakota

Headwaters of the Mississippi

Reasons for migration

Pushed west by Chippewa; pull of horses; occupied the High Plains

Lakota belief systems

White Buffalo Woman; 7 ceremonies; 4 Lakota virtues

White Buffalo Woman

taught the people how to live; introduced sacred buffalo pipe; taught 7 sacred ceremonies

7 sacred ceremonies

Pipe ceremony, vision quest, inipi sweat lodge ceremony, puberty ceremony, ceremony to honor the recently deceased, peace-making ceremony, sun dance

Pipe ceremony

connecting to the Great Mystery (Wakantanka) and signified peace, trust, truth

Sun Dance

7 bands came together; vows; dancing to exhaustion; dancing with lacerations; dancing with bone skewers

4 Lakota virtues

Bravery, fortitude, generosity, wisdom

Bravery

Elaborate system of individual valor (feathers)

Fortitude

Capacity to endure physical pain; a sense of dignity and reserve

Generosity

giving away wealth brings prestige; necessary for a leader

Lakota social and political organization

7 bands; nomadic buffalo hunters; designated areas; extended family; rule by consensus; warrior societies

Lakota warfare

Reasons; status; boasting; organizing; holy men; leaving and returning

Reasons for warfare

Control of hunting grounds, defense against raids, glory and status, revenge

Holy men

wicasa wakan

How war parties left and returned

Left at night with no ceremony; if successful returned with public spectacle; if failure snuck back in at night

Biographical summary of Mary Crow Dog

Raised by grandparents; pressure to assimilate; boarding school; wandering; AIM; Wounded Knee; marriage to Leonard Crow Dog; Crow Dog imprisoned

Where did Mary Crow Dog grow up?

Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota

When did Mary begin wandering?

Age 17

When did Mary join AIM?

Age 18H

How long was Crow Dog imprisoned?

2 years

Struggles of the American Indian Movement

Reclaiming Indian culture (especially religion); protesting and media attention; legal battles; self-governance

Traditional Lakota culture in the present

Gender, religious practices, dress, language, medicine

Lakota Woman and gender

White Buffalo Woman; menstruation; gender roles; cooking for visitors

Lakota Woman and Religion

Sun dance, flesh offerings, sweat lodge, visions/dreams, ghost dance, generosity (crow dog)

Lakota Woman material culture

Long hair, bone choker, feathers

Lakota Woman and medicine

Healing herbs for injuries; having a baby the “Indian way”