Cultures Clash on the Prarie

Cultures Clash on the Prarie By: Nelson Ploen

Culture of Plains Indians • Most white men thought of Indians to be savages of a vast, desert • Native Americans were thought to be of barbaric backgrounds

The horse and buffalo greatly effected the Native Americans greatly • Horses were used to explore more land, and used to hunt and transport people • During the 1800’s the buffalo was a main food source for the Plains Indians

The family life of Native Americans had ties with other groups that had the same language • Many lived in extended families close together • Boys were trained to become men, in other words hunters for food and warriors for protection • Kids learned through story telling and urban ledgends • Despite the way of life, no one in the groups were suppose to dominate the others • Land was not kept in separate families, it was used as one whole peace of land for others to share

Settlers Push Westword • The views of Native Americans was different from settlers • Settlers believe the indians didn’t own the land, since they did nothing to improve it, therefore the land was taken by stake the settlers made on them • They streamed Westword on wagons and railroads • Most migration happened because of something that the land had on it “gold, silver etc.”

Government Restricts Native Americans • In 1834, the Great Plains served as a vast reservation for the Indians • In the 1850’s however, the government had designated areas for specific tribes to go to, so white men could claim land • Most Native Americans clashed with settlers, they felt they should not be kept in boundaries. • Many battles occurred due to tensions

Government Supports Assimilation • Many people wanted to treat Native Americans with respect, but in order for this to happen, they had to give up their beliefs which had been passed down for generations • The Dawes Act gave land to individual Native Americans, land that had been broken up off reservations.

By 1932, two thirds of the land in the Plains had been taken away from Native Americans • The destruction of the Buffalo hurt the Indians very bad • In 1800, approximately 65 million buffalo roamed the plains. By 1890, fewer than 1000 remained. • This led to the Creation of Yellowstone National Park; a place where the buffalo were safe

Cattle Becomes Big Business • As more land was acuired by settlers, cattle had become profitable livestock in mass amounts • This led to the creation of leading herds of cattle • The Texas Longhorn, adapted well in the environment

Daily Life of a Cowboy • A days work for a cowboy was hard, 10 to 14 hour day was the normal work day on the ranch, then including more on the range • The season began in the spring roundup • The “ Long Drive” lasted about three months, which included traveling for hundreds of miles • A cowboy had 250 to 300 head of cattle to watch over, just by himself. • Many cowboys had harsh conditions, such as sleeping on the ground and going on almost no sleep sometimes

End of the Open Range • As the bigger herds became under one company or business, there was no need for hearding, most cattle were put in feedlots. • As the overgrazing continued, the invention of barbed wire, and bad weather persisted, it was not profitable anymore • Instead of having huge herds, most people had small herds that yielded more beef.

Sources • http://api.ning.com/files/*WarNA1Xz9NCo0X0QpGA73vSpwQc4D5x6il7fJSSiLZy*QrIrc1tx-1kwsuOlwM9YX0Qm93clJz3VUJYZQPaBInNHISeh9tr/5.1.pdf • http://inkido.indiana.edu/w310work/romac/plains.html • http://www.tc.umn.edu/~mboucher/mikebouchweb/choctaw/cranch.htm • http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/tribes/siouan/oglalahist.htm

Cultures Clash on the Prarie