How were the Indians able to live on The Great Plains?

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Where were the Great Plains?
The Great Plains were in the middle of North America, from the Mississippi river in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the West, from Canada in the North to Mexico in the South.
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Why were the Plains regarded as the "Great American Desert"?
Summers were hot and dry and reached temperatures of up to 40ºC. Winters were cold and snowy and were well below 0ºC. There was little water. There was lots of strong winds all year round. The vegetation was long prairie grass in the east and shorter
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Where did White Europeans first settle?
In the far East of North America
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What was the climate like in the far East of North America?
The climate was similar to that of Europe.
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Why was it difficult for the White Europeans to explore any further West?
Natural obstacles of the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River made it difficult.
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When they did cross, what did they discover?
They found such harsh conditions that they believed no one could settle there and they became known as the Great American Desert.
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How long had the Plains Indians lived there for?
Thousands of years
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What were they, in order to survive?
Nomadic Hunter-gatherers
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What does Nomad/Nomadic mean?
People who do not live in one place, but travel from place to place.
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What are hunter-gatherers?
People who get their food by gathering what grows naturally (rather than farming) and hunting.
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What was the main source of food for the Indians?
The Buffalo. There were millions of them roaming the Plains in the early 19th century, and they supplied many of the Indians needs.
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When were horses brought to North America?
Spanish invaders brought them in 1640, not specifically for the Indians, but the Indians captured, bred and traded them between tribes
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How was an Indian wealthy?
If he owned a lot of horses, horses were valued highly.
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What was the main cause of warfare between tribes?
Horse Stealing
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How did the "Practice of Exposure" help them to survive?
If a member of a tribe was moving too slowly, they could chose to allow the rest of the tribe to move forward, and they would remain behind on the Plains to die from exposure.
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How did their organisation allow them to survive?
Each tribe had a chief who had power because of their wisdom, their spiritual power, their skills as a warrior or as a hunter. There were no formal laws.
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Who made the decisions in the tribe?
The council of the tribe.
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Why was a pipe smoked during the discussions?
To ensure that the spirit h ear what they were saying so they could help them make the right decision.
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What were the warrior societies?
Groups of braves which would support the tribe during war. They aided them in planning the wars.
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Where did the Plains Indians live?
They lived in tipis.
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Why did they live in tipis?
The Plains Indians were Nomadic, so they moved around a lot. The tipis were made out of buffalo skin and three wooden poles, so could be taken down in a short amount of time.
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How were they able to survive?
The Buffalo, Horses, The practice of exposure, Organisation, Their homes, Family Life and Warfare.
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Give 5 beliefs of the Plains Indians
They believed the land was sacred as it was given to them by Waken Tanka. No one could own the land. Cirlces were an important symbol as they believed that it represented life. They believed dances, such as the Sun Dance would bring them closer to
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[Continued]
The spirits. They believed that when they died they would go to the Happy Hunting Ground.
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What did the Plains Indians believe about the land?
It was sacred, so could not be bought or sold. It belonged to everyone.
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Who was Waken Tanka?
Waken Tanka was believed to be The Great Spirit, who created the world and controlled all of nature.
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Where did spirits live?
In all living things. They believed they could influence their lives.
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Why were circles an important symbol?
They represented life as a circle from life to death.
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Why did they put their camps in circles?
To remain close to the spirits.
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How else did they believe they could get closer to the spirits?
Through dances and ceremonies.
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What did the dances involve?
Meditation, fasting or enduring pain.
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What did the Sun Dance involve?
It involved fasting and contemplation, then being suspended from the roof by putting skewers through their pectoral muscles.
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When would dances take place?
Before battles or raids, before and after the Buffalo hunt to get close to the spirits, who could help them.
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What would happen when young men reached adolescence?
They would fast, and sit in a sweat lodge in order to get a vision.
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Who would interpret the vision?
A medicine man would interpret the vision to see what the persons future would be like.
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What would the medicine men provide them with from this?
Their adult name, e.g 'Crazy Horse'
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What did Sitting Bull do before the Battle of Little Bighorn in order to get a vision?
He removed strips of skin from his body. The vision showed men in blue uniforms falling.
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Name three Plains Indian tribes.
The Sioux, The Cheyenne and the Cherokee.
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Who were the Sioux?
They were the largest and best-known Plains Indian nation. In 1840 they were the most important nation, because they had lived there and hunted buffalo there for a long time.
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How were they divided?
Into the Dakota, Lakota and Nakota, each spoke a different version of the same dialect.
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Who were the Cheyenne?
The Cheyenne were based in the central Plains and were traditionally allies of the Sioux. They were generally considered to be more peaceful than other tribes.
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Who were the Cherokee?
The Cherokee were originally farmers from the East who had been moved off their land in 1840, and had become Plains Indians.
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Who were traditionally enemies of the Sioux?
The Crow.
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Who were the Comanche?
They were based in the South Plains and were considered very skilled horsemen.
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How did the Plains Indians pass on their traditions and customs and their history?
Through stories, which were passed on from generation to generation.
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Why is it difficult to be exact about the beliefs of the Plains Indians?
Because so many were killed in the nineteenth century.
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Did all of the different nations get along?
No.This did not help when it came to fighting the white Europeans. By the 1870s, the nations did unite against the whites.
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Card 2

Front

Why were the Plains regarded as the "Great American Desert"?

Back

Summers were hot and dry and reached temperatures of up to 40ºC. Winters were cold and snowy and were well below 0ºC. There was little water. There was lots of strong winds all year round. The vegetation was long prairie grass in the east and shorter

Card 3

Front

Where did White Europeans first settle?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What was the climate like in the far East of North America?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Why was it difficult for the White Europeans to explore any further West?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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