The Native Americans.

                    The Native Americans.

Work Group 3

Vincenzo Vallefuoco, Domenico Ciccarelli, Giuliano Cuccurullo, Raffaella Amoruso, Giovanni Padrevita, Vincenzo Chianese

The Plains Indians -the Tribes

The Plains Indians travelled during the Ice Age from Asia to Alaska, settled in the area from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains.

The Great Plains  were incredibly hot in summer and very cold in winter with snow and when it rained, it flooded. The most important tribes were : Cheyenne , Comanche, Plains Apache and Sioux ( call also “Dakota or Lacota”).   They became fully nomadic to follow the buffalo.

           

                     

They lived in the teepees,  made of buffalo hide fastened around very long wooden poles, designed in a cone shape. Tepees were warm in winter and cool in summer. Some were quite large. They could hold 30 or 40 people comfortably.

                                    

                     

                 

This tribes had similar habits, for example the  Smoke Signals which were a  form of communication. The plains are flat. You could see a Smoke Signal for miles.By changing the puffs of smoke from short to long, they could send a message. Sometimes the message was one of warning. Some were simple.
The Plains Indians usually cultivated: corn, beans, squash, melons, and tobacco.                          

                                    

Sioux

The name "Sioux" derives from a Chippewa word meaning "little snake".

The Sioux ‘s Government  was made up of a council  and each council selected a chief. A chief served for life. In olden times, women had no say in government.

·         All the adult men in a village were members of the Village Council.

·         The Village Council was divided into parts. Within the Council, men broke up into smaller groups. Each group had a job to do.

·         The Council elected a chief.

·         Once a chief was elected, the chief assigned each group a responsibility. The next year, the chief would assign that job to a different group. This made sure that no one group became more powerful than another.

We remember the most important  Sioux chiefs:

Crazy Horse   

 ,

              Sitting Bull 

...

The women usually wore dresses made from soft deerskin. They used the soft fur from rabbits to decorate their clothing;The men wore leggings and gloves. They rarely wore shirts. Women and men wore a lot of jewelry made of sea shells, metal, and beads.

The Sioux’ s Religion was part of their life for the Sioux. They believed everything had a spirit. There were underwater spirits who controlled all animals and plants. High in the sky, they believed there were spirits called Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds were the most powerful spirits except for the Great Spirit who was the most powerful of all.

Apache

The name “Apache “ means “enemy” but the Apaches' own name for themselves was traditionally Nde or Ndee (which means "the people").

The Apache chose chief, who was chosen by a tribal council. Most important decisions were made by the council, and all the Apache council members had to agree before an action could be taken.

         Geronimo      

       .

The Apaches were not farming . Apache men hunted buffalo, deer, antelope, and small game, while women gathered nuts, seeds,corn and fruit.  Favorite Apache recipes included cornbread and a corn stew.

                               

                     

Originally Apache women wore buckskin dresses and the men wore leather war shirts and breechcloths. The Apaches wore moccasins or high moccasin boots on their feet.

Apachean religious stories relate two culture heroes : one of the Sun and the fire ; and one of the Water,the Moon and the thunder: they destroy a number of creatures which are harmful to humankind.

Cheyenne

The name “Cheyenne “ means "relatives of the Cree" but in their own language, the Cheyenne called themselves Tsitsistas.

The Cheyenne became  a nomadic tribe (to follow buffalo) and they used dogs and horses to help them carry their belongings.

The Cheyennes were led by a council of 44 chiefs, one of the most important     

 was :

           Dull  Knife      

               .

Their clothing was beautiful. The women wore long deerskin dresses and high leather fringed boots. They men wore:

leather leggings,   breechcloths      

    , and moccasins. Both men and women wore their hair braided. Sometimes the women

had their hair hang loose. They painted their faces, but only for special occasions.

Cheyenne chiefs and other leaders wore tall feather headdresses.

The Cheyenne were warriors, not farmers.

Cheyenne Religion recognises a number of deities. The  most important is  the Wise One Above and a god who lives in the earth.

Comanche

The Comanche Indians  called themselves Numinu which means "the people".

This tribe was divided in some bands, each band had its own leaders.

Although bands were free to go their own way, Comanche bands had many things in common. They had a common language. They believed in the same gods. They had the same customs.

The tribe was organized in a democratic structure. A head council, comprised of some of the leaders of the tribe.

One of the most important chief was :

         Big Bird                              

         

The men wore headdresses made of eagle feathers. The number of feathers was symbolic of the number of brave acts they had performed. The woman wore dresses decorated with fringe and beads.

                                                

      

The women braided their hair with beads. They wore bead necklaces.

Aside from buffalo and other meat, their diet consisted of fruits, nuts and wild root vegetables. The Comanche were hunters and gatherers, living off the land and following seasonal prey.

                                 

The Plains Indians     - the wars

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWac8FHVyiE

The arrival of the Europeans in the New World was the beginning of the end of Indian life; many Indians died not only for the wars, but also made ​​for a number of diseases that whites brought.

The Europeans wanted to cultivate new farmlands and they fought the Native Indians for the land. The Europeans had horses and guns, while the Indians only

had bows and arrows. When gold was found in California in the 1850s settlers rushed west. At the beginning of the 20 th century the American government started putting Indian tribes on reservations in the western part of the United States. The reservations were dry rocky areas that no one wanted and the indians fought back. They wanted to have land outside their reservations and there were a series of battles.

These were the most important wars of the Plains Indians:

-The war of “Little Crow” in 1862 (call also Sioux ‘s revolt), in this war were died 500 soldiers

-The massacre of “Sand Creek” in 1864 (U.S vs Cheyenne and Arphu)

-The Battle of the “Little Big Horn” : this was the Indian ‘s last victory.

On 25th  June, 1876 General Custer made a surprise attack versus a village near the Little Big Horn river. He didn’ t think which  the Cheyenne Indians were united  with the Sioux leader Sitting Bull;. In this battle there were 2,500 Indians and only

225 soldier, so  General Custer and his soldiers died in the battle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dtvenw5ukJA

General Custer