Hist 110 Exam Study Guide #3
zitkala sa
who: zitkala sa, sioux indian and writer. what: when she was young, she was sent to an all indian boarding school. in"the melancholy of those black days" she recounts her experiences. she seemed like an outcast as she came to the school, and many people stared an pointed at her and made her uncomfortable. she also recounts how terrible the conditions and staff at the indian schools were, and for that reason she returned to the boarding schools as a teacher. when: 19th century. where: the school she attended was in indiana. significance: her work "the school days of an indian girl" show how difficult it was for indians to be told to stop doing something that they had known and done for their entire life. it also exposes how awful the boarding schools were. she remembers druggies holding the position of teacher, and that the doctor was drunk on the job. she remembers teachers continuously saying that indians were just poor people under the control of the government.
general allotment (dawes) act
who: america and the native americans all over the united states. what: act that authorized the government to survey native land, and then to divide that land into allotments for individual people. in addition to the land given to natives, there was additional land left over that was sold to non-natives who were eager to buy. when: 1887. where: north america. significance: each indians was given a certain amount of land, and even when it was first given, it was not a lot of land to farm to on. as these landholders died, they needed to pass of the land to their kin so they divided their land into however many kin they had. this process continued until there was hardly any land left for all of the people living there. in addition, it is devious on the part of the united states not only because they forced native americans to live on allotments, but because they had left over land and instead of giving the land to the indians, they sold the land to promote westwards expansion and turn a profit.
d'arcy mcnickle
who: american indian activist, mother was a cree indian. what: originally lived on the flathead indian reservation until he sold his land in order to study at oxford university. he helped with the plight of the american indians by creating the national congress of american indians and other organizations to promote their cause. he wrote "the surrounded" which shines light on the subject of assimilation and how difficult of a time it can be for natives. when: 20th century.where: flathead indian reservation, oxford university. significance: the work by dr.cobb and his colleagues outlines the significance of d'arcy mcnickle. he is heralded as a hero in native american history, and no one can take his accomplishments away from him but the motivation is something to consider. he originally was not someone interested in fighting for his people or even holding onto their traditions. he simply wanted to make a career as a writer in new york, he only became involved with his heritage once he became a famous writer and activist. this aside, he did have a large impact on the lives of native americans in the united states.
carlos montezuma
who: apache indian. what: he is against the the bureau of indian affairs because it takes advantage of the native americans. they have fallen into commercialism in his opinion, and he says the indians are denied proper land because they do not attempt to profit from it, and because the u.s. thinks only of money, they believe that they are better suited to hold and profit from the land since the indians are not. where: born in arizona, attended college in illinois. when: late 19th century, early 20th century. significance: believed that the reservations were prisons where the native americans were kept to live and die. exposed the indian bureau as being corrupt and money-driven. he brings to the table the unfairness of it all, how just because indians have a lot of land and do not profit from it, then the u.s. should be able to have it and give the indians only what they need. in reality, there is no excess land, because indians use all of it but the u.s does not understand.
charles eastman
who: dakota indian, as well as physician, writer, and reformer. what: he was originally ohiyesa, but after his father encouraged him to learn the ways of the americans, he became charles. he attended one of the all indian boarding schools in nebraska, and then got his degree from dartmouth. he became the physician at the pine ridge reservation and treated people that were hurt during wounded knee. he supported the dawes act and worked for the bureau of indian affairs. when: late 18th, early 19th century. significance: was the example of one who adapted without perfectly assimilating. although he worked the the bureau of indian affairs, he later challenged the administration due to its corrupt agents. he insisted that americans had much to learn from the indians in terms of spirituality and morality. the way he died showed how he had stayed true to his sioux values, as he died deep in the woods in canada where he had lived as a boy.
luther standing bear
who: lakota indian who was an author, educator, and philosopher. what: he grew up learning traditional sioux practices, until he was given the choice to go to the carlisle indian industrial school. his father gave him the choice, and he did so as if he was being called to go to war, and he did so to be brave. he educated the american public about the plight of the native americans, and created popular support for policies to help the native americans. when: late 18th century, early 20th century. where: carlisle indian school. significance: his accounts of the carlisle indian school raised awareness on just how frightening and dreadful it was to go to the school. he talks about how everything seems unnatural and uncomfortable. in addition, he garnered support from the american public to change governmental policies towards native americans. another example of a native american who assimilated, but never completely and he shows the importance of that.
black kettle
who: leader of the cheyenne people. what: he was the leader of the cheyenne's when they were attacked at sand creek in colorado. they were attacked by colonel chivington, and around 270 cheyenne people were murdered, many of them women and children. when: 1864. where: sand creek in colorado, which was a land set aside and was supposedly under the protection of the u.s government. significance: this was land that supposedly set aside by the u.s. government and protected as well. there was a conflict between the u.s. and the cheyenne people along with other plains indians, but this group was not militant and they were attacked anyway. they were waving an american flag and the white flag of surrender when they were attacked. this shows that agreements between the cheyenne and other groups of plains indians meant very little to the u.s government. it also exemplifies the total war that was present.
dohasan calendar
who: leader of the kiowa people, as well as calendar keeper. what: he is known as the last chief before the tribe was forced into reservations. he was the calendar keeper for most of the 19th century, and he was replaced by his nephew when he died. he created winter counts that included an image for each year's sun dance. when: 19th century. where: in the area that is present day oklahoma. significance: it was a version of winter counts that were originally created by the lakotas. he was calendar keeper for so long that he became one of the most well known artists in kiowa history and he passed his talents onto his nephew who continued to convey the tribes history through drawings.
chief joseph
who: leader of the wallowa people. what: led his people when they were removed by force from their home in the wallowa valley and forced onto a reservation. they were admired by the american public and their military adversaries due to the way they fought in the face of great adversity. when: 19th century. where: wallowa valley in northeastern oregon. significance: chief joseph became known as a humanitarian and peacemaker through the coverage of the war in the american newspapers. he stuck to his principles in battle and in morals and became a legendary figure. the american public admired him, yet did very little to help his people and stop them from being removed from their land. the fact that they recognized them and admired their beliefs was great, but the truth is that they still were violently removed from their territory.
corps of discovery
who: meriweather Lewis and william Clark. what: mission that began and ended in missouri. they traveled through areas such as the continental divide and the bitterroot mountains. they had the task of defining maps and boundaries, describing native people and technology, and describing plants animals and climates. when: early 19th century. where: the western part of what is now the USA, began and ended in missouri. significance: lewis and clark may have collected a wealth of new information (old news for the native americans) but they missed many important features about the native americans they encountered. they missed how it was it was a very interconnected space that is constantly in flux. this lack of knowledge caused them to be labeled incorrectly.
wovoka and the ghost dance
who: paiute prophet wovoka. what: a dance that is based on the traditional circle dance. wovoka was the creator of this dance and he said that if performed properly, it could living spirits with the dead, make the colonists leave, and bring back peace and prosperity to the native people. when: late 19th century. where: lands of the paiute people including california, idaho, nevada, and oregon. significance: practice of the ghost dance was said to have helped with the resistance to assimilation by the lakota and other groups. was an outlet for the natives such as the lakota that were being pressured to assimilate to continue to fight for their beliefs. was associated with clean living, which went against drinking alcohol which was constantly done by the white people.
horse nations
who: plains indians such as the dakota and pawnee. introduced by the spanish. what: the culture and lifestyles of natives in the plains were changed with the introduction of horses. the wealth of a person was oftentimes understood based on the horses owned by that person. horses were extinct in america, but made a comeback when many escaped from the spanish or were captured during war. when: introduced in the 17th century. where: the plains, places such as modern day nebraska and missouri. significance: changed the way natives hunted and were able to transport items. buffalo could be hunted much more efficiently with the use of horses, and sleds that were originally attached to dogs could now be attached to horses and could carry more items.
carlisle indian industrial school
who: plains indians such as the lakota and richard pratt. what: the first all indian boarding school that was created outside of a reservation. the goal of the school was the assimilate native americans and completely remove all indian-aspects from the students. corporal punishment was used when students exhibited indian-like behaviors. when: late 19th, early 20th century. where: pennsylvania. significance: the goal of the school was to "kill the indian, save the man". these ideals were very hard to accept for many students as they were now being told that what they were told their whole life was not legitimate, and should stop acting in that way. many lakota went to these schools, but still held on to their heritage even if it was in secret. this was a silent way in which indians resisted assimilation. the carlisle school served as a guide for many other all indian boarding schools, creating a wide spread call for assimilation.
merrill e. gates
who: reformer who was a member of the board of indian commissioners. what: he believed that there was one answer to the question "what are indians supposed to do?". he thought that they needed to become intelligent members of the united states. he believed in allotment and education so that indians could become working members of american society. when: 19th century. where: did most of his work in new york. significance: being a member of the board of indian commissioners gave him power in determining the future status of indians. support from him and others gave rise to boarding schools such as the carlisle indian industrial school and shaped policy towards native americans.
dakota conflict
who: the dakota indians and americans. what: conflict between the dakota indians and the americans that arose due to violated treaties, including the failure to give annuities to the dakotas which was promised in a treaty. americans retaliated because a man was found killed, and his mouth stuffed with grass which adhered to the symbolic killings that groups such as the dakotas sometimes performed. 38 indians ended up being killed. when: 1862. where: fort snelling in minnesota. significance: the deaths of 38 natives created huge distrust between groups, but also changes the way lincoln should be thought of. commonly known as the great emancipator, in this situation he actually ordered the hangings of the 38 dakotas, the largest number of hangings to occur at once. the guiltiness of these natives was not concrete whatsoever.
lakota winter countan
who: the lakota people. what: form of calendar used by the lakota, where events are recorded with pictures with one picture per year. they were used to supplement the massive oral history that was told as well. where: originally in minnesota, but then moved to the west. when: this has been occurring since the lakota became a people. significance: the analysis of these winter counts can show historians how history unfolded in the eyes of the lakota. previously, the credibility of the oral traditions of the lakota and other groups was questioned because it wasn't written down, so since these are written down it adds credibility to the stories and recounts given by the lakota.
little big horn
who: the lakota vs. the seventh cavalry regiment of the u.s. army including george custer. what: battle that was won overwhelmingly by the lakota people and their allies. where: near the little bighorn river in montana territory. when: 1876. significance: to begin, the battle was significance because of how overwhelmingly the lakota and allies won the battle, but unfortunately there were more troops to come and eventually they were defeated. also, this is an example of when the winner did not write history, rather when the loser wrote history. they transformed this miserable showing into a symbol of nation building making the men that died martyrs in the fight against the "savages". instead of being known as simply a lakota victory, it is known as custer's last stand because it was the sight of his death and makes it seems like the indians were the ones being agressive.
treaty of fort laramie
who: the u.s. and the specific bands of the lakota people. what: this treaty promised the black hills to the lakota and more land and hunting rights in specified areas in montana, south dakota, and wyoming. this treaty also called for the civilization of the lakota people, and planted people of various professions to teach the lakota the practices that they considered "civilized". when: 1868. where: black hills and fort laramie in wyoming territory. significance: the inclusion of the "civilization" of the lakota people was influential in that it intensified the pressures of assimilation on the lakota. schools such as the carlisle indian industrial school were created and children were sent off to this school to become "civilized". on another note, the needs of the ponca people were not included, and the u.s. gave away lands that were claimed by the ponca which created conflict between them and the lakota who believed the land belonged to them.
manifest destiny
who: the united states of america. what: the attitude held by the united states that believed that they could expand west, but in addition they were destined to. when: 19th century. where: the united States of america, more specifically the western united states. significance: the concept and act of the us expanding west under the idea of manifest is often portrayed as if they were embarking on a journey into land no one had ever seen before, but native americans had already been their for a long time. in order to manifest this destiny, land was needed and that land was held by the native americans and resulted in disputes over land and eventually the loss of land for the native americans.