Buffalo
How Native tribes used buffalo.
They used every part of the buffalo:
Meat for sustenance, dung for fuel, bones were used to make tools like knives, tendons and sinew provided tough thread used for things like bowstrings.
Indian Removal Act (1830)
This caused the forced removal of any tribes east of the Mississippi River to their ancestral lands in the west which led to the Trail of Tears.
What was the "Indian Problem"
It was the idea that the Native Americans were in the way of westward expansion which was the settlers "divine right".
In what ways did children end up at the boarding schools?
At first, some tribal members saw the schools as a potential for education for their children. Soon after, they realized what the schools were like, so instead the government began to forcefully relocate children to boarding schools, even if they were not nearby.
How American hunters changed the hunt and what they used it for.
They used guns brought from Europe which could kill a buffalo in one shot. However, the natives had to use 3-4 arrows minimum. As well, the Europeans brought horses to quicken hunts. The American/European hunters used the buffalo for only their hide which caused a surplus of wasted meat. They therefore used it for profit, not for sustenance.
The Dawes Act /The Allotment Act
Before, they had communal tribal land, but this act shifted the land to individual plots for members of the tribe to be more like the US culture. Caused a giant decrease in general tribal land because surplus land was given to settlers.
Theories of Migration
Berings Land Bridge, Coastal migration, European route, Turtle Island
What ways were children physically changed, and in what ways were they punished and for what.
Children had their hair cut, jewelry and native headwear removed, clothes changed in to military style uniforms, they received new names and their demeanor was changed to better fit the US culture.
They were punished physically and were often severely injured and in some cases even killed. They were punished for a multitude of things such as, speaking in any native tongue other than english, and misbehaving or not following orders in any way.
How Americans pushed the native tribes west with the buffalo.
The American Government began a competition between sportsman to hunt as many buffalos as they could. For example, Buffalo Bill hunted 4,280 buffalo in 18 months. This caused the population to go down until they were believed extinct in 1889. This forced the tribes in to treaties to gain materials because their main source was gone.
Indian Termination Policy
Completely obliterated the Nation-Nation relationship and fully eliminated the title of "Tribe" because they no longer existed. Terminated tribes one at a time and in 11 years, more than 100 tribes were no longer recognized as a sovereign nation. The utilities that the government provided (healthcare, police, fire) were no longer given to them. This was the attempt to make the members move to "mainstream society" and become more successful.
Disease
90% of American Indians died due to disease because of the domestication of animals. Diseases spread very fast in places like boarding schools.
What were they trained for?
They were heavily trained toward more blue collar, physical jobs, or assistance focused jobs. While they were trained in literacy, the boarding schools heavily prepared them for agriculture and textile based employments, where they would train and work at the schools often completely unpaid.
Plains Wars.
Brutal wars between settlers and natives. There were brutal killings of native people, a common death was scalping, which caused the tribes to fight back on any settlers which cause many deaths of peaceful people. This caused the settlers, after they captured tribes, to continue to force the natives on to reservations unfit for them.
The Meriam Report (1928)
A study that showed the poor living conditions on reservations and how poverty was at a much higher rate. It also addressed the inadequate care of children in boarding schools. Also, the destructive effects of the erosion of land from the Allotment Act.
How were tribes given and denied sovereignty
They were declared a sovereign nation after entering a treaty with the United States Government, but were not treated as such. The US often did things that did not follow a nation-nation relationship like the Dawes Act where they decided that they controlled the tribes' land. They also officially lost their sovereignty after the Indian Termination Policy. But, after the Indian Self-Determination Act they regained the opportunity to apply to become a sovereign nation again.
The relationship this coveys between the Natives and the Government and why.
This conveys a Parent-Child relationship because the American Government sees the culture of the Natives as something that needs to be fixed to help them become "civilized" and more successful.
What were the ecological and cultural differences in the uses of buffalo.
Ecological:
Tribes hunted buffalo with the intention to supply food and materials to their tribe and to hunt need based so their source of materials would stay healthy. However, the settlers' goals were to kill as many as they could as an economical profit, no matter the health of the population.
Cultural:
The tribes saw buffalo as a sacred provider of materials that they needed and treated them as such. Settlers saw them as a potential for profit and exploited them for their hide.
Indian Reorganization Act (1934)
Stopped erosion of tribal lands and stopped the nonconsensual seizing of land. Allowed the Secretary of Interior to proclaim new reservations and accept additional tribal lands in trust. Recognized tribal governments and promote tribal self-government by encouraging constitutions. Established a revolving loan program and a preference for hire in the BIA.
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (1975)
Allowed for Indian tribes to have greater autonomy and have responsibility for programs and services (health clinics, social services, education, housing, roads, and other tribal operations like non-profit organizations).
In what way were the children in the boarding schools exploited.
The children were often taught how to farm in the US culture with hands on agricultural lessons, but they used the lessons in order to get free labor to take care of the farms that will in turn feed the children. In the same way, they used the lessons of the children to force them to create textiles that were then sold for profit of the school. Also, they were often used to build new educational buildings and do other manual labor with no pay.