Westward Migration
and Native America
Arrival of First Native Americans
Evidence suggests
that the first
humans crossed
the Bering Strait
more than 10,000
years ago.
Spread Across the Americas
As a result of eastern
settlement, Native
Americans were
pushed west of the
Mississippi River and
into the Oklahoma
Territory. Most of
those that remained in
the east were settled
on reservations.
Lakota Culture
The Lakota, along with the
Dakota and Nakota were an
important sub-tribe of the
Sioux. They settled in what
is now North and South
Dakota.
The Lakota mastered their
environment by taking
advantage of the horse,
introduced to North America
by the Spanish sometime in
the early 1500’s and adopted
by the Lakota in the 1700’s.
Painting – George Caitlin
Importance of the Buffalo
Plains Indians were intensely reliant
upon the buffalo for survival. There
were estimated to be some 4 million
buffaloes on the plains in the early
19th century. That number dropped
drastically by the end of the century
to a few tens of thousands.
Religion and Ceremony
The Sioux believed in an allpowerful god Wakan Tanka (“Great
Mystery”). They often utilized
ceremony to mark initiation or
communication with spirits, or to
prepare for battle.
Most notable were the Sun Dance,
the Buffalo Dance and the Ghost
Dance. The Sioux made frequent
use of the sacred pipe within the
tribe and to honor alliances.
Great Westerns
Westward Migration
The 1862 Homestead Act
passed by Congress offered
qualified White Settlers free land
(160 acres each) west of the
Mississippi.
Traffic through Lakota and
Cheyenne territory picked up
further with the establishment of
the Oregon and Bozeman Trails.
Photo – National Archives
Red Cloud
The White Man has made
many promises, but kept only
one – the promise to himself to
take all our land. - Red Cloud,
Sioux Chief
From 1862-1868, Red Cloud,
chief of the Oglala Sioux led a
series of raids against settlers
and miners heading west.
Dances With Wolves
Dances with Wolves is a 1990 film starring and directed by Kevin Costner. Set in the
year 1863, the film tells the story Union Lt. John Dunbar’(Costner) who wishes to see
the American frontier before it is gone. After performing a heroic act in a skirmish with
Confederate soldiers, Dunbar’s reward is an assignment in desolate Fort Sedgwick,
Colorado so he can have a chance to see the prairie “before it is gone”. Ultimately,
Dunbar befriends Sioux Indians and gets mixed up in their rivalry with the Pawnee.
The film draws upon several techniques in the tradition of great Hollywood Westerns, yet
includes some groundbreaking techniques as well.
The Road to Little Big
Horn
Most notable of the broken treaties
made to the Sioux was the Fort
Laramie Treaty of 1868, which
promised the Black Hills region of
South Dakota, “Paha Sapa” a
sacred ground, to be set aside as
Sioux land, in exchange for Sioux
settlement on the reservations and
cessation of attacks against whites.
In 1874, gold was found in the
Black Hills and Pres. Grant (“Great
Father”) signed an order to remove
the Sioux, leading to renewed
hostilities.
Battle of the Little Big Horn
In 1876, the War Department sent
General George Armstrong Custer to
remove the Sioux from the Black Hills
and place them on the Sioux
reservation. What followed was one of
the most monumental battles ever
fought on U.S. soil – The Battle of
Little Big Horn.
General George
General George
“Three Stars” Crook Armstrong Custer
On June 25th, Custer along with more
than 200 men from the 7th Cavalry
were killed by Sioux fighters led by
Hunkpapa Sioux chief Sitting Bull and
Ogala Sioux leader Crazy Horse.
Sitting Bull
Gall, Lakota
Chief
Sitting Bull
The Ghost Dance and the
Killing of Sitting Bull
In the winter of 1890, at a time
when no hope was left, testimony
was brought to Sitting Bull of a
Paiute Indian named Wavoka,
who claimed to be the
reappearance of Christ, and
prophesized the coming victory
of Indians over whites, if they
honored the ancestors by
performing the Ghost Dance.
Wavoka
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull was later labeled as
an advocate of the Ghost Dance,
and an arrest warrant was issued
for him. The attempt to take him
into custody led to a scuffle,
which cost his life.
The Ghost Dance
The Ghost Dance
The Ghost Dance by the Oglala Lakota at
Pine Ridge. Illustration by Frederic
Remington, 1890.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pla
yer_embedded&v=DIuZVkVJWQo
The Battle of Wounded Knee
The last battle between the Sioux
and the U.S. Army was the Battle of
Wounded Knee - Dec. 28th, 1890.
The cause was homesteaders fears
of Sioux rebellion inspired by the
Ghost Dance, a dance taught by
some militant leaders.
Initially the army was sent in to move
the Sioux from the Pine Ridge area
of South Dakota. An agreement was
struck, but fighting erupted when the
army demanded the Sioux surrender
all weapons. Some 300 Sioux,
including their leader Big Foot were
killed.
Wounded Knee victim – Legends of America
Activity: Read the following excerpts from Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at
Wounded Knee
Battle at Little Big Horn. P. 287 “In the Geese Laying Moon … – p. 296
“Low Dog Said”. (Note: fuller account - P. 284 – P. 297.) Upon reading:
• Trace the sequence of events leading up to the Battle of Little Big Horn
• Cite actions that distinguished the leaders Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse
• Contrast different accounts of the manner in which Custer was killed
Account of the Ghost Dance and the Battle at Wounded Knee – P. 431
“In the drying grass moon … through p. 438./ P. 439 – 445 – entire chapter.
Upon reading, recall the author’s account of the events leading up to the
death of Sitting Bull and the Battle of Wounded Knee. Also explain why this
battle represents a monumental turning point in American history.
Essential Question: Was the conquest of the Plains Indian inevitable?
Painting of Crazy Horse by Michael Gentry– Note: Crazy Horse never sat for any
portraits or allowed any photos to be taken of him during his lifetime.
Stolen Horses by Charlie Russell
Red Cloud, George Caitlin
National Gallery Mid 19th cent.
George Caitlin’s Buffalo Hunt
Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, France
George Caitlin
By William Fisk 1849
Epilogue