The History of Great Plains - Term Paper Example

Introduction When one looks at the Great Plains today he might not really know the role these plains played in the early times. Times before inventions were made; these were times when one would really appreciate how beautiful the history of American tribes was since the history of these plains adds a very important touch to the American culture. The ways of life then was very admirable something that even the people today given a chance would love to emulate. Pre-contact period in the Great Plains In the pre-contact period the Great Plains was a beautiful place not for its vast admirable grassland but for those who habited that area then. These areas were home to very many native tribes that included the Blackfeet, Sioux, Arapaho, Crow, Cheyenne and Comanche. These tribe lived in these area for years permanently though they also had around them tribes like the Arikara, Mandan, Pawnee and Wichita who often on the move and thus only made temporary shelters that were called the earth lodges(Webb, 1931). These people had a very distinct way of life, to them raiding was more of an economic activity and a hobby at the same time. They not only raided to take the material possession like the herd of cattle and other animals they had but also raided just to show their power and might as far as their subject were concerned(Grinde, 2002). Way of life in early Great Plain They also did so much trading especially amongst themselves most of the time exchanging cereals. They were also pastoralist alongside engaging in so much agriculture cultivating what they depended on for food like corn and beans as well as squash. These groups of tribes were usually very diplomatic in their approach toward conflict and most of the time engaged there religious leader and other older people whenever there was an issue at stake between any of the tribes. Their political system was quite organized and who had so much respect for their gods who was always consulted in every tough situations the tribes found themselves in(Grinde, 2002). They also participated in so much war among themselves in most cases defending their land and in what they could refer to as the hunting ground where they mostly hunted buffaloes. They also had various games which had been passed from generations both for the young and the middle age. Surprisingly, at that early age these tribes practiced wage labor especially for those who practiced so much of agriculture. Even though most of these tribes did not resemble in almost all there major aspects of social, economic and administrative structures they worked tirelessly not just to ensure they economic sustenance but also made sure that their political power is protected and also had respect for one another cultural distinctiveness and that is one thing that lead to that peaceful co-existence among themselves (Webb, 1931). During this early times in the Great plains so much change were taking place as far the environment is concerned; it was starting to experience a decrease in the temperature ranges, the flowing streams started to create lake along their channel . These in turn led to the expanding of the grassland which was not only a big problem to the native tribes but also to the other present species like the mammoths and the camels who were totally not familiar to the now warm temperatures and thus started to die out giving the then native a big problems since most of them depended on these animals for various purposes. This also led to a total shift of the ecological composition bringing in the Bison which were never there before but were brought by the expanding plain grassland. The native tribes inhibiting the plains had to change fast due to these shift since most of them game they were used to, were fast disappearing. The nomadic hunters who then used to make Clovis-style spears points now started making the Folsom points which was very effective when they were hunting the Bison. Due to their well structured social organization in most cases they carried out group hunting. This was most achieved by designing the “buffalo jumps” which was constructed using a large funnel of tree or rocks so that during a chance the Bison would be directed into cliff. They also hunted deer and the elk alongside the Bison which was there major source of hides and skin which they in turn exchanged during trade. This game meat also provide them with food for their families in the villages (Webb, 1931). It was also interesting to see the Plain residents getting involved in new activities like pottery something that was very new to them then. The then Mandan decide to settle along the Missouri River along other tribes like the Hidatsa. They lived in lodges in villages that comprised to up to ninety such houses. Along these fertile are of River Missouri they practiced agriculture by growing crops like corn, beans and also squash though, after harvest they usually left the farms to hunt for bison. It’s also interesting to note that on settling the tribes engaged in very extensive trade especially between those who were farmers and the Plain hunters. Some of the then strong trade links existed between the Mandans, Hidtsas and the Arikars who were actively engaged in trade with other Plain tribes like the Crees, Cheyennes, Arapahos, Kiowas, and Comanches particularly exchanging farm produce and the game products like dried meat and animal hide. With time due to these close interactions there was a serious exchange of cultures including songs and even some mode of entertainment like their celebration styles (Grinde, 2002). Migrations in the Great Plains The Plain tribes were not only indentified by their success in agriculture or their social organizations but they were also associated with migration. During the early 600AD some group of people known as the Apaches divided from their Native people at the Northern part of the Plain and then headed south to Nebraska from which they proceeded to the Southern plains between 1450 and 1525. The years after 1700 were the years when migration reached its peak. These were times when some groups left the Plains and other new comers were also seen. In the are currently called the south Montana a small section of the Shoshones currently called the Comanches invade the Apaches and pushed them to the south of the plain and with time the Apaches were not able to withstand the full force of the Comanches and were soon kicked out of the Plains. Early before this time that the Comanches moved east from the Great basin to the currently known east Montana. Other migrations were later to follow like Cheyennes and the Arapahos moving west away from the Great Lake region (Webb, 1931). Contact Period in the Great Plains Due to vast migrations that took place after the year 1700 Europeans were also brought to the plains this majorly happen in the beginning of the sixteenth century. This contact brought about by the trade the native tribes shared with Europeans they seem to have gained so much from that trade and this had directly improved their way of life. Due to these trade contacts the horse that had long died due to change in climate were reintroduced by the Spanish. At this time Indians acted as go between in the accusation of horse for their fellow plain tribes who live far away. The acquisition of horse would again change the stability of the Great Plain since after Apache acquiring the horse they were raided by the Comanches for the same horses. The stability of the Great Plains would then become a big issue by the acquisition of the firearms by the plain peoples acquired fire arms from the French and English traders (Grinde, 2002). During these trade interactions it came with Europeans there was so much that came with it; the native of the Great Plains who had very weak immunity were exposed to epidemic disease. These trade interactions lead to the Natives being exposed to disease like smallpox, measles and even whooping cough. Some of these diseases hugely affected the population of most of the Great Plains tribes in some instances reducing the population of the Natives even by 80%. Colonialism in the Great Plains During the times after the early eighteenth century the French has increased their area of control into the southern and the central Plain region. At this time they had already negotiated a commercial and military agreement with the plains tribes of the Great Plains. This trade was mutual since the French acquired fur from the Natives while the natives got were guaranteed of protection from their enemies and due to these the Indiana independence was assured. In the late eighteenth century the large British companies had constructed so many trading posts among all the major tribes that lived in the Great Plain brought so much of British culture to the natives among other things like Alcohol, intermarriage and the credit system. With all these tempting cultural changes most of the native tribes of the Great Plain retained their political and cultural systems (Webb, 1931). During the eighteenth 19th century there were so many actions that were initiated by the Americans in order to make the natives weak. Not only did they lose a vast portion of their land and other resources but Americas purposefully expanding into the plains in order to destroy the habitat of the plain tribes so as they could be weakened. Those traders who majorly dealt on fur mostly Americans invaded the North and central Plains in large numbers. This led to an influx of emigrants mostly passing across the Plain heading to places like Utah and Oregon. Later there would be construction of railway lines across the plains just during the time when America civil war had ended thus making the once inaccessible area accessible for the Americans who wanted to settle who cheaply acquired land in the Plains (Grinde, 2002). There was a total change in the ecosystem especially in Platte and Arkansas Valleys since most of the then beautiful scenes had been tempered with by the migration that took place in these areas. The plain that for some time enjoyed an amazing population of the bison was just left with a few, after the age of emigration into the plains. This also totally change the once splendid grassland into something that looked like dust swathes. Among other effects of the settlements were the destruction of the river environment and the pollution of areas from which these rivers originated. These led to an uproar from most of the native tribes of the Great Plain and demanding for compensation from the then authority in-charge. Some of these differences between the Natives of the Great Plain and the American went far into the time of the federal government of the US. This prompted the federal government to form the Permanent Indian Frontier (Grinde, 2002). Encompassing which was charged with looking of the interests of the Native Americans and giving them some of which had been taken from them over time so as to avert a possible war between the Native Americans and the Settlers or the emigrants (Webb, 1931). Conclusion In conclusion, it is interesting to have specifically understood the events that took place before the modern American had been formed some of which were due to the Native tribes of the Great Plain. I think the history of Great Plains is one of the things that define the present America since the urge for freedom, be it social freedom, economic freedom and political freedom is just but something that had been in the paramount objectives of all the native tribes of the Great Plains. References Grinde, D. A. (2002). Native Americans. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press. Webb, W. P. (1931). The Great Plains,. Boston: Ginn and Co.. Read More