American West: Reservation Policy

Living on Reservations
1. Land
  1. Land that was not wanted by white men
  2. Not very fertile
  3. Lack of minerals
  4. Survival became very difficult for tribes
2. Agency Police
  1. Indians joined this force to control reservation
  2. Received better clothing
  3. Received better shelter
3. Conditions
  1. Rations were very poor
  2. Crops often failed
  3. Poor medical care
    1. The flu
4. Agents
  1. Indians appointed to manage the tribe reservation
  2. Were often corrupt
  3. Rations and supplied intended for reservations didn't arrive
Society
1. Beliefs were banned
  1. Feasts
  2. Dances and ceremonies
    1. Reduced power of medicine men
  3. Converted to Christianity
2. De-skilled
  1. Not allowed to hunt
    1. Affected lifestyle and clothing
    2. Taught farming techniques
      1. Ploughing, sowing, reaping
  2. Had no horses
    1. No fighting or hunting
  3. Lost excellent fighting ability
3. Tribal Chiefs lost power
Chronology
1. One Big Reservation 1825
  1. All land West of a North to South line was given to the Native Americans. Some tribes were forced to move because of this.
2. Big Reservations 1850s
  1. Following early conflicts between tribes and whites, reservation land was divided up under the Fort Laramie Treaty (1851), with each tribe agreeing to its own large reservation.
3. The Battle of Little Bighorn 1867
  1. The Battle of Little Bighorn was a victory for the Native Americans against the US Army, led by Custer. However, it led to a big effort from the Government to crush the Native Americans.
4. Smaller Reservations 1860s
  1. Further conflicts led to reservations being cut in size. The Fort Lyon Treaty (1861) and the Treaty of Medicine Lodge Creek (1867) created smaller reservations.
5. Massacre at Wounded Knee 1876
  1. The Sioux Resistance was brought down in 1876, and the entire Native American way of life became under threat as they were forced on to reservations.
Schooling
1. Children of natives sent to American schools
  1. Punished for using their own language
  2. Could not respect their culture
  3. No longer fitted in own culture, still not accepted by whites either
2. Taught American values
3. Converted to Christianity

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American West: Reservation Policy

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	Created by James McConnell almost 11 years ago