Indigenous peoples of the Plains: their beliefs and ways of life Flashcards

All 8 cards in this deck

What was a band in the social structure of the Indigenous peoples of the Plains?

A group of 10–50 families who lived, travelled and hunted together, led by a chief advised by a council.

Why was the buffalo essential to the survival of the Indigenous peoples of the Plains?

It supplied almost everything they needed: meat for food, hides for tipis and clothing, and bones and horns for tools.

What did the Indigenous peoples of the Plains believe about the ownership of land?

Land could not be owned, bought or sold; it was given by the Great Spirit for everyone to use.

True or false? For the Indigenous peoples of the Plains, success in war meant killing as many of the enemy as possible.

False. Bravery mattered most — 'counting coup' (touching an enemy and escaping) brought the greatest honour, and raids were kept short to avoid losing warriors.

Give two ways horses were important to the Indigenous peoples of the Plains.

Any two: they made it possible to follow and hunt the buffalo herds; they carried tipis and belongings when a band moved camp; the number of horses a person owned showed their wealth and status.

What was a warrior society in a band of the Indigenous peoples of the Plains?

A group of the band's best warriors, who defended the band, organised the buffalo hunt and led raids; the band's council took their advice before making decisions.

Why did a chief's signature on a treaty not commit everyone in his band to keep it?

Chiefs led by persuasion, not command: decisions needed the agreement of the whole council, and no one was forced to obey them. The US government wrongly assumed a chief's signature bound all his people.

What did the Indigenous peoples of the Plains believe about nature?

That animals, plants, land and weather all had spirits with power over people's lives, and that humans were one part of the natural world, meant to live in balance with it rather than master it.