Indigenous People's Lives on the Reservations (Edexcel GCSE History)

How Bad was Life on Reservations for the Indigenous Peoples of the Plains? - Summary

The US government used force to remove Indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands. The government relocated them to reservations. Indigenous peoples faced lots of difficulties. Many reservations were located on undesirable and isolated lands. This made it difficult for Indigenous people to practice traditional ways of life such as hunting and fishing. It also made it near-impossible for tribes to grow crops for their food supply.

Living conditions on reservations were often inadequate. Reservations had overcrowded housing, insufficient food supplies and inadequate healthcare. Indigenous communities faced high rates of poverty and unemployment. They had limited access to education and job opportunities.

The US government implemented policies of assimilation as well as creating the reservations. The government aimed to remove indigenous languages, traditions and religions. They wanted indigenous peoples to speak English and follow Christianity. Indigenous children were often removed from their families and sent to boarding schools. The school would punish Indigenous students for speaking their native languages or practising their cultural traditions.

White settlers accidentally spread diseases among indigenous populations. This had devastating consequences. Epidemics of diseases such as tuberculosis, smallpox and flu could kill hundreds if not thousands of indigenous people.

How did Reservations Impact Tribal Society?

• Chiefs like Sitting Bull stopped negotiating with the US government

  • The Chiefs refused to lose more land than they already had

  • They knew that the government had broken multiple promises

• In the 1880s, the US government bypassed the tribal structure of power by using:

  • Councils among tribes

    • Councils took the power from a chief to protect the tribe

    • US negotiators bribed or threatened council members

  • Special courts

    • In 1883, these courts judged and punished tribe members instead of the chief

    • Government agents influenced the court system by increasing food rations or medical supplies for 'good' behaviour

  • The Indian Police Agency

    • The government offered food, clothes and shelter for Indigenous peoples who joined

    • Agents kept law and order among the Indigenous peoples on the reservation

    • Other Indigenous peoples saw these agents as being disloyal

  • Federal courts

    • By 1885, all Indigenous peoples were tried and prosecuted in federal courts

    • The Indigenous peoples could no longer govern themselves

The Impact of Shrinking Reservations

• The Indigenous tribes did not agree to changes to reservation size

  • The Fort Laramie Treaty in 1868 stated that 75% of males in each tribe needed to agree to the treaty

  • The changes to the Great Sioux Reservation in 1876 did not have this amount of agreement

• After the Dawes Act, the US government entered into discussions with Indigenous tribes

  • The US government forced tribes to agree to the creation of six small reservations

    • Surplus land was sold to settlers

    • The reservations were not big enough for the tribes to survive on

    • Many Indigenous peoples assimilated by creating homesteads

    • Indigenous peoples lost their traditional way of life

Education and Religion on Reservations

• The government educated Indigenous children outside of the reservations

  • In many cases, if the parents refused to allow the children to leave, their rations were taken away until they agreed

  • By 1887:

    • Over 2,000 Indigenous children attended 117 boarding schools

    • Around 2,500 Indigenous children attended 110 day schools

• Children received a military-style education. They were taught:

  • To not respect their ancestry or tribal culture

  • To follow Christianity

  • That they would be punished if they spoke their own language, performed tribal dances or kept sacred items

  • To assimilate into US culture

• Despite being raised like US citizens, Indigenous children were still treated unfairly

  • After school, Indigenous peoples struggled to find jobs and returned to reservations

Living Conditions on Reservations

• Life on reservations was challenging for many indigenous peoples. This is because:

  • The US government sometimes placed enemy tribes on the same reservations

    • This caused conflict between Indigenous peoples

  • Indigenous peoples starved

    • Many Indigenous tribes had never farmed before

    • Reservation land lacked nutrients necessary to grow good quality crops

    • Corrupt government agents kept a tribe's annuity until the tribe paid them a lot of money

  • Reservations were not big enough for the number of Indigenous peoples

    • People lived close to other families

    • Epidemic diseases spread quickly, causing death