Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2024
First exams 2026
Who were the Indigenous Peoples of the Plains? (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Natasha Smith
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
How were the Tribes on the Great Plains Different? - Summary
Despite sharing a common geographical region, the Indigenous tribes differed in their societies and cultures. One significant difference among the tribes of the Great Plains was their way of living. Some tribes, such as the Sioux and Cheyenne, were nomadic hunter-gatherers. They followed the seasonal migration patterns of buffalo herds. In contrast, other tribes like the Mandan and Hidatsa were more settled farmers. They lived in permanent earth lodges along the riverbanks. They grew crops like corn, beans and squash. Another difference was the leadership structure within each tribe. Some tribes, like the Sioux, had a political system with multiple chiefs and councils. Others, like the Pawnee, had a more centralised leadership with a single chief or council of elders. Cultural practices and traditions also varied among the tribes. Each tribe had its own unique ceremonies, rituals and spiritual beliefs. Indigenous people passed down these customs through generations. For example, the Lakota Sioux performed the Sun Dance to renew the connection between humans and the natural world. The Cheyenne practised the ceremonial smoking of the sacred pipe as a symbol of peace and unity. European settlers ignored or misunderstood these differences. They attempted to apply Western concepts of government to the Indigenous tribes. This caused the European settlers to view the Indigenous people as ‘savages’ or ‘uncivilised’. |
The Tribes of the Plains
Hundreds of tribes lived in the Great Plains
The Sioux Nation was the largest tribe on the Great Plains
The Sioux were split up into different groups like the Santee Sioux
Some tribes were fierce enemies like the Pawnee and the Sioux
Tribes made alliances with each other
They would often break their alliances due to the interference of European settlers
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Edexcel does not expect you to know every tribe in the Great Plains. In your exam questions, ensure you have one or two names of Indigenous tribes. The Sioux were the biggest tribe and were the easiest to remember.
The Tribal Structure of the Plains
Each tribe had a slightly different way of structuring their society, depending on:
The size of the tribe
The tribal leader
The tribe’s unique set of values and beliefs
Tribal Structure of the Sioux
Chiefs in the Great Plains
The leaders of the Indigenous people in America were called chiefs
Chiefs were:
Always men
Spiritual leaders
Negotiated with other tribes and Europeans
Each band had a band chief
They were chosen to protect the band from danger
Famous Tribal Chiefs
Tribal Councils
Band chiefs and elders formed tribal councils
Councils could have a range of responsibilities, for example:
Declaring war
Negotiating peace treaties
Listening to the advice of the spiritual chief
Every member of the council had equal power
Every decision made had to have the agreement of all members
Warrior Brotherhoods
Each tribe had several warrior brotherhoods
Young men created armed groups to fight and protect their community from other tribes
Warrior brotherhoods had a strong belief in their tribe’s values and customs
Warrior brotherhoods fought with other tribes to prove their bravery and skills
Tribal chiefs chose key members from each warrior brotherhood to:
Form a guard unit for the whole tribe
Organise the yearly buffalo hunt
Hunt for food to feed elderly and ill tribal members
Why did the Tribal System Cause Issues with European Settlers?
Aspect of tribal structure | Why did these cause issues with European settlers? |
|---|---|
Tribes could have multiple chiefs | Europeans were used to a society only having one leader. They did not know who to negotiate with |
Chiefs were rarely chiefs for life | Europeans could sign a treaty with one tribal chief and the next tribal chief could ignore the agreement |
Bands and warrior brotherhoods did not have to follow the orders of the chief | Tribal members may not respect the treaties that chiefs agreed with European settlers. Warrior brotherhoods sometimes attacked European settlers to protect their land and resources |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
The exam assesses your knowledge of historical narrative. A narrative account will require you to place events in the correct order and explain why things happened and how important it is for causing other events to happen.
The table above is incredibly important in understanding why there was conflict between Indigenous tribes and European settlers. There was a serious lack of understanding of culture and government, which led to repression and war.
The Importance of the Buffalo in the Plains
Buffalo were vital for the lives of Indigenous people because:
Every part of the buffalo was used by them
The Indigenous people deeply respected animals due to their beliefs in spirits
Tribes were nomadic, following the migration of the buffalo
Indigenous people would live in tipis, which could be dismantled quickly
Indigenous people developed skills in horse-riding and archery to catch the buffalo
Worked Example
Explain the importance of the buffalo to the way of life of the Indigenous tribes of America
8 marks
Partial answer:
The buffalo was incredibly important for the Indigenous tribes’ way of life because their survival depended upon it. Tribes used every part of the buffalo for resources they needed, for example, they used buffalo bladders for food bags. This was necessary as very few crops could grow on the Great Plains. Without the buffalo, the tribes would struggle for food and key resources needed to live. As a result, the Indigenous people respected the buffalo by using all parts for their survival.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
This style of question in the exam paper would be worth 8 marks. An examiner would expect you to write two paragraphs analysing the importance of an event or thing on a wider theme like the way of life of Indigenous people. Ensure your answer has a chain of impacts in each one of your paragraphs. The worked example argues that:
Indigenous people used the buffalo for their survival, for example using their bladders for food storage
This was necessary given how harsh the environment of the Great Plains was
Without the buffalo, tribes would lack food and other key resources
Therefore, the Indigenous people respected and utilised all aspects of the buffalo
These points link together to create a developed explanation as to why the buffalo was key to the way of life of Indigenous tribes in America. Attempt to make a chain of impacts when writing your own answers to this type of question.
The Beliefs of the Indigenous People of the Plains
Wakan Tanka
The Sioux people believed in ‘Wakan Tanka'
This translates to the ‘Great Spirit’
They believed that Wakan Tanka:
Existed within every creature and plant
Guided the Sioux people on ‘vision quests’ through spirit animals
Communicated with Sioux people through ritual dances
Gave them luck through spiritual objects
The Wakan Tanka impacted the Sioux people's belief in the land
The Sioux worked with nature and did not control it
As a result, they believed that they did not own the land
Wakan Tanka gifted the land and all its resources to protect the Sioux people
Certain areas of land were sacred to tribes
For example, the Black Hills of Dakota were sacred to the Sioux
Holy men went to the Black Hills to seek guidance
Sioux dead were buried here
The Role of Women
Indigenous women were not seen as equal to Indigenous men
An example of this is that women could not become chiefs
Men could have more than one wife
Women did have a valued role in tribal society
They fed and clothed their families
They made products with buffalo hide and meat to trade with other tribes
Tribal Warfare in the Plains
Warfare was incredibly important for tribal society because:
It protected their hunting grounds
Tribes won horses and other key resources
It kept young men under control and gave them honour
It unified the tribe
Men were trained from a young age to fight
Tribal leaders valued young men in society
No tribe could afford to lose too many men in fights
Tribes developed warfare methods that limited casualties
Real honour came not from killing but from counting coup
This was getting close enough to an enemy, while alive, to touch him with a special stick
Raids of other tribes would only take place if they had a good chance of succeeding
Only selected brotherhoods would go on raids
In extreme cases, tribal warfare was brutal
Young warriors took scalps as trophies for their achievements in battle
Warriors displayed them on their tipis
The removed scalp ensured that his enemy's spirit could not take revenge in the afterlife
European settlers were horrified by the Indigenous way of warfare
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