The Great Plains Indians Complete Text - Lingua

Sometime in the 1700s the Arapahoe arrived near the head waters 73 of the Missouri
River. From the head waters of the Missouri the Arapahoe pushed south towards the
Black Hills. Though they made a military and economic alliance with the Cheyenne
they warred 74 with the rest of the Plains tribes including the Sioux, Pawnee,
Comanche and the Shoshone. In fact it was by stealing their horses that the
Arapahoe became a full-fledged 75 horse culture.
The Arapahoe practiced and perhaps originated the sun dance. An annual 76 event,
the sun dance was a test of endurance for the participants as they had to dance and
perform rituals for days, often staring into the sun.
While the Arapahoe were fierce 77 fighters, they were known more for their welcoming
ways than their warlike nature. This characteristic stemmed 78 from their form of
government which used consensus 79 to make decisions for the tribe. Usually
consensus was reached among the adult men and some of the elderly women.
Unlike the Comanche who did not allow women to have any authority at all, elderly
Arapahoe women held the authority on religious matters. When a child was born the
umbilical cord 80 was placed in a special beaded 81 case and attached to the child’s
cradle 82 as an amulet. When a child learned to walk he or she carried the amulet 83
with them wherever they went.
73
head waters – a stream or streams forming the sources of a river – die Quellflüsse, das Quellgebiet
74
warred – to war – to fight against – Krieg führen
75
full-fledged – completely developed or established – ausgereift
76
annual – yearly – jährlich
77
fierce – strong, intense, violent – heftig, stürmisch, erbarmungslos
78
stemmed – to stem from – to have something as its origin or cause – zurückzuführen auf
79
consensus – a general agreement about a matter of opinion – die Übereinstimmung, der Konsens
80
umbilical cord – the tube connecting a baby to its mother before birth – die Nabelschnur
81
beaded – the bead – any small, usually round piece of glass or other hard material with a hole through it, to be
put on a string with others or to be sewn onto material – mit Perlen besetzt
82
cradle – the cradle – a small bed for a baby – die Wiege
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