The Great Plains Indians Complete Text - Lingua

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Rise of the Horse Culture 100 years after the great horse dispersal started, most of the remaining North American tribes had horses but only a few tried the grand economic experiment of developing a true nomadic horse culture. At the same time, the short grass prairie offered a huge unoccupied region for expansion 26 . While unfit for permanent settlement, it was ideal for any group that moved easily with the wanderings of the millions of buffalo. The horse provided the vehicle and the buffalo provided a virtually inexhaustible 27 supply of high quality protein 28 giving the tribes, willing to venture 29 onto the Plains, the chance for rapid population growth. Each of these tribes has a unique story of its transformation into a horse culture. The WHY has long been lost but the journey has been recorded. Looking at the Great Plains as a sea of prairie grass all the eventual and nomadic tribes started in the North, three from the Eastern shore and four from the Western shore. Unlike the other horse cultures, the Navajo and Apache moved into their 18 th and 19 th century homelands prior to the arrival of the Europeans in the 16 th century. They were part of a very large sub-arctic group generally referred to as the Athabascan 30 (or Athapascan) speaking Indians. 26 expansion – to expand – to become greater in size – die Ausdehnung, Erweiterung 27 inexhaustible – something that will always continue, never finished – unerschöpflich, unendlich 28 protein – das Protein, das Eiweiss 29 to venture – to dare to go somewhere dangerous or unpleasant – sich vorwagen 30 Athabascan – an American Indian linguistic stock including languages of the far northwest, of the Pacific coast and of Arizona and the Rio Grande basin Lingua-Video.com – Ubierstraße 94 – 53173 Bonn – Tel: 0228 / 85 46 95-0 – Fax: 0228 / 85 46 95-79 6
Their ancestral home 31 covered a large part of Canada’s Northwest Territory. Anthropological records indicate that these people lived in small family groups, were nomadic, and hunted caribou 32 . Sometime between 900 and 1400 A.D. 33 a group identified as the Southern Athabascans migrated south into present day West Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. When the Spanish arrived in 1540, they were already split into two distinct groups, the Apache and the Navajo. Each had their own territories and customs, and because of their close proximity 34 to the Spanish they were the first to tame 35 horses. In fact, in 1659 the Navajo were the first Indians to attack Europeans using horses. At the same time their Apache relatives used the horse for food and as a beast of burden 36 . The Navajo were more settled than the Apache. Like most tribes who had names for themselves such as “The True Ones”, “Only Ones”, “Real People” and “Human Beings”, the Navajo referred to themselves as Dene, meaning “The People”. They lived in permanent dwellings 37 known as Hogans. These eight-sided buildings were perfect for the desert southwest remaining hot in the winter and cool in the summer. Capturing 38 horses, sheep and goats from the Spanish, the Navajo established herds of their own. They became excellent weavers 39 and their rugs and blankets became highly valued trade goods. The most important person in the Navajo family was the woman who owned the land, the home and the livestock 40 . All Navajo life centered around the family, including religious ceremonies. One of the most important was a healing ceremony known as the Night Wake. In this ceremony the Navajo used sand paintings like this one to heal the sick. Shamans called singers created these sacred pictures using crushed rock of many colors. While the Navajo practiced more settled activities like farming, the Apache preferred raiding 41 and hunting. Indeed, the Apache moved seasonally 42 with the antelope, elk, deer and buffalo. Traveling in small groups or as individual families, they would set up a circular hut known as a Wickiup. Each Wickiup housed a family. 31 ancestral home – see ancestry above – der Stammsitz 32 caribou – der Karibu 33 A.D. – Anno Domini – in the year of the Lord 34 close proximity – to be near somebody or something in space or time – die unmittelbare Nähe 35 to tame – to change animals from the wild or savage state – to make easy to control – zähmen, bändigen 36 beast of burden – an animal used for carrying heavy loads on its back – das Lasttier 37 dwellings – dwelling -a place of residence, a house – die Wohnhäuser 38 capturing – to capture – to take a person or an animal as a prisoner – gefangennehmen, (ein)fangen 39 weavers – weaver – a person who weaves cloth – die Weber 40 livestock – animals kept on a farm for use or profit – das Vieh 41 raiding – to raid – to make a surprise attack – überfallen, plündern 42 seasonally – the season – the 4 seasons, spring, summer, fall and winter – von der Jahreszeit abhängig, saisonbedingt Lingua-Video.com – Ubierstraße 94 – 53173 Bonn – Tel: 0228 / 85 46 95-0 – Fax: 0228 / 85 46 95-79 7
Page 1 and 2: Complete Text Lingua-Video.com
Page 3 and 4: Early Indians People have occupied
Page 5: In fact, the buffalo is the lone su
Page 9 and 10: 1600s. Around 1700, they reached th
Page 11 and 12: Around 1700 they acquired 60 horses
Page 13 and 14: Cheyenne The first historical recor
Page 15 and 16: It was the Lakota band that first t
Page 17 and 18: Gathering these materials, hunting
Page 19 and 20: Depending upon the time of year, th

The Great Plains Indians Complete Text - Lingua

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