Nations at War - Episode 12

Good morning, September is almost done and Nations at War continues.  The first half of the episodes focus on the Lakota Sioux, its history Pre-America and its battle with the United States Army.  The second half of the episode discusses migration and how migration shaped First Nations culture.
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The Great Plains is the center of a new battle.  It is a place that inspired art and myths and proved to be an inspiration to people around the world.  The Lakota Sioux conquered their way west.  They originated in the woods of Minnesota and were known as the Oceti Sakowin.  Eventually, the people split and one nation the Nakoda nation was born.  The two nations would be fierce rivals.  The Ojibwe migrated to Oceti Sakowin land would eventually nickname the people as the “little snakes.”  This is the origin of the Lakota Sioux names.

Fighting between the Ojibwe and the Sioux commenced and the Ojibwe were better armed due to their fur trade connections.  Even though the Sioux had greater numbers, the Ojibwe had guns.  The Sioux were forced out of the woodlands and into the Great Plains.  They had to adapt their ways to their new environment. 

This adoption changed the Sioux including their dialect.  Future generations would fight to claim the Great Plains as their own.  There would be no going back for the Sioux.  Eventually, they adopted the horse and they could travel deeper into the Great Plains.  Here they would find more rivals including Cheyanne.  The Cheyanne dominated the Black Hills and the Lakota launched raids into Cheyanne territory to devastating effects.  They were pushed out of the Black Hills and the Lakota claimed the Black Hills for themselves.  Only years ago, the Lakota were refugees, now they were conquerors.

A historical land deal would shape Lakota history forever: the Louisiana Purchase.  The Americans would challenge Lakota’s dominance.  Emperor Napoleon needed a cash infusion and sold the territory to Thomas Jefferson.  This expanded the country.  The settlement started happening and conflicts ensued between the Lakota and the settlers.  Troops were sent to intimidate the Lakota into leaving the wagon trains alone.  The Lakota were not impressed with this show of force.  Eventually, the United States called the Lakota to Fort Laramie to stop the fighting.  What was the result of the Fort Laramie treaty?  How would a discovery of gold impact the Lakota way of life?  Would the Lakota find allies to support them in their fight against the Americans?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out.

Mass migration has shaped the First Nation experience.  Migrations have shaped cultural identity and people have traveled all over North America in search of a better life.  Conflicts arose between settlers and migrants.  The First Nations were already on the move even before the Europeans came over.  The Iroquois were under threat from neighbors moving into their territory.  The St. Lawrence Iroquois vanished from history during this period.  Jacque Cartier observed these conflicts between the First Nations.

When guns were introduced to the First Nations, the First Nations could defend against the invaders.  Near constant warfare took a toll on the First Nations.  Europeans migrated to the new world and the world was divided between the British and the French.  The First Nations had to choose sides.  After the French were defeated, the First Nations had to deal with the British.  An arrogant British General put an end to peaceful relations.  He believed that the First Nations were inferior to the Anglo Saxons, so he kept the First Nations’ weak.  However, the First Nations fought back, after all, it was the French that gave up, so they rose against the British.  Chief Pontiac set the frontiers on fire.  So how else did migration continue to change the First Nations?  Continue to watch this episode to find out.

Both episodes would be good to show in a history classroom and would be good for research purposes.