The Changed Lives of the Native Americans

      The Native Amercians during the 1800s were believed to be savages who needed to be assimilated. Well that was according to the white settlers that came across the Native Americans during the 1800s in search of land and gold. The white settlers forced the Native Americans to give up their land. Along with their land the indians had to give up their customs and religion.

      The Native American tribes like the Dakota Sioux were forced out of their land into reservations. A reservation is an area of land the U.S. government gave the indians to live on. The Treaty of Traverse de Sioux of July 23, 1851 promised the Native Americans schools, food, land etc. But when the tribes got to the reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota th promises made by the U.S. were not kept. Many indians went hungry, there many dieases among the indians and alot of chaos in the reservations.

       Along with having their land taken away, the Native Americans were forced by the white settlers to assimilate. Assimilation means to conform or to become similar to. The white settlers made the Native Americans image and change their name to a christian name. The indian men had to cut their long ponytails. Both men and women were obligated to change te way they dressed so that they could look like the white man. Native Americans were also obligated to learn and speak the English language. The indian childern were to attend the schools that were in the reservations.

      One of the biggest assimilations was the religion. Native Americans had to convert to christianity. When things got really bad in the reservations the Native Americans turned to a new religion called the Ghost dance religion, created by an indian named Wovoka in 1888. Wovoka preached of a day when the world would end, all the Native Americans would came back, ending the days of  the white man. This alarmed the white settlers causing what we know now as the Wounded Knee Massacre. Because the Native Americans contiuned to dance after the white officals banned the Ghost dance, over 150 indians were killed including tribe chiefs Sitting Bull and Big Foot.

      The arrival of the white settlers in the Native American land marked the beginning of the struggle of the indians. The lives of Native Americans as they knew if had to come to an end in order to conform what others thought to believe was the "right" way to live.





sources:http://www.lastoftheindependents.com/wounded.htm
             Movie: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee