Pawnee Indian Tribe
History Assignment – The Pawnee Indians. Adele Moore, Mr Tsomis’ class.
1. Provide a brief outline of your tribe’s way of life before the arrival of the Europeans. 300 words.
The Pawnee Indian tribe lived in central Nebraska and northern Kansas; they were a semi sedentary tribe (only partly move around) they would move to follow the buffalo one half of the year and the other half of the year they would harvest corn and other foods. They were historically one of the largest and most prominent Plains tribes; and they were a tribe of ten thousand or more. There permanent shelters were called earth lodges, earth lodges were a dome shaped home built over a framework of log poles that were covered with clumps of dirt and grass, around four to …show more content…
eight families would live in these lodges. The other half of the year they lived in tepees and were nomadic when following the buffalo. Pawnee women were considered the head of the family, and they had great influence in any tribal affairs. Women would do things such as the division of goods, such as meat, corn, skins, trade goods and other products, they were very important when they first encountered the Europeans as trade was a big part of the relationship. Pawnee women would wear dresses, wrap-around skirts, blouses and leggings; whereas men, breechcloths, buckskin shirts, and leggings. The Pawnee had a variety of foods. Their main source was buffalo. They also ate corn, beans, pumpkins, squash, roots, jerky, deer, and elk. Pawnee people believed in a spirit called Tirawa and another spirit called Star god. The Tirawa spirit was a sky spirit. Pawnee men were hunters, and would sometimes go to war, were as women were farmers and did most of the child care and cooking. Only men were able to become Pawnee chiefs, although chiefs didn’t have a lot of power as the Pawnee political system was quite unorganised. Both genders took part in storytelling, artwork and music, religious rituals, and traditional medicine.
2. Explain the relationship they had with the land, use quotes or evidence to support your argument. 200 words
‘’Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents; it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. ‘’ – ancient Native American proverb.
The Pawnee Indians had a very strong connection with their land, with both of their two ‘staple’ foods heavily relying on where they were living, in turn taking great care.
The Pawnee Indians being a semi-sedentary tribe means that for one half of the year, they are in one place, and for the other half of the year they are nomadic and live in tepees, this is so they were able to follow the buffalo, one of their two staple foods. The other staple food was corn, but corn was not just used for eating, the Pawnee Indians used corn in many of their religious ceremonies.
Medicine men would create sacred bundles which included materials, such as an ear of corn, with great symbolic value. These were used in many religious ceremonies to maintain the balance of nature and the Pawnee relationship with the gods and spirits. The Pawnee Indians had such a strong relationship with their land, and valued it so much that their religion was based off, and devoted to, the nature around them.
The first Pawnee man was believed to be the offspring of the combination of the Moon and the Sun, as they believed they were descendants of the stars, cosmology had a central role in daily and spiritual life. They planted their crops according to the position of the stars, which related to the appropriate time of season for …show more content…
planting.
In the beginning of all things, wisdom and knowledge were with the animals, for Tirawa, the One Above, did not speak directly to man. He sent certain animals to tell men that he showed himself through the beast and that from them, and from the stars and the sun and moon should man learn... all things tell of Tirawa. - Eagle Chief (Letakos-Lesa) Pawnee
3. Evaluate the impact Europeans had on your tribe, remember to include facts and evidence. (400 words)
The Europeans arrival didn’t just have an effect on the Pawnee Indians; they had an effect on every Native American tribe living in the United States at that time, and have forever changed the way North America is.
The Pawnee Indians, because of their geographical placing were discovered by the Europeans later than most tribes, and in turn were relatively isolated from some of the first epidemics; Native Americans had no immunity to these European diseases such as measles, small pox and cholera.
The first Europeans that the Pawnee encountered were the French, and like with most tribes and the French, they got along quite well and allied with them, they also traded with the French. The Sioux tribe were partial allies with the Spanish, and gained guns and other weapons from them.
Over the course of the nineteenth century, the Pawnee tribe was subjected to an ever growing number of destructive forces that changed the Pawnee Indians lives.
The Pawnee were considered ‘natural’ enemies with the Sioux, and the Sioux allying with the Spanish on some occasions greatly changed the fate of the Pawnee Indians, such as when Siouan groups came from the east, bringing diseases from which they had previously been isolated from. This was endemic warfare and greatly reduced the numbers of Pawnee, from an estimated population of 12,000 in the 1830s; they were reduced to 3,400 by 1859.
In 1874, the Pawnee Indians requested to be relocated to Oklahoma from the never ending attacks of the Sioux, and the epidemic that was coming over them.
The stress of the move, diseases and poor conditions reduced their numbers even more. In the lowest point of the Sioux history there 12,000 was reduced to 633.
By the close of the century, the Pawnee people had changed drastically. Rather than living in villages, they were living on farms, chiefs had been replaced and religious ceremonies and the knowledge of older generations were rapidly disappearing as the priests who possessed that knowledge died and no successors came forward.
4. In your own words, complete this sentence and add your own thoughts ‘’Native Americans suffered greatly after contact with the Europeans and that suffering still continues to this day because…’’400 words. Your response should look at word occurred in general as well as in your specific tribe. You will need to draw conclusions and inferences. You will probably need to research what is happening with the members of your tribe who are living in North America
today
Native Americans suffered greatly after contact with the Europeans and that suffering still continues to this day because once the Europeans came to North America, some things they brought still haven’t left the country and have developed into a pandemic; the Europeans technically started many of the biggest problems that still haunt America today.
The first guns that ever came to America were in the hands of Europeans, now in America there are on average 32,000 gun related deaths each year. North America being invaded was a rough beginning in every way, with the first centuries (once the Europeans had arrived) filled with wars, racism, guns and illness for many Native American tribes.
Until the arrival of the Europeans north America (and the new world) was free of smallpox, typhus, cholera and measles. It’s estimated that 90% of Native Americans died this way in the first 50 years or so after Europeans arrived, and almost all of these people are said to have died without ever having seen a white man. By the time white settlers came to push them off their land, their tribes were already so deeply weakened by waves of these deathly diseases that some tribes found it hard to put up a fight
Racism is still a major part of everyday Pawnee Indians lives, although now a day the Pawnee Indians have made themselves comfortable at their Indian Territory reservation in Oklahoma, and have begun to re-populate what used to be a major native American tribe, although certain cultural/ historical parts of the Pawnee Indian tribe can never be restored because of how many deaths occurred. Many Pawnee Indians and other Native American tribes find it hard to get work, and find that they don’t get the same human rights as other people. ‘The prevalence of these racist mascots is inextricably linked to the basic human rights that many Native Americans are not welcome to. Countless native people cannot obtain loans from banks of live where they want to due to the negative stereotypes people encourage’. Lawrence Baca, Pawnee. Many native Pawnee Indians call the settled live they’re living an unprecedented period of prosperity.
Bibliography
Hyde, George E. The Pawnee Indians. Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1974. Print.
3_3 European Disease in the New World." 3_3 European Disease in the New World. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Aug. 2013.
"Countries and Their Cultures." History and Cultural Relations. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2013.
"EUROPEAN EXPLORATION." EUROPEAN EXPLORATION. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Aug. 2013.
"Kansa-Pawnee War." - Kansapedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2013.
Murphy, Tim. Probing the Relationship Between Native Americans and Ecology. Diss. Theory of Religion, The University of Alabama, n.d. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
"Native American Quote's." Native American Quote's. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2013.
"NebraskaStudies.Org." NebraskaStudies.Org. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Aug. 2013.
"Pawnee Indian Facts." PAWNEE INDIAN FACTS. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2013.
"Pawnee Indian Facts." PAWNEE INDIAN FACTS. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Aug. 2013.
"The Pawnee Indian Tribe - Farmers on the Plains." The Pawnee Indian Tribe - Farmers on the Plains. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Aug. 2013.
"PAWNEE INDIANS." CARLISLE, JEFFREY D. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2013.
"Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma." Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Aug. 2013.
"PAWNEE." PAWNEE. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2013.
"Pawnees." - Kansapedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2013.
"Sheldon's History and Stories of Nebraska - The Pawnees." Sheldon's History and Stories of Nebraska - The Pawnees. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2013.
1. Provide a brief outline of your tribe’s way of life before the arrival of the Europeans. 300 words.
The Pawnee Indian tribe lived in central Nebraska and northern Kansas; they were a semi sedentary tribe (only partly move around) they would move to follow the buffalo one half of the year and the other half of the year they would harvest corn and other foods. They were historically one of the largest and most prominent Plains tribes; and they were a tribe of ten thousand or more. There permanent shelters were called earth lodges, earth lodges were a dome shaped home built over a framework of log poles that were covered with clumps of dirt and grass, around four to …show more content…
eight families would live in these lodges. The other half of the year they lived in tepees and were nomadic when following the buffalo. Pawnee women were considered the head of the family, and they had great influence in any tribal affairs. Women would do things such as the division of goods, such as meat, corn, skins, trade goods and other products, they were very important when they first encountered the Europeans as trade was a big part of the relationship. Pawnee women would wear dresses, wrap-around skirts, blouses and leggings; whereas men, breechcloths, buckskin shirts, and leggings. The Pawnee had a variety of foods. Their main source was buffalo. They also ate corn, beans, pumpkins, squash, roots, jerky, deer, and elk. Pawnee people believed in a spirit called Tirawa and another spirit called Star god. The Tirawa spirit was a sky spirit. Pawnee men were hunters, and would sometimes go to war, were as women were farmers and did most of the child care and cooking. Only men were able to become Pawnee chiefs, although chiefs didn’t have a lot of power as the Pawnee political system was quite unorganised. Both genders took part in storytelling, artwork and music, religious rituals, and traditional medicine.
2. Explain the relationship they had with the land, use quotes or evidence to support your argument. 200 words
‘’Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents; it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. ‘’ – ancient Native American proverb.
The Pawnee Indians had a very strong connection with their land, with both of their two ‘staple’ foods heavily relying on where they were living, in turn taking great care.
The Pawnee Indians being a semi-sedentary tribe means that for one half of the year, they are in one place, and for the other half of the year they are nomadic and live in tepees, this is so they were able to follow the buffalo, one of their two staple foods. The other staple food was corn, but corn was not just used for eating, the Pawnee Indians used corn in many of their religious ceremonies.
Medicine men would create sacred bundles which included materials, such as an ear of corn, with great symbolic value. These were used in many religious ceremonies to maintain the balance of nature and the Pawnee relationship with the gods and spirits. The Pawnee Indians had such a strong relationship with their land, and valued it so much that their religion was based off, and devoted to, the nature around them.
The first Pawnee man was believed to be the offspring of the combination of the Moon and the Sun, as they believed they were descendants of the stars, cosmology had a central role in daily and spiritual life. They planted their crops according to the position of the stars, which related to the appropriate time of season for …show more content…
planting.
In the beginning of all things, wisdom and knowledge were with the animals, for Tirawa, the One Above, did not speak directly to man. He sent certain animals to tell men that he showed himself through the beast and that from them, and from the stars and the sun and moon should man learn... all things tell of Tirawa. - Eagle Chief (Letakos-Lesa) Pawnee
3. Evaluate the impact Europeans had on your tribe, remember to include facts and evidence. (400 words)
The Europeans arrival didn’t just have an effect on the Pawnee Indians; they had an effect on every Native American tribe living in the United States at that time, and have forever changed the way North America is.
The Pawnee Indians, because of their geographical placing were discovered by the Europeans later than most tribes, and in turn were relatively isolated from some of the first epidemics; Native Americans had no immunity to these European diseases such as measles, small pox and cholera.
The first Europeans that the Pawnee encountered were the French, and like with most tribes and the French, they got along quite well and allied with them, they also traded with the French. The Sioux tribe were partial allies with the Spanish, and gained guns and other weapons from them.
Over the course of the nineteenth century, the Pawnee tribe was subjected to an ever growing number of destructive forces that changed the Pawnee Indians lives.
The Pawnee were considered ‘natural’ enemies with the Sioux, and the Sioux allying with the Spanish on some occasions greatly changed the fate of the Pawnee Indians, such as when Siouan groups came from the east, bringing diseases from which they had previously been isolated from. This was endemic warfare and greatly reduced the numbers of Pawnee, from an estimated population of 12,000 in the 1830s; they were reduced to 3,400 by 1859.
In 1874, the Pawnee Indians requested to be relocated to Oklahoma from the never ending attacks of the Sioux, and the epidemic that was coming over them.
The stress of the move, diseases and poor conditions reduced their numbers even more. In the lowest point of the Sioux history there 12,000 was reduced to 633.
By the close of the century, the Pawnee people had changed drastically. Rather than living in villages, they were living on farms, chiefs had been replaced and religious ceremonies and the knowledge of older generations were rapidly disappearing as the priests who possessed that knowledge died and no successors came forward.
4. In your own words, complete this sentence and add your own thoughts ‘’Native Americans suffered greatly after contact with the Europeans and that suffering still continues to this day because…’’400 words. Your response should look at word occurred in general as well as in your specific tribe. You will need to draw conclusions and inferences. You will probably need to research what is happening with the members of your tribe who are living in North America
today
Native Americans suffered greatly after contact with the Europeans and that suffering still continues to this day because once the Europeans came to North America, some things they brought still haven’t left the country and have developed into a pandemic; the Europeans technically started many of the biggest problems that still haunt America today.
The first guns that ever came to America were in the hands of Europeans, now in America there are on average 32,000 gun related deaths each year. North America being invaded was a rough beginning in every way, with the first centuries (once the Europeans had arrived) filled with wars, racism, guns and illness for many Native American tribes.
Until the arrival of the Europeans north America (and the new world) was free of smallpox, typhus, cholera and measles. It’s estimated that 90% of Native Americans died this way in the first 50 years or so after Europeans arrived, and almost all of these people are said to have died without ever having seen a white man. By the time white settlers came to push them off their land, their tribes were already so deeply weakened by waves of these deathly diseases that some tribes found it hard to put up a fight
Racism is still a major part of everyday Pawnee Indians lives, although now a day the Pawnee Indians have made themselves comfortable at their Indian Territory reservation in Oklahoma, and have begun to re-populate what used to be a major native American tribe, although certain cultural/ historical parts of the Pawnee Indian tribe can never be restored because of how many deaths occurred. Many Pawnee Indians and other Native American tribes find it hard to get work, and find that they don’t get the same human rights as other people. ‘The prevalence of these racist mascots is inextricably linked to the basic human rights that many Native Americans are not welcome to. Countless native people cannot obtain loans from banks of live where they want to due to the negative stereotypes people encourage’. Lawrence Baca, Pawnee. Many native Pawnee Indians call the settled live they’re living an unprecedented period of prosperity.
Bibliography
Hyde, George E. The Pawnee Indians. Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1974. Print.
3_3 European Disease in the New World." 3_3 European Disease in the New World. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Aug. 2013.
"Countries and Their Cultures." History and Cultural Relations. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2013.
"EUROPEAN EXPLORATION." EUROPEAN EXPLORATION. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Aug. 2013.
"Kansa-Pawnee War." - Kansapedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2013.
Murphy, Tim. Probing the Relationship Between Native Americans and Ecology. Diss. Theory of Religion, The University of Alabama, n.d. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
"Native American Quote's." Native American Quote's. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2013.
"NebraskaStudies.Org." NebraskaStudies.Org. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Aug. 2013.
"Pawnee Indian Facts." PAWNEE INDIAN FACTS. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2013.
"Pawnee Indian Facts." PAWNEE INDIAN FACTS. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Aug. 2013.
"The Pawnee Indian Tribe - Farmers on the Plains." The Pawnee Indian Tribe - Farmers on the Plains. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Aug. 2013.
"PAWNEE INDIANS." CARLISLE, JEFFREY D. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2013.
"Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma." Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Aug. 2013.
"PAWNEE." PAWNEE. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2013.
"Pawnees." - Kansapedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2013.
"Sheldon's History and Stories of Nebraska - The Pawnees." Sheldon's History and Stories of Nebraska - The Pawnees. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2013.