Indigenous peoples of the plains

• many different tribes lived on the great plains -if they were large enough, the tribe would be called a nation
• several tribes were sworn enemies, some were traditional allies
• each tribe was made up of different bands - bands could be hundreds of people or just 20-30
• to survive, it was essential that different bands within a tribe worked together - different bands would usually meet during the summer for a great tribe camp - this was for social and religious reasons as well as co-operation to ensure their survival on the plains
• the Sioux nation was made up of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota tribes,
• chiefs were leaders of the IP society, always men - each tribe could have many chiefs - a war chief, a spiritual chief, and a negotiation chief
• US settlers found the chief system difficult to understand - this led to problems between the IP and the US gov,
• there was no single system for choosing a chief - chiefs were valued because of their wisdom, leadership and spiritual powers - there weren't often chiefs for life
• each band had a band chief, who was chosen to guide the band into finding enough to eat and protecting the band from danger
• band chiefs and elders made up the tribe's council when the tribe came together - in some tribes, the council would declare war on another tribe or negotiate peace treaties
• everyone could give their opinion in the council and was listened to - the tribes spiritual chief would be consulted on important decisions - no decision was made until everyone agreed
• in tribes such as the Lakota Sioux, chiefs had no power to command their people - bands made their own decisions - some bands might follow one chief and others would follow a different leader