Problems with Fort Laramie Treaty

• Choosing council representatives

  The government wanted one chief from each tribe at the talks, but Indian society didn’t work this way. Just because one chief had signed the treaty, it did not mean that every band would follow it.
• Getting representatives from every tribe

  Some tribes didn’t attend. Many of those who did were only there for the government food and gifts
• Agreeing boundaries

  Plains Indians didn’t believe in fixed boundaries and land ownership. The agreed boundaries were not taken seriously. Some Plains Indians still hunted in other tribes’ territories.
• Language barrier

  The Treaty was in English, so not all the tribes understood it. The language and cultural differences meant that many of the Indians didn’t know what they’d signed
• It restricted Plains Indians to fixed areas of land…


  thus paving the way for reservations.
• It allowed white migrants to cross into Indian Territory…

  …thus undermining the Permanent Indian Frontier, and leading to greater white settlement of the Plains.
• It made Plains Indians dependent on resources received from the government…


  …thus taking away Plains Indians’ independence.