Culture Clash

Buffalo				NATIVE AMERICANS Sacred - Every part was used for food, shelter, and ceremonial occasions.				AMERICANS Nuisance - Slaughtered to make way for railways, cattle ranching and farming. Carcasses were left to rot.
Black Hills				Sacred, to be preserved.				Source of gold and possibly other mineral wealth, open to exploitation.
Family				One's uncles and aunts were also considered one's mothers and fathers; cousins were considered brothers and sisters. Children were the responsibility of the entire community. Elders were revered as wise and essential members of society.				The average family unit consisted of a father, a mother their children, and often, grandparents. Children were the responsibility of their parents.
Shelter				Mobile - For the nomadic Sioux, the tipi was an ideal dwelling that could be erected in minutes and struck down and ready for travelling at a moment's notice.				Fixed - Americans were sedentary. They built elaborate cabins, barns, stores etc. wherever they went. To protect themselves, they built forts all over the frontier.
Ghost Dance				Hope - Chief Si Tanka's followers hoped it would bring back the buffalo, and resurrect their dead loved ones.				Distrust - The government feared the Ghost Dance, believing it made native people hostile against the settlers. Indian Agents enlisted the army to suppress it.
Government				Decisions were by consensus. Anyone could speak in council. Any warrior who disagreed was free to leave with his family. Elders elected War Chiefs like Sitting Bull.				Elected representatives made all the decisions, except in wartime when the President could make crucial decisions on his own. The President appointed generals.
Warfare				Sioux warriors were taught that it was more important to show one's bravery by "counting coup" than killing one's enemy.				American soldiers were trained to kill as many of the enemy as possible.

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