NORTHERN PLAINS HISTORY AND CULTURES
How Do Native People and Nations Experience Belonging?
lesson
information
9–12
Apsáalooke (Crow), Arikara, Dakota (Sioux), Hidatsa, Lakota (Sioux), Mandan, Nakota (Sioux), Northern Cheyenne
Geography, Government and Civics, History, Social Studies
Great Plains, northern plains, plains, Plains Indians, Crow, Cheyenne, Northern Cheyenne, Three Affiliated Tribes of Fort Berthold, Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Lakota, Dakota, Nakota, Oceti Sakowin, homelands, kinship systems, kinship, Native Nation, tribal nation, tribal governments, cultures, culture, history, relationships, extended family, community, rights, responsibilities, values, traditions, beliefs, elders, sovereignty
Plains, North America
FULL LESSON
Belonging
HEAR
FROM THE
EXPERT:
Northern Plains Nations: Belonging to Place, Family, and Nation
One third of the United States is classified as the Great Plains. Although that term usually evokes an image of an expansive area of flat land, in fact, the Great Plains are much more varied than that. Among the large regions of tall grasslands are numerous forested mountain ranges, such as the Black Hills and the Bear Paw Mountains. The Great Plains landscape also includes rolling hills that slope to river corridors lined with groves of cottonwood and box elder trees. This enormous expanse of land was once home to immense herds of bison that were essential to the lives and economies of Native peoples. Sadly, bison were nearly eliminated during the era of westward movement that was fueled by the idea of Manifest Destiny.
Many Native Nations still call the Great Plains home. Some of these nations have inhabited the plains since time immemorial. Others established their homelands on the plains more recently, as their tribal territories shifted over time. This module focuses on the Oceti Sakowin (Sioux Nation), Northern Cheyenne, Crow, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Native nations, each of which continues to call the northern portion of the Great Plains their home. These sovereign nations live in the Great Plains among the stories and collective memories of their ancestors and relatives.
The histories of plains Native Nations extend far beyond the reservation borders of today. Sacred and important sites, of which many are ancient, speak to a relationship that these Native peoples have with the land. After living within these sacred landscapes for many generations, they have developed a deep sense of belonging to place.
Underscoring the importance of place is the knowledge that plains Native people have of their role within their family and community. Native kinship systems provide a network of care and support that extends beyond the immediate family. This network of relationships and relatives guarantees that each member of the community has an extended family in which one's belonging is continually reinforced.
Native people also belong to their tribal Nations as citizens, and that citizenship carries with it certain rights and responsibilities. Each nation's customs, values, and traditions inform an individual's role as a tribal citizen.
Over the centuries, many things have changed on the Great Plains. However, Native culture is persistent and strong; we invite you to explore this module and to learn how Native identity continues to be shaped by relationships with land, family, and nation.
What Gives Native Nations a Sense of Belonging to the Land?
How do Kinship Systems Work to Create a Feeling of Belonging?
What are the Rights and Responsibilities of Belonging to a Native Nation?
How Do Native People and Nations Experience Belonging?
Connecting to Native Histories, Cultures, and Traditions: The InterTribal Buffalo Council
Related Resources
