Rampaging Indians – a perspective

8/10/24

During the decades before the Civil War, many things were happening in the western lands that significantly impacted the resident Indian tribes.

• Settlers arrived in great wagons, picked prime sites to begin farming operations, and did so in significant numbers.
• Wagon trains of Conestoga wagons ventured into and across the plains. They had further destinations in mind but did not announce such intentions to the local tribes.
• The US Government sent troops to the plains to quiet the local tribes. While “quiet” sounds innocent, these troops were aggressive and focused on protecting the settlers while punishing the local tribes.
• The US Government was also relocating tribes from the east, moving them into Indian Country, which is now Oklahoma. There were forced marches, moving entire tribes into an area quite unlike their old home, with zero planning or preparation.

That amounts to an armed invasion. The only rational reaction is to fight back.

Plains Indians were not just hunter-gatherers living off the bounty of the land. They migrated and grew crops for the tribe’s use. They planted corn with beans, which used the stalk to climb, and pumpkins or other squash, which preferred to start in the shade. This threesome grew well in a harsh environment with little rain. Their entire focus was on feeding the tribe. They did not produce extra for trading.

The plains consisted of many tribes coexisting in a vast and diverse space. The climate, ground space, and water supply vastly differed from one area to the next. Each tribe mastered the environment where they lived and, as a result, were different from other tribes.

This uneasy status quo stood for centuries before the discovery of the New World and the subsequent settlement process.

The scenario of one society settling into the homeland of another culture has occurred many times in our world’s history. This one had some unique circumstances, such as the incoming relocating of other tribes, but it was just another armed invasion that needed to be defended.

The battleground was multifaceted. Each of the tribes defended their territory. There was no communication between the tribes, for they protected their territory against the other tribes and the invading settlers.

Under these conditions, the likelihood of defeating the settlers was minimal. There was no way the tribes could unite and organize their resistance. Plus, the settlers were far too numerous and held a sophisticated advantage in arms. The Indians did capture rifles and pistols and quickly mastered their use, but they faced a continuous, unrelenting advance by the white settlers.

Rampaging was a natural form of defense. If a settler started to set down roots, they were attacked. Wagon trains that began to cross the territory were attacked and stopped. If the attack lost steam, the tribe retreated and attacked another day at a more advantageous place. The concept was to accept no foothold and to defend every effort to enter the area.

US History focuses on the rampaging nature of the tribes by referring to them as savages. However, their perspective to stop an invasion does not receive equal treatment. It has been said many times that history is written by the victorious. That is true in this instance, as the Indian nations have never been respected for having a civilized life nor granted the regard of fighting in defense.