Survival, Culture, and Identity – The Stories of Ishi, the Plains Tribes, and the Santee Sioux
PART 1
What events led to Ishi being the last survivor of his entire tribe?
Ishi was among the few remaining Yahi group survivors. This was a part of the Yana Indians who lived in California. The Knolls massacre was one where Ishi’s tribe was attacked, and close to 40 tribesmen were killed on that fateful day. Approximately 30 tribesmen managed to escape the massacre. Of these, half of them were murdered by the cattlemen, while the remainder went into hiding for more than 40 years. Eventually, there were only 4 remaining survivors, and these were Ishi himself, his elder uncle, a cousin, and his mother. The elder uncle and cousin drowned while crossing a river, and his mother died in a separate incident.
What adjustments did Ishi need to make in order to live in a twentieth-century California City?
Unlike other Native Indians, Ishi was not assimilated as fast in America. He needed to first learn the English language as well as learn the culture of the White man, including how to behave and act in society. He was also forced to get accustomed to new diseases that came with the White man and also the new innovations that were in use. Ishi became ill very often because he came from a place of isolation, living in the hills and caves. This isolation made his immune system prone to diseases.
Why were researchers so interested in learning and writing down his language?
Ishi seemed to have a lot of stories to tell, yet no one could understand what he was saying. Therefore, researchers sought to learn his language so that they could communicate better with him.
What valuable information other than language did Ishi provide for researchers that they would not have otherwise been able to obtain?
On the Deer Creek trip, Ishi showed the researchers the way of life of the Yahi. Krabbi used this information to compile a unique ethnographic record.
How does Ishi’s story refute Commissioner of Indian Affairs Dillon Myer’s statement that “Indians possessed no ‘legitimate culture’ of their own?”
Ishi’s story refutes Dillon Myer’s statement because the former could share how his people lived through song. He also showed the people the talented skills of wood-crafting, hunting, and archery, all of which were a part of the culture and tradition of the Yahi.
PART 2
Why did the massacre of the buffalo herds precipitate the end of life for the Plains tribes as they knew it?
The Plains were a sovereign place for the Indians, and as long as the buffalos wandered in the place, then they remained sovereign. The Plains Indians depended on buffalos, and the two had a symbiotic relationship between them. The Indians honoured the wildlife because they believed that they brought abundant blessings to the people. The buffalos were used for many functions, such as providing hide for making teepees, weapons, shields, and utensils, among others. The hides were also used in making clothing and traditional headgear (Townsend, 2018).
(Dunn 2002) adds that as the U.S. government, along with the Americans, expanded farther westward, they began to infringe on Indian land. Attempts to drive the Indians off their land were proving futile because the Indians were conversant with the landscape and would attack and hide. As long as the buffalos flourished, the Indians would, too, as well. However, in the 1860s, the American army was pressured to contain the Indians. This was especially so after gold was discovered in the Montana area and part of East Wyoming. The Bozeman Trail was created as the fastest route to the Montana mines, which cut through the sacred hunting grounds of the Sioux.
Some army officers, including Richard Dodge and William Sherman, as well as Columbus Delano, predicted that if they killed the buffalos, the Plains Indians would have to surrender and join the reservation system. Most Americans argued that the extinction of the buffalos was a necessary step toward the fulfilment of Manifest Destiny. The replacement with cattle farming would be more valuable for the white man as this would improve the productive landscape. The theory proved to be right; the last Plain Indians moved to the reservation after the mass massacre of bison
PART 3
What values or perceptions do the background and foreground imagery suggest?
The image suggests that some Native Americans were being murdered by a large crowd of people who seemed delighted by their deaths. The murders were taking place in the outskirts of a village with a big American flying blowing in the wind. This celebration of the deaths of the Native Indians is an indication that the Americans were not remorseful of their actions. Americans believed that eliminating one Indian brought them closer to fulfilling their manifest destiny, hence the flying flag.
How does the painting address the concept of “identity”?
Cultural identity involves the learning of traditions and accepting them as well as a people’s language, aesthetics, religion, social structures, and thinking patterns. The Natives refused to accept the way of the White man and chose to identify with their own culture. The price to pay was murder at the celebration of the whites.
References
Dunn, J. P. (2002). Massacres of the Mountains: A History of the Indian Wars of the Far West. Stackpole Books.
Ishi: The Last of His Kind. Available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYAUYMRTeYg
Mihesuah, D. A. (2010). American Indians: stereotypes & realities. SCB Distributors.
Townsend, K. (2018). First Americans: A History of Native Peoples, Combined Volume: A History of Native Peoples, PowerPoints. Routledge.
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Question 
The Stories of Ishi, the Plains Tribes, and the Santee Sioux
Part 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYAUYMRTeYgfter watching the Video (“Ishi: The Last of His Kind”) answer the following questions:
What events led to Ishi being the last survivor of his entire tribe?
What adjustments did Ishi need to make in order to live in a twentieth-century California city?
Why were researchers so interested in learning and writing down his language?
What valuable information other than language did Ishi provide for researchers that they would not have otherwise been able to obtain?
How does Ishi’s story refute Commissioner of Indian Affairs Dillon Myer’s statement that “Indians possessed no ‘legitimate culture’ of their own?” (First Americans, 524)
Part 2:
Why did the massacre of the buffalo herds precipitate the end of life for the Plains tribes as they knew it?
Part 3:
Examine the “Execution of Santee Sioux” image located on page 294. Please answer the following questions:
1. What values or perceptions do the background and foreground imagery suggest?
2. How does the painting address the concept of “identity”?