settling the west five stages of migration. native americans here for at least 14,000 years before...
TRANSCRIPT
Native Americans Here for at least 14,000 years before
European exploration Coastal and plateau tribes Well established civilization By late 1700’s, population rapidly declined
due to European diseases
Coastal People Tribes: Salish, Chinook and Makah Marine Economy: Fishing, Shellfish, Seals,
Sea lions, Porpoises, Whale hunting Cedar Homes Family Groups Social Status: Wealth matters/ Potlatches Spirituality: Shaman/Animism Art: wood carving, basket weaving
Plateau People 2 Main Tribes: Northern Part spoke Salish,
Southern part spoke several different languages
Lived a life that was a mix of Coastal and Great Plains
Pit Houses: permanent homes by the Cascade Range until 1800’s
Seasonal Round Gender Roles and Equality Material Culture and Art Religion: “Vision Quest” Trade Connections: The Dalles/Kettle Falls
Disease-Protohistoric1700-1810
Disease spreads to Pacific NW by late 1700’s
Smallpox, measles, malaria, typhoid, diphtheria
1830’s 90% of the Chinook had lost their tribe to smallpox and malaria
Indian population was reduced by 1/3
European Exploration Started in the mid 1500’s until the
early 1800’s Spain, Great Britain, Russia and U.S.
came to politically claim region Very little violence between explorers
and Native Americans Built trading relationships Explorers believed Native Americans
were simple-minded people
Northwest Passage Many European explorers tried to find a
shortcut to China and the Indies that didn’t have to go around Africa
Christopher Columbus accidentally found North America on his way to the Indies trying to find a shortcut
Many Europeans after Columbus kept searching for a way through North America so they wouldn’t have to sail through S. America
Spanish Explorers First to sail ships along Pacific Coast Juan de Fuca: 1596 (Strait of Juan de
Fuca) Juan Perez: 1774 (Tried to claim
Vancouver Island) Bruno de Heceta: 1775 (Washington
Coast) Esteban Jose Martinez: (Built Spanish
settlement called Fort San Miguel) p.64
Why didn’t Spain Settle in the Northwest?
Spanish crews were very busy harvesting pearls off the coast of Mexico and California
No mineral wealth (i.e. gold, silver) Native peoples lived in small villages-no
large population to capture for slaves Coastline was steep and rugged, many tall
trees on shoreline, making development difficult
Spain lost out to the British in the Pacific NW
British Explorers Revolutionary War: 1776 Americans
vs. Great Britain James Cook (British): famous
explorer who had been around the world twice in both directions. Discovered the Hawaiian Islands (Sandwich Islands)
George Vancouver: 1792 (Sailed into the Columbia River, mapped out and explored Puget Sound region)
Cook’s Outcome
Made it to the Nootka Sound (Vancouver Island)
Discovered Spanish already trading with the Indians
Traded for sea otter furs—felt trip was a failure
Returns to Hawaiian Islands and is killed in a fight with the natives
American Explorers
John Ledyard: Had sailed with Captain Cook (tried to plan a new route to the Pacific Coast from Western Asia)
Robert Gray: 1792 (Sailed into the Columbia River)
Fur Traders Started in the 1800’s Traded with Native Americans for
furs, Nootka Sound Controversy Britain and U.S. established trading
posts and employed own citizens to trap
Competition between Native Americans and fur traders for space, food, and natural resources (land)
Increased conflicts
American Fur Traders
Pacific Fur Company: John Jacob Astor, owner of company
Captain Jonathan Thorn, hired to send his crew to trade for fur
Thorn’s men built Fort Astoria to establish Pacific Fur Company
Traders come by land-most do not make it
War of 1812: Fort Astoria sold to Britain, renamed Fort George
British Fur Traders
Alexander Mackenzie (Canadian): Explored British Columbia 2 years before Lewis and Clark. Northwest Company did business with Indians.
David and Charlotte Thompson: Spokane House, first trading house in Washington State
Dr. John McLoughlin: 1821, Director of Operations for the Hudson Bay Company (formerly Northwest Company), establishes Fort Vancouver
Furs, Forts and Farms
Main business of forts: trading for furs
Most popular fur was beaver pelt called a plew
HBC set up farming companies around several forts
Crops were grown for trade: grain mostly
Late 1840s the fur era ends
Missionaries During the 1830’s and 1840’s : 3 Nez Perce
and a Flathead Indian went to St. Louis with Lewis and Clark
“Christianize and Civilize” Native Americans Saw Native Americans as “noble savage” Whitman Massacre 1847
Misunderstanding between Whitmans and Native Americans about property
Marcus Whitman could not cure disease Marcus Whitman brought settlers Started 30 years of wars between
Native Americans and U.S. settlers. U.S. army becomes involved.
Methodist Missionaries
Jason Lee and Daniel Lee answered Nez Perce request to come
Stopped in Fort Vancouver and stayed there
Converted few Indians Jason Lee returned to East, brought
back 50 more settlers to Oregon and opened new missions
Spent time establishing a settlement instead of working with the Indians, mission was later closed
Catholic Missionaries Some members of the Hudson Bay
Company were Catholic and wanted to have a priest out in the fort
Father Francis Blanchet came and worked with French Canadian Catholics and not with Indians
Many of the Coeur d’Alenes and Flatheads were baptized Christians with the work of Jesuit priest Peter John de Smet and others
Missionary Work and Children
Built log houses and schoolrooms Taught how to raise animals, grow
& harvest crops, weave wool into clothes
Translated the Bible into Indians language to teach them to read
Several children were born at the missions—first white Americans
Settlers Started coming in large numbers in the
1840’s Oregon Trail Transcontinental Railroad Few violent conflicts between settlers
and Native Americans U.S. Army pursues policy of genocide
and confining Native Americans to reservations with or without treaties.