Indian Essay

Even though the Indians had little contact, their society had came to a more complex level. With land available in the west for farming, gold mining, and the upcoming railways, white expansion seemed to skyrocket in the 1850's. This prospect to expand westward caused the government to become involved with the lives of the Plains Indians, who were viewed by the whites as extremely difficult. These unwanted issues into the lives of the Plains Indians spoiled their lifestyles, damaged their view of how to live, and hurt their overall living conditions. The government's changes in the 1850's were attacks to the entire Plains Indians society from which they could never recover.

The lives of the Plains Indians were by the changes that white expansion and the whites' government actions brought upon many aspects of the Indians' life. Some of these new cultural changes were actually positive, such as bringing education into the lives of the Plains Indians. Where as before, family members would informally teach the young girls household skills and prepared the boys for manhood in a hunting society. Although it can be argued that this education was good enough for their lifestyles at the time, the white schools on reservations were far more advanced in teaching the basic principles and most importantly, teaching the Indians the ideals and values of "white culture". This was an obvious attempt by the whites to make the Indians conform into their culture, yet the education did lead to an advanced Indian society. However, the culture was no longer a unique Indian culture, but rather a culture created by the whites, thrust upon the Indians.

Spiritual life changed as well with the invasion of the government and Christian missionaries. Previously, the Plains Indians had worshipped through many rituals and spiritual dances. However, the government eliminated these religious customs in 1883 with The Code of Religious Offenses, which restricted the Indians from performing their spiritual traditions. This eliminated the spiritual unity of the Plains Indians, and it set up a loss in the Plains Indians lives. Therefore, along came the Christian missionaries who had great success in converting the Indians, who now expressed a desperate need for spiritual guidance. Despite the many changes, however,