From Far West to Wild West

The symbol of the North American Indian is the proud, aquiline-nosed plains rider adorned with a feathered headdress. The Great Plains were home to numerous Native American tribes. However, the Plains lifestyle and culture were among the youngest in America, developing in the 18th century and coming to an end in the last quarter of the 19th century. The Great Plains stretch from the Canadian Saskatchewan River to the Gulf of Mexico, west of the Mississippi and reaching the Rocky Mountains. Its eastern part is covered with tall grasses, fertile and suitable for farming, while the western part is the domain of short-grass prairies. Vast, uninhabited lands once supported endless herds of bison.

Native Americans appeared on the Plains' fringes around 800 BCE. They were semi-settled tribes practicing agriculture, cultivating maize, beans, and squash in river valleys, while their hunters ventured into the Great Plains for bison hunts. Some tribes, such as the Cheyenne, arrived from the Mississippi Valley. From the north, Blackfoot tribes, including the Siksika, migrated southward. The Ojibwa, thanks to trade, gained access to firearms early and pushed the Dakota westward from the northeastern woodlands. The name "Sioux" derives from the term "nadowsioux," meaning "little snake" or "enemy." In the southern Great Plains, the Comanche, Kiowa, and Apache established themselves. Meanwhile, tribes like the Cayuse, Shoshone, and Nez Percé arrived from the west, crossing the Great Basin and Plateau.

By the 18th century, tribes of various languages and traditions had occupied the Great Plains, creating a horse-centered bison-hunting culture. For the Plains Indians, the bison was far more than a source of food. Its hide provided clothing, tipis, moccasins, and shields; its bones were crafted into tools, and its sinews served as thread. Smaller hides became caps, while round shields decorated with tribal symbols and feathers offered both protection and identity to warriors.

The iconic feathered headdress emerged in the 19th century, crafted from the tail feathers of the revered golden eagle. To assemble such a headdress, a warrior needed to kill five or six golden eagles barehanded. Each feather represented an act of bravery or a significant event, embodying both personal and tribal history. The bison, a mythical creature in Native beliefs, was hunted under strict laws. Hunts were as vital as war expeditions, providing young warriors an opportunity to prove their courage and skill. Every hunt began with a profound ceremony, the Bison Dance. Killing a rare white bison was strictly forbidden.

The Plains Indian's typical dwelling was the tipi, a cone-shaped tent varying in size by tribe but consistent in structure. Made from bison hides stretched over about 20 poles, a large family tipi required 16-20 hides. During harsh winters, bison hides served as blankets. Preparing the hides was the women's task. Within the tipi, seating arrangements were strict, with specific places for the head of the family, men, women, children, and guests.

The nomadic Plains lifestyle was inseparable from the horse. Before European contact, the Native Americans had no horses, as native species like the prehistoric horse had gone extinct in the Americas. Spanish settlers introduced horses, which eventually escaped and multiplied, leading to wild mustangs roaming the southern Plains by the late 17th century. Tribes like the Navajo and Apache were among the first to domesticate them, becoming skilled riders. Horsemanship spread rapidly northward, transforming the Plains Indians into exceptional horsemen and fundamentally altering their warfare. Tribal alliances emerged to defend hunting territories, though intertribal conflicts often played into the hands of European settlers.

Among the Plains tribes, the Sioux (Dakota) held the greatest influence.

The assault on the Great Plains began during the U.S.-Mexican War, when the United States annexed Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. The lure of gold, unclaimed lands, and immense bison herds attracted settlers. Wagon trains traversed thousands of kilometers of trails, leading to the establishment of boomtowns populated by fortune seekers, fugitives, bounty hunters, gamblers, and prostitutes. Saloons filled with whiskey and music became the stage for lawlessness, where the "Wild West" archetype—a figure of rough justice and quick-drawn pistols—emerged, cementing the myth of the Wild West.

By the 1870s, Plains Indians faced an existential threat from the encroaching settlers. In Europe, bison-hide products became fashionable, sparking mass bison slaughter. Professional hunters decimated the herds, often killing 250 bison a day, with only their hides being used. By 1871, 1.3 million bison hides were sold, and over the next 30 years, 40-50 million bison were exterminated. By the century's end, bison were nearly extinct, and with them, the lifeblood of Plains Indian culture.

As the U.S. seized the West, it waged wars with the explicit goal of eradicating Native Americans. The Plains Indians were forced into a grim choice: accept life in reservations or face annihilation. By the late 19th century, after centuries of resistance, the Indian Wars ended. Though Native warriors achieved remarkable feats and victories, they ultimately lost due to the overwhelming superiority of American weapons.

Kutasi Kovács Lajos "A mohikánok visszatérnek", Magvető Kiadó, Budapest,1986