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The Native Americans of the Great Plains: The History of the Region’s Biggest Indigenous Tribes
From the “Trail of Tears” to Wounded Knee and Little Bighorn, the narrative of American history is incomplete without the inclusion of the Native Americans that lived on the continent before European settlers arrived in the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the first contact between natives and settlers, tribes like the Sioux, Cherokee, and Navajo have both fascinated and perplexed outsiders with their history, language, and culture.
Despite being one of the most erstwhile foes the U.S. government faced during the Indian Wars, the Sioux and their most famous leaders were grudgingly admired and eventually immortalized by the very people they fought. Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse remain household names due to their leadership of the Sioux at the fateful Battle of the Little Bighorn, where the native warriors wiped out much of George Custer’s 7th Cavalry and inflicted the worst defeat of the Indian Wars upon the U.S. Army. Red Cloud remains a symbol of both defiance and conciliation, resisting the Americans during Red Cloud’s War but also transitioning into a more peaceful life for decades on reservation.
Given the various conflicts between the Americans and indigenous groups, it’s no surprise that the Shawnee continue to be closely associated with their most famous leader, Tecumseh, the most famous Native American of the early 19th century. While leading the Shawnee, he attempted to peacefully establish a Native American nation east of the Mississippi River in the wake of the American Revolution. While Native Americans, especially in the “old Northwest” (present-day land west of the Appalachian Mountains and east of the Mississippi River), understood and recognized their own, long established territories and those of other tribes, these boundaries and territories were ignored and unappreciated by the incoming settlers. Together with his brother Tenskwatawa, Tecumseh was in the process of forming a wide-ranging, Native American confederacy that they hoped would stem the westward flow of Anglo-American settlers and essentially establish a “nation” of Native Americans that would be recognized and accepted by the advancing European-American settlers. Tecumseh and the Shawnee would be at the heart of the fighting in the present-day Midwest during the War of 1812.
One of the most famous Native American tribes on the Great Plains is the Cheyenne, and their fame may be surpassed only by their influence on American history. Having split off from other groups around the 16th-17th centuries, the Cheyenne shifted from a sedentary agricultural society to the kind of nomadic g.roup many envision when thinking of groups on the Plains. But it was land disputes and conflicts with white settlers and the Cheyenne that set in motion the chain of events that led to the most famous battle among Native Americans and the American the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
The Arapaho was a group so renowned among neighboring Native Americans that it’s believed their name came from a Pawnee word for “trader. Like other notable Plains tribes, the Arapaho split off from other groups around the 16th-17th centuries and shifted from a sedentary agricultural society to the kind of nomadic group many envision when thinking of groups on the Plains. That nomadic lifestyle brought them into contact with the Sioux and Cheyenne, both of whom became allies as white settlers pushed west and led to conflicts.
Unlike other Plains peoples and tribes scattered throughout North America, the Chippewa fared relatively well after contact was established with European and American settlers. They had been enemies of the Iroquois before and during European colonization of North America, and then engaged in different political alliances with the French and British as their interests dictated.
Despite being one of the most erstwhile foes the U.S. government faced during the Indian Wars, the Sioux and their most famous leaders were grudgingly admired and eventually immortalized by the very people they fought. Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse remain household names due to their leadership of the Sioux at the fateful Battle of the Little Bighorn, where the native warriors wiped out much of George Custer’s 7th Cavalry and inflicted the worst defeat of the Indian Wars upon the U.S. Army. Red Cloud remains a symbol of both defiance and conciliation, resisting the Americans during Red Cloud’s War but also transitioning into a more peaceful life for decades on reservation.
Given the various conflicts between the Americans and indigenous groups, it’s no surprise that the Shawnee continue to be closely associated with their most famous leader, Tecumseh, the most famous Native American of the early 19th century. While leading the Shawnee, he attempted to peacefully establish a Native American nation east of the Mississippi River in the wake of the American Revolution. While Native Americans, especially in the “old Northwest” (present-day land west of the Appalachian Mountains and east of the Mississippi River), understood and recognized their own, long established territories and those of other tribes, these boundaries and territories were ignored and unappreciated by the incoming settlers. Together with his brother Tenskwatawa, Tecumseh was in the process of forming a wide-ranging, Native American confederacy that they hoped would stem the westward flow of Anglo-American settlers and essentially establish a “nation” of Native Americans that would be recognized and accepted by the advancing European-American settlers. Tecumseh and the Shawnee would be at the heart of the fighting in the present-day Midwest during the War of 1812.
One of the most famous Native American tribes on the Great Plains is the Cheyenne, and their fame may be surpassed only by their influence on American history. Having split off from other groups around the 16th-17th centuries, the Cheyenne shifted from a sedentary agricultural society to the kind of nomadic g.roup many envision when thinking of groups on the Plains. But it was land disputes and conflicts with white settlers and the Cheyenne that set in motion the chain of events that led to the most famous battle among Native Americans and the American the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
The Arapaho was a group so renowned among neighboring Native Americans that it’s believed their name came from a Pawnee word for “trader. Like other notable Plains tribes, the Arapaho split off from other groups around the 16th-17th centuries and shifted from a sedentary agricultural society to the kind of nomadic group many envision when thinking of groups on the Plains. That nomadic lifestyle brought them into contact with the Sioux and Cheyenne, both of whom became allies as white settlers pushed west and led to conflicts.
Unlike other Plains peoples and tribes scattered throughout North America, the Chippewa fared relatively well after contact was established with European and American settlers. They had been enemies of the Iroquois before and during European colonization of North America, and then engaged in different political alliances with the French and British as their interests dictated.
401 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 7, 2025
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 15, 2026
A must-read for anyone who lives in the West. a good history book. The author researched the history of famous Native American tribes of the Great Plains thoroughly and also provides photographs of many chiefs and American generals as well.
Unfortunately the Native Americans trusted the lies of the American government time and again and succumbed to famine, disease, and the effects of warfare as a result. The US government was brutal and unfair leading to the tribes to become scattered and mere shadows of their former selves and culture.
Takes an in-depth look at famous battles like Custer's Last Stand and the Battle of Wounded Knee. Also looks at more recent history such as the history of AIM and how Native Americans took over Alcatraz in an attempt to raise awareness for Native American rights. Also looks at the sad and tragic history of Sand Creek.
Chief White Antelope and Chief Black Kettle and some of his followers met with Colonel John Chivington and and Major Edward Wynkoop on 28 September 1864 in what the Native Americans believed to be a peace council.
Unfortunately on 29 November 1864 Colonel Chivington led 700 soldiers to Black Kettle's camp at Sand Creek. Black Kettle raised the American flag and said he was not resisting. Despite his cries for mercy the soldiers were commanded to fire. It is believed that around 200 Native Americans were slain and most were innocent women and children. To make matters worse, the dead bodies were mutilated by American soldiers. Black Kettle escaped, but was killed in 1868 during an unprovoked attack by George Custer at Washita River. Wynkoop had tried to protect the Southern Cheyenne tribe, but Chivington replaced him for being "too concilliatory."
The Cheyenne, Lakota, and Arapaho tribes attacked ranches and a military post near the South Platte River in retaliation. Most of the remaining Cheyenne fled to Oklahoma and Montana. Many Cheyenne live on the Tongue River Reservation in southeastern Montana today. Some also live in South Dakota.
The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site is in Kiowa County, Colorado and commemorates the Sand Creek Massacre.
The Cheyenne name lives on because it is the name of the capital of Wyoming. The 400-mile long Cheyenne Heritage Trail features ten 10 stops at places that played a role in Cheyenne history. A summit near Pikes Peak is called Cheyenne Mountain and the Cheyenne River is a tributary of the mighty Missouri River.
Unfortunately the Native Americans trusted the lies of the American government time and again and succumbed to famine, disease, and the effects of warfare as a result. The US government was brutal and unfair leading to the tribes to become scattered and mere shadows of their former selves and culture.
Takes an in-depth look at famous battles like Custer's Last Stand and the Battle of Wounded Knee. Also looks at more recent history such as the history of AIM and how Native Americans took over Alcatraz in an attempt to raise awareness for Native American rights. Also looks at the sad and tragic history of Sand Creek.
Chief White Antelope and Chief Black Kettle and some of his followers met with Colonel John Chivington and and Major Edward Wynkoop on 28 September 1864 in what the Native Americans believed to be a peace council.
Unfortunately on 29 November 1864 Colonel Chivington led 700 soldiers to Black Kettle's camp at Sand Creek. Black Kettle raised the American flag and said he was not resisting. Despite his cries for mercy the soldiers were commanded to fire. It is believed that around 200 Native Americans were slain and most were innocent women and children. To make matters worse, the dead bodies were mutilated by American soldiers. Black Kettle escaped, but was killed in 1868 during an unprovoked attack by George Custer at Washita River. Wynkoop had tried to protect the Southern Cheyenne tribe, but Chivington replaced him for being "too concilliatory."
The Cheyenne, Lakota, and Arapaho tribes attacked ranches and a military post near the South Platte River in retaliation. Most of the remaining Cheyenne fled to Oklahoma and Montana. Many Cheyenne live on the Tongue River Reservation in southeastern Montana today. Some also live in South Dakota.
The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site is in Kiowa County, Colorado and commemorates the Sand Creek Massacre.
The Cheyenne name lives on because it is the name of the capital of Wyoming. The 400-mile long Cheyenne Heritage Trail features ten 10 stops at places that played a role in Cheyenne history. A summit near Pikes Peak is called Cheyenne Mountain and the Cheyenne River is a tributary of the mighty Missouri River.
Displaying 1 of 1 review