Attitudes about land and nature

• The Plains Indians believed that there were powerful forces which were at work within nature
• They believed that the power of the Earth always moved and worked in circles
• The sky was round, as was the sun that shone from it 
• The wind whirled in circles, the seasons formed one great circle, always coming back to where they started 
• Even the life of a person was like a circle 
• Birds built round nests and the plains Indians' own home, the tipi, was also round

• The land in the west was more fertile than that of the east, people wanted to grow crops and raise cattle, but they couldn't do this in the ast because the land was too scarce
• Fore religious people, moving to the west greatly improved their lives because they were free to live and worship in their own way. 
• Gold was discovered in California, so there was a rush of people moving west in search of gold

How the railroad affected the cattlemen 

• The railroad enabled cattlemen to sell their cattle to buyers in all the states, as it connected the east and west 

How the railroad affected the Indians

• The Indians were afraid that their hunting grounds would be taken away from them 
• They were frightened of the huge, noisy iron horse which crossed the plains, billowing smoke and pulling carriages full of people

How the cattlemen affected the Indians

• Cattlemen disturbed the way of life of the Plains Indians
• Indians didn't want their land to be taken over by cattlemen, or anyone else