Where They Fight: Apsáalooke Spirituality on the Battlefield

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Hidden Battlefields: Power, Memory, and Preservation of Sites of Armed Conflict" , at the 2021 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

By the mid-19th century, waves of settlers along the Overland Trail invaded Indigenous North Americans’ traditional homelands and hunting grounds. This pushed people like the Sioux westward as colonists threatened game, timber, water, and other resources. The U.S. called for a council resulting in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851, but settlers continued to violate its terms. In order to survive, the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho people were forced to move westward, wage war upon the Apsáalooke (Crow) people, and attempt to appropriate Apsáalooke lands which were still rich with game. The intertribal battle that ensued became the single most important event in Apsáalooke history, as the Apsáalooke people fought to avoid becoming victims of genocide. We discuss how this battle symbolizes Indigenous struggles and survival. Grounded in Indigenous Archaeology, our research addresses the nuances of power, sovereignty, and the significance of cultural landscapes.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Hidden Battlefields: Power, Memory, and Preservation of Sites of Armed Conflict   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2021

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology