What is the significance of the great plains

They also shared a tradition of dance: Different tribes practiced ceremonial dances. The Cheyenne SHY-an performed the Animal Dance, meant to send luck to hunters so they would bring back enough food for the tribe. The Caddo CAD-oh performed the Turkey Dance, which celebrated the return of warriors from battle; and several tribes performed the Sun Dance, in which dancers prayed for spiritual healing and the welfare of their communities.

By the s these newcomers had hunted the bison almost to extinction. Once these tribes lost their main source of food, the U. These were often located far from their traditional homelands in present-day Oklahoma , North Dakota , and South Dakota believed to be unsuitable for farming or settlement.

Today the Plains tribes are keeping their culture alive. He brought with him a strand of braided grass from his ancestral land, two arrow heads, six eagle feathers, and the Chickasaw Nation flag. They poured water on hot stones to create steam as they prayed inside. We have that power now - we just need to recognize it and use it.

The potential effects of unregulated oil and gas well expansion today may be different from the results of mechanized farming in the Dust Bowl era. In the s, the consequences were food scarcity, home displacement, and further harm to the Depression-era economy.

Today, we are more concerned about species diversity, habitat conservation, and available cropland. But in each case, we allow technology to run rampant before we understand its effects. And that is not the fault of the technology, but of the culture in which it is used.

The passive language of technology pulling us along a particular pathway into the future is seductive - the inertia of machines is strong. But we should never forget that behind each technology is a human decision to pursue a certain vision of progress.

That decision begins and ends with us. Retrieved May 8, Worster, D. Allred BW et al. Science, , Great Plains photo courtesy of Blamfoto on Wikipedia. May 20, By: Jonathan Trinastic. Aa Aa Aa. Repeating the history of economic expansion in the Great Plains. Email your Friend. Submit Cancel. July 08, Goodbye and thank you! June 16, Desert dust increases harmful marine bacteria June 09, The greening of Vancouver June 03, Phosphorescent concrete could light the way home.

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By comparison to the rest of the country as a whole, Plains peoples are not a wealthy lot, when income is the only criterion. Plains peoples are sensitive to misunderstandings of their mindset and place. As the Kansan Malin warns us, "In writing the history of [the grassland's] occupation too much emphasis has been placed upon the pathological, the sensational, and the merely curious.

Kathleen Norris, South Dakotan, sees the eloquence and specialness of Plains living reflected in Plains language. Farmers use language with great style and precision, when they use it. Louise Erdrich, North Dakotan, appreciates the far-reachings of the Plains.

Being alone, writes Erdrich, a foremost Native American novelist, "doesn't bother me as much as it seems to bother others. Life sneaks up. Life today on the Great Plains or in the near and distant past has had to take into consideration the vast spaces. Space separates everyone and everything. It makes one confront, detach, or embrace one's humanity, as Plainsman Wallace Stegner argued so eloquently throughout his life. But Plains space is not easily demarcated. Those who have tried have sought environmental markers or political drawings.

Walter Prescott Webb found the Rocky Mountains and the th meridian to be explicit enough; others have accepted the 98th or even the 95th meridian. Political geographers have gravitated toward the Missouri River for some finality and asserted ten states as having some if not all of their boundaries located on the Great Plains. Canada should not be denied, for its provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta offer truly Plains kinds of environments and cultures.

Space, wind, climatic extremes, and the paucity of populations in the Great Plains have caused and continue to influence a special relationship with the humanities. Perhaps it is because the environment cannot be avoided; that the big sky, the big blows - tornadoes, blizzards, and chinooks - or the even bigger landscape place one's humanity directly in one's face.

It is intimidating and yet empowering, and there is an appreciation of the humanistic elements of life. The Plains features the diversity of the humanities. The linguistic Plains offers expressions in numerous languages, from German and Spanish, from Ukrainian and Czech to Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota, and these are just a few samples.

The Plains environment encourages community and retention of traditions. The religious nature of the heartland is equally diverse. Numerous Jewish communities are located on the Plains. The writings of Calvin Trillin and Tillie Olson attest to this experience.