From Storytellers to dime novels to movies, the American West lives in myths and legends. Then there’s what really happens.
Watching Episode 111
Welcome to the Episode 111 page! We’re on a journey toward higher proficiency levels of English, and we’re using a content-based ESL approach. Our content unit is Native Americans, and this episode takes us “out West” to learn about Native Americans who lived and continue to live there.
The policy of the United States to take over Indian land really heats up in this region. Click here to watch the video on archive.org.
Language Objectives
Describe some of the geological features of the American Southwest.
Characterize the reception given Indian leaders during their visits to Washington, D.C. and other places on their government-sponsored tour.
List problems reported to President Lincoln by the visiting delegation in 1863.
Contrast the actions of SVtand Watie and Eli Parker in response to the American Civil War.
Compare and contrast the approaches that were suggested in dealing with Native Americans in the west. (Hint: Presendents Johnson and Grant compared to General Sheridan.)
Characterize early relations between the United States and Apache leaders.
Characterize the hostilities carried out by Cochise and Geronimo.
Describe the Navajo’s Long Walk and their imprisonment at Bosque Redondo.
Characterize the attack on Black Kettle’s encampment at Sand Creek by Chivington and the Colorado militia.
Compare and contrast the Sand Creek Attack with the attack on Washita Creek.
List the most important features of the Medicine Lodge Treaty.
Express your opinion about how Native Americans in the Southwest were treated by the United States. Be sure to use examples.
Content Objectives
Characterize the reception that Native American leaders received during their government-sponsored visits to Washington, D.C.
List problems often reported by Visiting leaders.
List reasons why visiting Native American leaders may have been hopeful when returning from an official visit to Washington, D.C.
List two actions taken by President Lincoln that had a large impact on Native Americans living in the American West.
Characterize the approach that Presidents Johnson and Grant took to dealing with Native Americans in the West, and contrast that approach with the approach taken by General Sheridan and many other Americans.
Characterize the early relationship between the United States and Apache leaders.
List some actions taken by the United States that changed that relationship.
Explain the causes that resulted in years of violent attacks by Cochise and Geronimo on Mexican and U.S. citizens.
Trace the experiences of Apache prisoners after surrender to the U.S. Army.
List actions taken by Colonel Kit Carson to force the surrender of the Navajo people.
Characterize the Navajo’s “Long Walk.” Use Examples.
List causes for the return of the Navajos to Denetah.
Explain how the discovery of gold in Colorado affected the Southern Cheyenne.
List some actions taken by Black Kettle to avoid violence with the United States.
Characterize the attack on Black Kettle’s encampment at Sand Creek. Give Examples.
Analyze the situation in gold rush era Colorado as it relates to violence.
Compare and Contrast the attacks at Sand Creek with those at Washinta Creek.
Explain the main reasons for the Comanches signing the treaty at Medicine Lodge Creek.
Video Used in This Episode
The featured video in Episode 111 is entitled The Mythical West. Click here to watch the video.
Related Videos
There’s a longer version of the video I used in the program. Click here to watch the Long version on Archive.org.
Part of this episode focused on the Navajo Nation. You can learn a lot about the Navajo from their own point of view in a series of videos they have on their YouTube channel. Click here to see a presentation about the Navajo’s Long Walk. Click here to see one of their videos. Click here to see a video entitled The Life of the Navajo. One legend in that event was Colonel Kit Carson. Learn about him by clicking here. For another Navajo voice, here’s a video from Navajo Teachings about turquoise and its importance to the Navajo. Click here.
A more current video about the Navajo can be enjoyed on this link. Click here to see the video bu Austin Elder. American Experience produced an episode focused on The Navajo. Click here to see the video that’s part of the series We Shall Remain. You can go back intime and explore petroglyphs located in the Navajo homeland. Click here to see the video.
For a video about The Indian Wars, Click here. Many of these conflicts are part of this episode and subsequent episodes in our unit on Native Americans featured in Ramping Up your English. We used foitage from a trail camera from Michael Outside. To see his outstanding trail cam of wildlife, Click Here.
Quanah Parker was a mixed-decent Comanche Chief. To learn more about him, click here. This video is from his grandson. You can watch and hear a song about Quanah Parker by clicking here. See another production about Quanah Parker by clicking here. There’s also a video that focuses of Quanah Parker’s mother. Click here to watch it.
In our focus on the Southern Cheyenne, perhaps the greatest tragedy of the American Indian Wars was the massacre of Black Kettle’s band at Sand Creek. Here’s a video about that event from the Sand Creek National Historical Park. Click here to watch. Other voices about Sand Creek are heard in a Smithsonian presentation. Click here to watch. A PBS presentation was produced about the Sand Creek Massacre. The following video comes with a WARNING. It’s not appropriate for all viewers due to the horrific nature of the event. Please use discretion. Click here to see it. A video from Filmmaker Ken Burns is about the same topic. Click here to watch.
Much of this episode is about the Chiricahua Apache. For a short video about them, click here. We used a tiny section of a video about Geronimo by the awesome Jerry Skinner. Click here to see the entire production.
Click here to learn about Mescalero Apache cowboys.
In this episode, I used some trail cam video to demonstrate the importance of Apache Spring to the region. Click here to see trail cam video from Michael Outside that includes javelinas in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona.
Next Episode
The Episode 112 page is ready for viewing. Click here to visit Episode 112: Reservations