Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Ambrotype of Mea-to-sa-bi-tchi-a, or Smutty Bear"

What Can You Make From a Buffalo?

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:01:22 GMT

The northern Plains Indians used every part of the buffalo. In this interactive matching game, students will match objects made by Native Americans from the body parts of buffalo to the appropriate part of the buffalo's anatomy. It is interactive whiteboard and iPad friendly and is included in the website Tracking the Buffalo: Stories From a Buffalo Hide Painting.

Eastern Indian Wars

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:10:56 GMT

Coveting what remained of the Indian lands in the Southeast and lower South, the United States forced tribes to cede their "rights of occupancy" and give up their ancestral homelands. Students will learn about the Creek Indian War and the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, and the policies that led to the Trail of Tears, one of the most tragic episodes in American history in this section of the online exhibition, Price of Freedom: Americans at War. A non-flash version of this page is available: Eastern Indian Wars.

Tracking the Buffalo: You Be The Historian

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 14:57:44 GMT

What can we learn by studying a buffalo hide painting? In this activity, students will learn about the culture of the Plains Indians by determining the meaning of stories told on a buffalo hide painting and compare their interpretations to that of a Smithsonian historian. This activity is meant to help students learn more about Native American culture by analyzing and learning from objects; a guiding student worksheet is included. It is included in the website Tracking the Buffalo: Stories From a Buffalo Hide Painting.