In this episode of the History Explorer Podcast, curator Rayna Green discusses what we can learn from seemingly simple line drawings about the lives and memories of Plains Indians who lived over 130 years ago.  The resources include a teacher guide and related image. 

This ambrotype portrait of Mea-to-sa-bi-tchi-a, or Smutty Bear, a Yankton Dakota, is among the first photographic images of Native Americans. Smutty Bear was part of a large Native American delegation that came to Washington, D.C., during the winter of 1857–58. Under duress, members of the dele

This buckskin coat was worn by Custer when he was Lieutenant Colonel with the 7th U. S. Cavalry in the Dakotas. It was one of several owned and worn by Custer, who prefered to dress like a frontiersman while out West. In 1912, Custer's widow, Elizabeth, donated this buckskin coat t

Engage students in analyzing and appreciating historical perspectives on the Battle of Little Bighorn/Greasy Grass, also known as "Custer's Last Stand." Students will interpret primary sources, develop critical thinking questions about the perspectives represented in the sources, and finally synt

In this episode of the History Explorer podcast series, listen as archivist Reuben Jackson discusses the Sioux City Ghosts, an African-American travelling baseball team and swing band from the 1930s. The teacher’s guide includes links to the podcast in two formats and related images.

Winter counts are calendars that the Lakota used to mark the passage of time. This online exhibition features a searchable database of Smithsonian winter count images, a documentary about Lakota history and culture and video interviews with Lakota people Through the use of this website, Students

In the decades following the Civil War, the U.S. Army fought dozens of engagements with Indians in the West. This website explores Federal Indian policies and conflicts that arose as Americans flooded west into the Great Plains. Through the use of images and objects from the Museum's collections,

In this post, readers will investigate a few examples of drawings made by Plains Indians who, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, were held in captivity by the U.S. Army at places like Fort Marion in Florida.  Curator Rayna Green describes how these images depict