Great Plains Indian trading networks facts for kids

The Great Plains Indian trading networks were like busy highways for trade among different Native American groups. When the first Europeans arrived on the Great Plains, they found a well-organized system. This system used many trading centers as "hubs," or main meeting points. Goods could be exchanged over very long distances.

The most important centers were in the villages of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara peoples. These groups grew extra food, which they could trade. Other important centers were in the villages of the Pawnee, Kansa, and Osage in the central plains. On the southern plains, the Caddo villages were key trading spots.

The Dakota rendezvous was a big yearly trading fair for the Sioux people. When Europeans started trading for furs, things changed a lot. There were more wars, and some Native American nations were forced to move by the Sioux, who came from the east.

In the northern plains, the Hudson's Bay Company controlled European trade. This was true even though most of the land belonged to France, and later Spain. In the central plains, French traders from New Orleans and later St. Louis managed European trade. By the mid-1700s, the Comanche became very powerful on the southern plains. They pushed the Apaches into the mountains. They also traded goods with the busy trading centers in New Mexico.

How Trade Worked on the Plains

A Mandan village, a key trading hub.

A Hidatsa village, another important trading center.

The trading networks on the Great Plains were very advanced. They had many trading centers, which were like busy marketplaces. These main centers were in villages where people lived in one place. These villagers grew extra food, which they could trade.

Valuable items like seashells, obsidian (a type of volcanic glass), and turquoise were traded. These items traveled thousands of miles from where they were found.

Main Trading Hubs

The most important trading centers were along the middle Missouri River. These were the villages of the Mandans, Hidatsa, and Arikara. These villages were central to the trade system for a few reasons. They were in a good location. They also had extra food from farming and made many crafts.

Historical records show that many groups visited these villages. These included the Cree, Assiniboine, Crow, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, Plains Apache, and Comanche. The Arikara villages were also visited by the Sioux.

South of the Arikara, the Sioux held the Dakota Rendezvous. This was a yearly fair where they traded goods from other Native American nations.

Other Important Centers

The villages of the Pawnee, Kansa, and Osage were secondary centers. They were located in the central plains. On the southern plains, the Caddo villages were also important. Their trade to the west connected the Plains networks with those in the Southwest.

Key Traders and Connections

The Assiniboine and Cree people were important middlemen. They linked the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara centers to the Northern Plains. They also connected them to the forest peoples north of Lake Superior.

The Sioux brought goods from the Dakota Rendezvous to the Arikara. The Kansa acted as go-betweens for the Osage and the Pawnee. The Cheyenne connected the Comanches and Plains Apaches with the main trading centers on the Middle Missouri. This also linked them to the Shoshone Rendezvous and the Great Basin trading networks. On the southern plains, the Comanche became a very important group after they arrived.

How European Trade Changed Things

A North West Company trade gun.

Native Americans hunting bison on horseback.

Europeans wanted furs. This changed how Native Americans on the Great Plains lived and traded. Their economy changed from just getting what they needed to being influenced by market forces. This meant more fighting and wars between different Native American nations. They fought to control natural resources and trade routes.

The horse became very important. It replaced the dog for carrying things. Horses also made hunting bison much easier. They were also a valuable tool in war. Horses arrived on the Great Plains after the Pueblo Revolt in 1680. Thousands of horses spread north. They reached the Great Plains trading networks through the Shoshone Rendezvous. They also reached the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara villages, and the Dakota Rendezvous. From there, they spread to the farthest parts of the trade networks.

The musket (a type of gun) also spread through the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara villages. People who had muskets gained a military advantage. This helped them control resources and trade routes. During the 1700s, Native American nations with guns pushed out those without them. This greatly changed who lived where on the Great Plains. Horses spread from south to north and west to east. Muskets spread from north to south and east to west. It wasn't until 1850 that horses and guns were common in the same areas.

Trade in the Northern Great Plains

An Assiniboine man.

Most of the northern plains belonged to French and later Spanish Louisiana. However, traders from Louisiana didn't manage to trade much with the Native Americans north of the Osages. Instead, the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) from England controlled most of the trade there.

English muskets were highly desired. They changed the power balance between Native American nations. In the 1700s, mounted Shoshone controlled the northern Great Plains. But the Blackfoot, Gros Ventre, and Sarcee got HBC trade guns through Assiniboine middlemen. They then forced the Shoshone back into the mountains. The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara traded directly with the HBC. This mainly happened at Brandon House, which was built in the late 1700s. The HBC's main rivals were not from Louisiana, but from the North West Company of Montreal.

By the late 1600s, the Cree and Assiniboine became middlemen. They connected the HBC with more distant Native American nations. They kept their strong position with the help of English muskets. These two nations formed a close alliance in war and trade. Their friendship was made even stronger because they were enemies of the French and the Sioux. During the 1700s, the Sioux were slowly pushed westward by the Cree and the Ojibwe. These groups had access to firearms. The Sioux moved onto the plains, changing their way of life from forest dwellers to plains people. At the same time, they pushed the Cheyenne further west.

Trade in the Central Great Plains

An Osage leader.

France was in charge of European trade in the central plains. The French were good at keeping friendly relations with Native American nations. They adjusted their behavior to fit local customs. They also never tried to replace the existing middlemen in the trade networks. They gave generous gifts of trade guns and other items to Native American leaders and their families. This helped their business talks go smoothly.

The first French contact with central plains nations was in the late 1600s. But they didn't have much trade success until New Orleans was founded in 1718.

French activities in the central plains increased. This made the Spanish governor of New Mexico send the Villasur expedition in 1720. The Pawnee attacked and destroyed this expedition. This marked the end of Spanish influence in that area. Bourgmont founded Fort Orleans in 1724. The Pawnee and Osage became the most important allies and trading partners for the French. The French relied on them to achieve their trading goals. However, these Native Americans did not let the French trade directly with nations further west.

After the French and Indian War, France gave Canada to the United Kingdom and Louisiana to Spain. French traders from St. Louis, who were now Spanish subjects, continued to control trade with the central plains peoples. The main goal of the Spanish was to keep control of the area. They wanted to stop British and Canadian traders from coming in. They used the same successful diplomatic methods that the French had used.

Trade in the Southern Great Plains

Pueblo de Taos was a key trading hub in the Southwest. It connected with the Great Plains through the Comanche.

A Comanche observing a trade caravan on the southern plains.

The Southwestern trading networks were not harmed when Spain took over New Mexico in 1582. Spanish road building made travel better. The main trading centers of the Zuñi Pueblo and the Pecos Pueblo were protected by the Spanish crown.

The Spanish needed furs. Some of these furs came from the southern plains. In return, European goods spread over large areas. However, these goods did not cause major changes in the Native American cultures. The Spanish accepted that Europeans and Native Americans could live side-by-side and cooperate.

After the Pueblo Revolt, the Southwestern trading networks became even more important for the Spanish. This was because of trade with the Comanche. In the 1720s, trade with the Comanche was a very important part of New Mexico's economy.

In the mid-1700s, the French started giving muskets to the Comanche. This allowed the Comanche to force the Apache off the plains and closer to the Pueblo and Spanish settlements. The Spanish then changed their policy on firearms. They started selling guns and ammunition to the Comanche. They did this to gain their friendship and make them rely on a technology they couldn't make themselves.

De Anza's treaty with the Comanche in 1786 brought peace to New Mexico. However, the Comanche continued to raid Texas and Coahuila. They brought their stolen goods north into the Southwestern trading system. The Comanche visited the Southwestern trading centers. But they also used the Comancheros as middlemen to trade with the Spanish and the Pueblos. The peace also helped the Ciboleros. These were New Mexico bison hunters who brought hides and meat into the trading system.