I recently visited a restored archeological site in the Sonoran Desert. Today it’s known as Besh Ba Gowah, a term roughly translated from the Apache meaning “place of metal.”

Besh Ba Gowah made me realize how little I knew about native people in the Ohio River Valley, and that’s what inspired this month’s trivia quiz.

Did it ever occur to you that there are no Indian reservations in the Ohio River border states? Why is that?

Today, the absence of federally recognized reservations in the Ohio River border states is largely due to three factors: 1) historical displacement, 2) lack of territorial continuity leading to assimilation, and 3) the erosion of Native sovereignty through federal policies that led to economic control of these peoples by the U.S. government.

While some tribes in the region, like the Shawnee and Miami, have regained federal recognition in recent decades, they do not have large, contiguous reservations like those in the western U.S.

You might first think this happened as a result of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which initiated a mass exodus of Native Americans, particularly from the southeastern U.S., to what is now Oklahoma, known as the Trail of Tears. While many tribes in the Ohio River border states were forcibly removed, some, like the Shawnee and Miami, were fragmented and dispersed across various regions. Those who remained were often not granted land rights or reservations.

However, the effort to erase Indian peoples and culture began much earlier than that Act. Land treaties and military conflict forced tribes in the Ohio Valley to cede large portions of their land. The Treaty of Greenville (1795), which followed the defeat of Native forces in the Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794), is a notable example of such a land cession. Tribes were often coerced or manipulated into giving up their territories in exchange for meager concessions, setting the stage for further removal.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the U.S. government adopted policies of assimilation aimed at integrating Native Americans into mainstream American society. The Dawes Act of 1887, which sought to break up tribal lands into individual allotments, further weakened Native communities and prevented the establishment of reservations.

As a result of these policies, Native American populations in the Ohio River border states were marginalized, and many tribes lost federal recognition, making it difficult for them to claim land for reservations. Tribal members were often forced into state-controlled systems, which did not allow for the formation of reservations.

This website by the Chickasaw Nation is a treasure trove of video interviews and other resources.

Now on to the quiz!

Note to my fantastic new subscribers:

Monthly trivia is for sport. It’s not a test of intelligence or character. I couldn’t answer these questions without a significant amount of research, either! Do your best and enjoy learning something new.

Would you share this quiz with someone else? Please?

QUESTIONS

Answers in the footnotes. Have fun!

* What was the primary effect of the 1763 Treaty of Paris, following the end of the French and Indian War, on Native American tribes living in the Ohio River Valley?

* It granted Native Americans sovereignty over their lands

* It established new boundaries that restricted Native Americans to specific territories

* It allowed Native Americans to trade freely with European settlers.

* It recognized Native American alliances with the French

* The Treaty of Greenville (1795) was significant because it marked a major land cession by Native tribes in the Ohio River Valley. What did the U.S. government promise in exchange? More than one may apply.

* Monetary compensation and trade goods for the land

* A formal apology for the destruction of Native villages

* Military support in protecting Native lands from further encroachment

* The return of some land taken by settlers

* Which Native American leader, who fought to protect his people’s land from European encroachment in the Ohio River Valley, became well-known after his leadership during the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811?

* Tecumseh

* Pontiac

* Blue Jacket

* Standing Bear

* What were the main reasons for passing the Indian Removal Act of 1830? More than one applies.

* To relocate Native American tribes to reservations in the western territories

* To provide land for European settlers to expand westward

* To grant Native American tribes sovereignty over their lands

* To forcibly assimilate Native Americans into European-American agricultural practices

* The U.S. government created reservations for Native American tribes in the 19th century. Legislators didn’t come up with this concept on their own. What practices elsewhere inspired this policy? Yes, this is an essay question.

* Why were Native American tribes in the Ohio River border states (like the Shawnee and Miami) particularly vulnerable to displacement during the early 19th century? More than one may apply.

* They had no alliances with other tribes

* Their lands were in the path of settlers moving westward

* They lacked military power to resist U.S. forces

* They had assimilated into European farming practices

* Which of the following Native American tribes played a role in the resistance against European settlers in the Ohio River Valley during the 18th century? (Select all that apply)

* Shawnee

* Miami

* Iroquois

* Cherokee

* Which factor made the Dawes Act of 1887 particularly damaging to Native tribes in the Ohio River border states?

* It forced Native Americans to abandon their communal way of life and adopt European-style farming practices.

* It granted Native American tribes full autonomy over their lands, allowing them to govern themselves.

* It divided tribal lands into individual allotments, causing a loss of collective control and leading to the sale of surplus lands to non-Native settlers.

* It created permanent reservations for Native tribes, offering them protection from further displacement by European settlers.

* I can’t resist another Tecumseh question. The War of 1812 was a conflict between the United States and Great Britain, driven by issues such as trade restrictions, impressment of American sailors, and British support of Native American resistance to U.S. expansion. Which of the following statements about Tecumseh and his role in the War of 1812 are correct? Select all that apply.

* Tecumseh fought alongside British forces against the United States during the War of 1812.

* Tecumseh’s primary goal was to defeat the British and secure Native American sovereignty.

* Tecumseh led the Shawnee and other Native American tribes in an alliance with the British to resist U.S. expansion.

* Tecumseh was killed in the Battle of New Orleans, where he fought for the American cause.

* Which of the following Native American tribes originally from the Ohio River Border States have gained federal recognition in recent years? More than one may apply.

* Shawnee Tribe

* Miami Tribe of Oklahoma

* Delaware Tribe of Indians

* Pequot Tribe

ANSWERS

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