Contact, Conflict, and Change (Post-A.D. 1750)

pipe tomahawk

Contact with European-Americans had profound impacts on Native American cultures. New forms of commerce and trade altered ancestral forms of exchange and depleted natural resources. Over time, influences from non-native cultures, increasing military confrontations, and an ever-westward American expansion changed traditional ways of life.

See the changing technologies and learn how Native Americans and European-Americans perceived each other:

  • Metal cooking pots
  • Guns, gunpowder, and traps
  • First impressions, myths, and misconceptions
  • Crow belt for the Grass Dance
  • Necklace with bear claws