Did Indian tribes fight each other?

Answer 1

Not necessarily. Many tribes from the east were forced westward by the encroachment of Europeans upon their traditional homelands, thus pushing them westward into territories of other tribes. This "domino" effect created a situation where most of the tribes came into conflict in order to maintain their common life-styles dependent upon bison hunting up and down the entire breadth of the plains as the bison herds continuously migrated seasonly, in search of food. In the mid-1800's, the Indian Removal Acts were effected, sending thousands of eastern Indian people west of the Mississippi (as yet, only sparsely settled), thereby setting up conditions for more inter-tribal conflicts over losses of traditional territories. (For example, the creation of the Oklahoma Territory, Fort Laramie Treaty, Medicine Lodge Treaty, etc. Some groups accommodated themselves peacefully to the situation, but some developed sustained enmities.

The creation of prescribed reservation areas of containment for different groups did little to settle the question, and, in some instances, actually acerbated their problems. Even today, some traces of these old distrusts and animosities are still present although the reasons for them are vague or forgotten; some older Kiowa people still refer (though oft in humor) to the Osage as "horse thieves."

Further, some tribal groups had a reputation for peacefulness which they never fully discarded, even when attempting to hold hold on to their territory or to resist the intrusion of other tribes or white settlers. For example, the Southern Cheyenne have a long tradition of having 44 Peace Chiefs, men selected from the various bands for their wisdom, integrity, manifested leadership. The renowned Nez Perce Chief Joseph's leadership was even recognized by the U.S. Army generals as a proponent of peace, though belatedly.

Answer 2

The majority of native tribes throughout all of the Americas were warrior cultures; men's role was simply to hunt to feed their families and to gain prestige in warfare. Without war, men felt useless and unable to gain the respect they needed to be able to marry - a man without a number of brave deeds to his record was generally not permitted to get married.

The result of this is that almost all native Americans fought their neighbours almost all the time, unless they arranged some kind of permanent alliance to increase their own strength as a people.

Tribes were fighting other tribes long before Europeans arrived in North, Central and South America; they continued to fight long after the creation of the USA and Canada, even after they had been restricted to reservations. It was this constant state of warfare between tribes that prevented most of them putting up much resistance to encroaching settlers, troops and pioneers - they could not unite to form any effective defence.

Most battles were small-scale affairs, but some (witnessed by white Americans) involved hundreds of warriors on each side.

It is very likely that more native Americans were killed by other native Americans than were ever killed by white men.

Answer 3

From Alaska to the southernmost tip of South America, native American tribes constantly waged war on each other. On the Great Plains of North America the Crows fought the Pikuni Blackfoot, the Flatheads, the Shoshone, the Cheyenne, the Lakota and many others; the Lakota attacked the Mandans and Pawnees bordering the Plains; the Cheyenne fought Mandans, Hidatsas, Crows and many others.

In South America the fierce Jivaros were head-hunters who collected the heads of defeated enemies and dried the skin of the head to shrink it in size to create trophies (tsantsa). They used huge bows and arrows, clubs and poison darts from blowguns.

Waging war with other tribes was a way of life for most native Americans.

Answer 4

Different tribes of any land, be they American Indians, Asia Mongols, African tribes, etc. tended to fight each other. Usually to gain power over another weaker tribe, or to gain more land, and so on. It is basic human nature, as can be seen in the many warring conflicts occurring today throughout the world.

Answer 5

yes they did