TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS OF THE GREAT PLAINS TRIBES
The tribes of the Great Plains were led by groups of people, not just one person. They did not have a king. Sometimes these leaders were called “chiefs.” The governments of many Plains tribes were democratic. This means that the chiefs were chosen by the people. Chiefs made the decisions with their people. They were chosen to be chiefs because people trusted them.
Most people know that Plains Indian people lived in tipis. Did you know that tipis were also used for meeting houses? When a village was set up, there were always special tipis for the leaders to meet in. These meetings of chiefs were called “Chiefs’ Councils.” In the meetings, the chiefs were courteous and polite to each other. They knew when it was time to listen or time to speak. They knew when it was time to think or time to make a decision.
A person was chosen to be chief because he had many good qualities. He was kind and wise. He was smart and very careful about the decisions he made. Each chief was a good listener and very good at holding his temper. Chiefs were also brave when there were wars. Chiefs had very important jobs to do. Everything they did had to be for the good of the people, and not for themselves.
The leaders were polite to each other even if they disagreed.
A chief was supposed to be mean and cruel.
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