Native American Impact on Westward Expansion
Even after the inception of the United States and the start of the forceful migration of natives, settlers would often rely on natives for advice and assistance in surviving, what to them was uncharted territory, and to natives, what was home. During this time, settlers moving westward would adapt to the terrain by copying aspects of the natives measures of survival. By the time they began settling down, some of their ways of life had changed dramatically. From the clothing they wore to the food they ate, there is clear evidence that settlers of western territory had taken inspiration from those that came before.
Navigating the unknown was difficult for explorers and settlers alike. Much cartography was nowhere near as accurate as it is today, so navigating the land even with a map could still be a challenge. Depending on the relations between the two, natives were often documented during expeditions as guides. They would provide an invaluable source of information for those moving westward. One of the best examples comes from the Lewis and Clark expeditions from the early 19th century. While some guides would abandon them in the middle of the night1, others would help guide them through lush, safer terrain.2
Even as early as the turn of the 19th century, Native American food was already becoming a staple among explorers and fur traders.3 By 1804, Lewis and Clark’s expedition group made note of being served a dish of pemmican, and while some members had no idea what this food was, more experienced explorers made note of the food being pemmican and don’t provide any explanation further. Pemmican would keep rising in popularity until the latter half of the 19th century, where it would start to become sidelined for other meals. Regardless, its importance could not be understated among westward settlers. Pemmican is a food consisting of dry meat and berries, 4two things you could find with relative ease if you knew where to look. It was used among the natives due to its long preservability and it being high in nutrient content vital for the human body. It’s among these same reasons why it had become so popular among settlers.
Adaptation did not just come from guides or food, but clothing as well. Finding tailors west of the Appalachians would have been hard to come by, so settlers and natives alike had to rely on the skin of game to mend into clothing. One of the most popular options (even to this day) were moccasins, a shoe typically made of deer or other game pelt. It was footwear worn by men, women, and children alike on the frontier. Due to its easy to attain nature, it became the common clothing among settlers and volunteer militia for some time.5 In Lewis and Clark's expedition, it was common to see men repairing or tailoring moccasins at forts where they would restock their supplies along the Missouri River.6 Moccasins popularity would carry beyond their practicality, becoming a part of fashion even to this day.
1: Gass, Patrick. “Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.” October 9, 1805 | Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Accessed November 27, 2024. https://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/item/lc.jrn.1805-10-09#lc.jrn.1805-10-09.01.
2:Lewis, Meriwether. “Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.” May 1, 1806 | Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Accessed November 27, 2024. https://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/item/lc.jrn.1806-05-01#lc.jrn.1806-05-01.04.
3:Clark, William. “Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.” September 26, 1804 | Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Accessed November 27, 2024. https://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/item/lc.jrn.1804-09-26#lc.jrn.1804-09-26.02.
4: Ngapo , Tania M., Claude Champange, and Cornelia Chilian. “Pemmican, an Endurance Food: Past and Present.” Meat science, April 24, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33945979/#:~:text=Pemmican%20is%20a%20meat%20product,polar%20explorers%2C%20military%20and%20police.
5:“Extract of a Letter from Chil Cothe, (O.) to a Gentleman in This City.” Gale Primary Sources. Accessed November 27, 2024. https://go-gale-com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Newspapers&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&retrievalId=656d2106-4907-4683-bf13-9fd58f681491&hitCount=7788&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm¤tPosition=2&docId=GALE%7CGT3017458049&docType=Article&sort=Pub%2BDate%2BForward%2BChron&contentSegment=ZCEN-MOD1&prodId=NCNP&pageNum=1&contentSet=GALE%7CGT3017458049&searchId=R2&userGroupName=msu_main&inPS=true&aty=ip.
6:Whitehouse, Joseph. “Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.” February 14, 1806 | Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Accessed November 27, 2024. https://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/item/lc.jrn.1806-02-14#lc.jrn.1806-02-14.04.