Gold is never found on Sioux land. Now the largest reservation is for the very loose confederation of Sioux tribes, in Montana, the Dakotas, and Wyoming. Without such a shithole semi-genocidal reservation system, the Sioux and others are far better off.
But what happens when gold is found?
But what happens when gold is found?
Gold is never found on Sioux land. Now the largest reservation is for the very loose confederation of Sioux tribes, in Montana, the Dakotas, and Wyoming. Without such a shithole semi-genocidal reservation system, the Sioux and others are far better off.
Tough challenge. The Sioux tribes migrated to the Great Plains between 1650 and 1750, if not a bit later. It is unlikely they could build an empire before then; the Iroquois, Shawnee, Ojibwa, and other tribes of the Upper Midwest had the benefit of possessing more firearms and horses.
How about a Comanche-Sioux Empire? Say the "proto"-Comanche migrate east instead of south when they get horses and "merge" with the migrating Sioux crossing the Missouri River. It would quite possibly be the strongest and fiercest group of nomads since the Mongols. With more horses and more supplies gathered from faraway raids, the tribes could resist colonization longer.
Of course, they ultimately won't last long, not unless some very forward-thinking leaders get their people to adopt some agricultural and metal-working practices.
Thinking on this, I think the best way to do this is for a longer Viking contact in the 1000's (?), then the diseases already arrive in the Americas long before prolonged contact. Then, settled culture may be more acceptable, and thus, Sioux Empire.
Not bad, but TTL's Sioux won't look anything like OTL's Sioux. At the time of Viking exploration, the Sioux were semi-sedentary and living in the woods around the Western Great Lakes, or even further east, I'm not sure. They'll also have quite a bit of competition with tribes like the Iroquois. Their warrior culture developed only after being pushed west by tribes who were also being pushed west by British and French colonists.
Oh, and thanks to Kerney for the corrections and expertise!
(why is there a connection in N. America between natives and gambling?)
Then maybe have an Algonquian tribe start getting violent and that pushes the Sioux a bit farther west and gives them a more warlike edge.
It seems to be a by-product of the original treaties that actually has worked for the indians. Most gambling laws are enforced by state and local legislation, the indian nations/tribes don't fall under their jurisdiction. There's a lot more to the situtation than that, but there's the kernel of it
Yeah, it is mostly an issue of who has jurisdiction, but also because casinos are short-term projects that outside investors love. Problem is gambling has a depressing effect on local economies, discouraging small businesses and promoting low-wage jobs. At least that's been the case with a lot of Native casinos here in Arizona.
The only gambling I do is putting in $10 on the NCAA Basketball pool at work, so take this for what it is worth... In the upper midwest indian casinos are still a growth industry - for now... and a real political football, with implications for presidential aspirations. I think there is great risk for some tribes of an over-saturated market, and they'd be wise to wrap things up and move their profits to other fronts. Some of the tribes have invested in local infrastructure, education programs, etc.
*edit* Sorry, I have an un-intended ability to side-track threads off onto tangents...
My two cents on topic: more early and extensive exposure to European disease through contact with the Vinland Northmen, gives all native Americans time to recover and build immunity. That should slow down later European conquest and immigration. Also, the idea of a less cohesive United States should help the western indian nations
I think what would help the Sioux out the most would be a more politically divided North America. If rather than a strong, unified United States spreading across the continent, there were a series of smaller nations, the Sioux would have a much better shot at holding them off.
This could be accomplished by the British doing worse in the colonization game, and more French, Dutch and other European settlements surviving in North America. Or for a later POD, the more divided up the US can get, the better.