full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Pekka Hämäläinen: The rise and fall of the Lakota Empire

Unscramble the Blue Letters


In 1776, a powerful empire was born in North America. The Lakotas had rcheaed the Black Hills, the most sacred place and most coveted buffalo hunting gdruons in the western plains.

lcotaed in what is now sotuh Dakota, control of the Black hllis, or Paha Sapa, marked the Lakotas as the dnmoiant power in the aacriemn West. Just a few decades before, they were vying for power in the eastern woodlands— and losing.

One of seven ntiaons, or seven council fires, that made up the souix Alliance, the Lakotas had lived in the forests and wetlands between the Great Lakes and the Missouri Valley for centuries. In the 1600s, European colonizers destabilized this region. While some tribes prfoteid by trading furs with new France, the Lakotas lived just out of range of the best trade opportunities. So in the early 1700s, they turned their attention west.

Open Cloze


In 1776, a powerful empire was born in North America. The Lakotas had _______ the Black Hills, the most sacred place and most coveted buffalo hunting _______ in the western plains.

_______ in what is now _____ Dakota, control of the Black _____, or Paha Sapa, marked the Lakotas as the ________ power in the ________ West. Just a few decades before, they were vying for power in the eastern woodlands— and losing.

One of seven _______, or seven council fires, that made up the _____ Alliance, the Lakotas had lived in the forests and wetlands between the Great Lakes and the Missouri Valley for centuries. In the 1600s, European colonizers destabilized this region. While some tribes ________ by trading furs with new France, the Lakotas lived just out of range of the best trade opportunities. So in the early 1700s, they turned their attention west.

Solution


  1. grounds
  2. dominant
  3. nations
  4. located
  5. hills
  6. american
  7. reached
  8. sioux
  9. south
  10. profited

Original Text


In 1776, a powerful empire was born in North America. The Lakotas had reached the Black Hills, the most sacred place and most coveted buffalo hunting grounds in the western plains.

Located in what is now South Dakota, control of the Black Hills, or Paha Sapa, marked the Lakotas as the dominant power in the American West. Just a few decades before, they were vying for power in the eastern woodlands— and losing.

One of seven nations, or seven council fires, that made up the Sioux Alliance, the Lakotas had lived in the forests and wetlands between the Great Lakes and the Missouri Valley for centuries. In the 1600s, European colonizers destabilized this region. While some tribes profited by trading furs with new France, the Lakotas lived just out of range of the best trade opportunities. So in the early 1700s, they turned their attention west.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
north america 2
western plains 2
united states 2
lakota territory 2
lakota leaders 2
sun dances 2
crazy horse 2


Important Words


  1. alliance
  2. america
  3. american
  4. attention
  5. black
  6. born
  7. buffalo
  8. centuries
  9. colonizers
  10. control
  11. council
  12. coveted
  13. dakota
  14. decades
  15. destabilized
  16. dominant
  17. early
  18. eastern
  19. empire
  20. european
  21. fires
  22. forests
  23. france
  24. furs
  25. great
  26. grounds
  27. hills
  28. hunting
  29. lakes
  30. lakotas
  31. lived
  32. located
  33. losing
  34. marked
  35. missouri
  36. nations
  37. north
  38. opportunities
  39. paha
  40. place
  41. plains
  42. power
  43. powerful
  44. profited
  45. range
  46. reached
  47. region
  48. sacred
  49. sapa
  50. sioux
  51. south
  52. trade
  53. trading
  54. tribes
  55. turned
  56. valley
  57. vying
  58. west
  59. western
  60. wetlands