Customer Reviews

The Great Indian Wars: 1540-1890

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This series isn't the most entertaining that you'll watch, but it makes up for this in the important story that it tells. I grew up with limited knowledge of the indiginous inhabitants of our Great Land. I knew of a few tales and legends, but didn't realize that a few times, the tribes came close to ousting the invaders from their lands. The problem for them was that their cultures, though some were quite warlike, weren't as greedy and expansionist as the European's culture.

This series attempts to tell some of the "military" history of many of the Native Tribes. I only wish it had been done more cinematically, rather than with still photographs. If you can tolerate the pace and style, it's well worth the time spent.

Having thousands of books, fiction and non fiction, on the American West resting on the shelves I heartily give this DVD a full 5-stars. Anyone reading my other reviews will know I only allow 4-stars for most other things. This DVD and its low price ($2.50 for me, Wal-Mart) makes this one of unbelievable value.

If you are interested in anything concerning the The Indian Wars of the American West from the 1850s through 1890 this will be of great value to you, the DVD also traces some history too from the 1540s, especially concerning the acquisition by the Indians of the plains of the Spanish horses. Using black and white and color this DVD offers a very effective explanation of those troubled times.

One very, excellent DVD which runs several hours.

Recommended.

Semper Fi.

Forgive me for not having the time to thoroughly research my objections, but this documentary is decidedly and unacceptably (IMO) slanted toward the Euro settlers. That slant and the inexpensive (read: cheesy) production values lead me to wonder how well the writers researched the subject. I felt as if I might be learning some interesting information, for instance, estimates of the numbers of aboriginals killed vs. the number of Euro settlers. But I had to wonder how much of this was outdated information, old saws & anecdotes along the lines of "George Washington chopped down the cherry tree" that have long been generally accepted but bear little resemblance to historical fact. Watch this with considerable skepticism.

I really enjoyed this documentary. I now have a better appreciation about what happened during this period and the struggles and injustices that the Native American Indian endured

I am a Historian and can certainly say the Indian Wars DVD is very informative if you can get past the dry monotone voice of the narrator. This goes as far back to their migration from Alaska through Canada and into America. Its a solid documentary and worth owning!

disappointing. very low budget obviously, as the poorly played scenes keep repeating themselves with no connection to the subject.
Historicaly inaccurate in some places & slightly biased against the native americans.
Chief Joseph's story not even mentioned..
should I say more ?

This three DVD series is very well done but it is more like an instructional film you used to see in school. Here and there, they attempt the Ken Burns type style with a guest narrator but that is too scattered. It is very systematic in filling in the background of the many Indian tribes and I learned a lot.

I remain amazed at how much information about the Indian Wars they managed to cram into this video. It covers every aspect of the long war with the American Indians, which lasted over 60 years. Particularly interesting to me was that it showed how we probably owe the State of Texas to the Comanche Indians. I don't want to spoil it by telling you how, but if it were not for the Comanche Indians, Texas might still be part of Mexico. This video is a great value for the money, and will hold your attention as it progresses through the wars with the Indians of the Northern Plains, the Southern Plain, and the Southwest.

This interesting DVD Documentry provides some overview of the Plains Wars and a little about Indian Wars in general. This perhaps makes the title a bit deceptive. This is mostly about the Western Tribes of the Great Plains and their early migrations and how they became horse peoples and their final stand against white encroachment in the late 1900s. This is also primarily a Military History of the subject with a straight-forward account without any of the eulogizing often associated with this topic. Attrocities were committed by both Red and White man and this series does not hold back.

The first DVD deals in depth with the individual Western Tribes and how they settled and become Horse Peoples. The 2nd deals with the advance of the US Cavalry out West and provides some good detail about Soldier life and how they adapted to fight the red man. These battles were by no means one sided and attrocities were freely committed by both sides.

There is a section about the great war chiefs and surprisingly little about Custer and Little Big Horn which may disappoint some. For me I was glad that the focus was elsewhere as this chapter of the Indian wars is well covered.

The 3rd DVD deals with the battle for the Northern Plains with all the famous Tribes associated with it. The 4th DVD deals with the battle for the Southern Plains and Texas. Less well known this information was quite detailed and interesting.

Again, its too bad a 5th DVD could not have dealt with the Eastern Tribes more. These and their conflicts are just summarized on the 2nd DVD which does give a good chronology of events. I guess another DVD set would be required to do justice to the Indian wars of the Eastern Woodlands.

This is a budget production, with a few minor tracking problems. There are not a lot of nice graphics, and maps are sparsely used. Narration is a bit stilted at times, but overall this is a great general reference item providing a good introductory look at the Indian Wars out West.

This was a great DVD, it was very informative and will enhance any OPEN-MINDED persons knowledge on American History. This is a must see for everyone and should be part of all high school curriculum whether public or private. TRUTH be told!