The Plains Indians lived in the middle region of the United States. This is roughly west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains This land is made up of miles of treeless grasslands….which is perfect grazing fields for buffalo!
In between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains
Some well known tribes in the Plains region are the…. Lakota Sioux Cheyenne Apache Since they moved around a lot you will find variations in the tribes, ex: the dakota-sioux, teton-sioux
The best hunters had the highest rank in their tribe. A man was also judged by how many horses he was able to obtain and if he shared them. Men hunted deer, rabbit and elk. Dogs would pull their catch back to camp.
The Plains women excelled at quillwork. These quills were sewn in clothing and used for artwork on tipis. Women chores were fetching water, sweeping, hoeing the fields, cooking and sewing. The land far from rivers were tough to garden, but near rivers they would grow corn, squash and sunflowers They mostly picked berries and nuts They were seen as inferior, not to speak unless spoken to
Babies were taught at a very young age not to cry because it might scare off the food. At four years old the girls would accompany their mother with her chores and the boys would listen to war stories and practice their bow and arrows. Boys and girls never played together, they knew they had separate roles in life. At the age of 13, men went on Vision Quests They played a game like stick ball (hockey)
The tipi (teepee) is a portable house, great for the nomadic life of a Plains Indian. It is made up of 3-4 poles and up to 12 buffalo skins sewn together. The opening always faced the morning sun It takes about one hour for a women to assemble the families tipi
The Plains Indians lives changed when they got horses. They traded or stole them from the Spanish settlers. The horses helped with hunting, intertribal trading and wars. Warriors would paint their horses to show their history of battles.
Summer wardrobe of deerskin and a winter wardrobe of buffalo. Every Indian wore a belt to hang tools, knives or cups off of, since there were no pockets. Each tribe made a different moccasin, some were made from deerskin, quills, and beads. Hairpipes, long thin beads made from bones, were woven into the hair and kept for life. If a man has been a great warrior he would wear a war bonnet made of eagle feathers. The greater the warrior, the more feathers.
These shirts are made from human scalps…you don’t want to be a Plains Indian’s enemy!
Before each hunt they performed a buffalo dance On foot it took a whole tribe to catch a buffalo, they are very dangerous. The buffalo heart was left on the plains as an offering Men and women would record their lives on buffalo hides using pictographs.
Many Lakota live in their traditional homelands of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. Lakota work in all kinds of jobs. Including business owners, teachers, doctors, and lawyers.
Sitting Bull Crazy Horse
Where Indian Reservations are today