2.  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!

3. In between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains

4.  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

6.  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.

8.  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

10.  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)

11.  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

13.  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.

15.  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.

16. These shirts are made from human scalps…you don’t want to be a Plains Indian’s enemy!

17.  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.

20.  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.

21. Sitting Bull Crazy Horse

22. Where Indian Reservations are today