The Plains Indians

• The Plains Indians are not one people; there were many different tribes
• The term "First Nations" has been used to describe the Plains Indians and other groups of indigenous Americans
• Each tribe had its own customs and traditions like a nation
• The Sioux were threatened by other tribes and settlers in the east, so they moved
• Settlers brought diseases like measles, and the Indians lacked immunity to fight this
• The Indians gained horses which made journeys west possible, particularly from the Spanish early on
• The Plains Indians found that the plains were largely empty but full of buffalo to hunt, providing abundant resources
• The Lakota tribe had a fascinating and varied culture; they were nomadic following the buffalo across the plains
• The Lakota had great respect for nature, ancestors, and what they called Wakantanka or the Great Spirit
• The Plains buffalo, which is actually a bison, was vital for the survival of many Native American tribes on the plains
• Uses of the buffalo by the Plains Indians

  • Bones and horn for arrowheads
  • Skins or hides for clothing and teepees
  • Coarse tongue for combs
  • Stomachs, intestines, and bladder for water carrying bottles and buckets
  • Meat as an important food source
• The Plains Indians respected nature and used all parts of the buffalo, leaving something behind as an offering for the Great Spirit
• Plains Indian tribes needed a practical and portable place to live, so they used teepees made from wooden poles and buffalo hide
• Teepees were quick to assemble, compact, light to carry, and perfect for a nomadic lifestyle
• Some tribes used teepees in warmer months and retreated to more permanent lodges in winter
• Teepees were usually decorated to express the pride and identity of the people
• A whole extended family might live in a single teepee, which was important for community cohesion
• Teepees

  • Perfect for a nomadic lifestyle
  • Used by some tribes in warmer months and retreated to more permanent lodges in winter
  • Decorated expressing the pride and identity of the people
  • A whole extended family might live in a single teepee
  • Important for community comfort and religion
  • A home that people could move as they followed the buffalo across the plains
• Some tribes would abandon the old and sick as they moved on

  Done with consent and seen as an honorable way to return to the great spirit while helping to ensure the survival of the tribe
• Warfare


  • Different tribes could compete over the scarce resources of the plains
  • Learning to fight was an important rite of passage for many Indian boys and men
• Warfare tactics

  • Raiding enemy tribes and camps
  • Taking horses
  • Counting coup (showing bravery by getting in killing range, touching opponents, and escaping without killing)
• Indian religion

  • Varied and differed from tribe to tribe
  • Belief in animism where nature was sacred and all things were spiritual
  • Spiritual people like medicine men
  • Belief in Wakantanka, the idea of the great spirit or great mystery
  • Importance of music, drums, chants, sacred pipes, and dances in ceremonies
• Europeans rarely understood Indian practices and sometimes viewed them as barbaric
• Naming in some cultures

  Young people would get their adult name based on a vision that they would seek in the wilderness
• Tribes

  • There were a large number of different tribes all over the North American continent
  • The Lakota were nomadic and relied on the buffalo as a source of food and survival equipment and materials
• The Sundance involves suffering and pain as a sacrifice for one's people
• The Ghost Dance was a desperate plea for the survival of the Indian way of life