The Plains Native Americans

Created by: David, Lexi, Naomi, Nick, Jason, and Romy

Shelter

The Plains main shelter were teepees and earth lodges. Teepees are made of poles with decorated buffalo hides pinned together with big pegs. For a fire they would make a small hole in the top to let the smoke and hot air out. Earth lodges are like how they sound. They are lodges made out of sticks, logs, leaves, and of course, earth.

Transportation

The people of the buffalo walked while dogs pulled their belongings. They also traveled in canoes. In the 1600’s they traded things with the Europeans for horses. Horses helped

them get around more easily.

Tools

For the Plains tools they used arrow heads and used buffalo skin for storage bags. Sticks and rocks were also helpful. They used buffalo horns for tools too. They used scrapers and fleshers to take the extra meat in small places.They used needles to stitch up the bags.

Food

The plains region ate buffalo, smoked fish, berries, deer, elk, moose, antelope, bear, nuts, corn, squash, and vegetables. The women harvested and picked, the men hunted and fished.

Clothing

For clothing the men wore long Buckskin leggings that passed under a narrow belt at the waist and hung down in front. Women wore full-length, one piece sleeveless dresses tied at their shoulders. In the cold weather they added sleeves to their dresses. Both the men and women added heavy buffalo skin robes in the winter. To make an Elk hide dress all of the sewing was done with sinew using awl or a bone needle. To make the clothes they used sinew, awl, bone needle, dyed porcupine quills, and later on they used dyed horse hair as beads. They also used skins.

Language and communication

Some language Native American tribes speak are Algonkian, Athapaskan, Cakddoan, Kiowanshoshonean, and Siouan. Most Native Americans either talk, use pictogragh symbols, and use face paint for communication.

Interesting Facts

In Northern Montana, Southern Alberta, and Canada everybody respected all living things. When they are not very little kids are taught how to respect old people. There is a cliff where buffalo jump off and die, it’s called the jumping pond. Natives probably go there to skin and eat buffalo.

Ceremonies

A ceremonies that was common was the sun dance. It sometimes had a feast, fasts, and sometimes self torture. Also, they had Pow-wows in the summer which had many songs and dances. Many friends and family visited each other at the Pow-wows.