The First Nations of Canada Lesson 3 - The Plains People

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The Plains Where do most people live in Saskatchewan and Manitoba? The majority of people live in the south end of the provinces. Thousands of years ago, the same was true of the First Nation people who lived there. The Plains People were the First Nations who lived in the interior of North America.

The plains of North America consist of flat landscapes and a dry climate with hot summers with cold winters. The Plains People, Like other First Nation groups, the Plains’ ancestors most likely came over a land bridge from Siberia many thousands of years ago. The Plains People who lived in Canada are broken up into six unique cultural groups: Blackfoot, Cree, Ojibwa (Saulteaux), Assiniboine (Gros Ventre), Nakota (Sioux), and Dakota (Sioux).

These six groups spoke languages that can be traced to three distinct language groups: Algonquian, Siouan, and Dene. Within these three unique groups, many dialects also existed.

Another language used by Plains People was First Nation sign language! Because each Plains tribe was nomadic, sign language and gestures played an important role when two different groups crossed paths. Transportation and Accommodations The Plains People followed buffalo herds for food, leather, and tools. This meant that most tribes moved nomadically in search of their prey. In order to move quickly, Plains People lived in circular dwellings called “tipis” The tipi structure consisted of large tree poles positioned in a circle, leaning on each other. Buffalo hides were used to cover the structure. Each tribal group had variations on this design but the key to the tipis’ success was the ability to put it up and take it down quickly.

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ANativeWomaninFrontofaTipiandTipiFrame

In order to transport their tipis and other possessions, the Plains tribes developed a sled-like frame of poles called a travois. Teams of dogs, and later horses, pulled the travois. (Fun Fact: The First Nation Peoples domesticated dogs independently from the rest of the world!)

ADogPullingaTravois

Some Plains First Nation groups lived in permanent dwellings. Tribes on the eastern side of the plains practiced farming because the land was more fertile and rain came more often. They would plant in the spring, chase buffalo nomadically in the summer, and return home in the fall for harvest.

In the 1600’s, Europeans introduced horses to North America. The horse revolutionized the Plains Peoples’ ability to travel, hunt, and follow the buffalo herd. The horse gave the natives the ability to acquire food and hides with ease. This resulted in an increase in their standard of living.

Long Live the Buffalo! Buffalo were the primary source of food for Plains People. The Plains People hunted buffalo using various methods. Three known techniques were: dressing up in buffalo hides and luring the animals, driving herds off cliffs for easy killing, and corralling them into “V” shaped structures and killing them that way. Although guns were introduced to them in the 17th century, the Plains People preferred to use bows and arrows because they were faster to reload.

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The Plains People used almost every part of the buffalo. Some fresh buffalo meat was eaten immediately, but much of it was dried out and mixed with fat and berries to make a type of beef jerky called “pemmican”. Pemmican was saved for the winter months when finding food was more difficult. The buffalo hide was mostly used for tipis, while the bones were used to craft tools. Even buffalo dung was put to use as fuel for the fire, especially in regions with few trees. Aside from buffalo, Plains People ate berries, nuts, squash, and corn, along with other prey like elk and antelope. Society and Culture Within the various cultures of Plains People, tribes broke into smaller bands, usually closely connected through marriage and family. Each band had a Chief. The Chief’s position in the band was secure as long as he was successful in finding food and keeping his people safe.

APlainsChief

Men were primarily responsible for hunting and warfare while women prepared food, gathered fruit, and tended to agriculture. Women also owned the tipis, which meant an unfit husband could find himself “out on the street” if he neglected his family. While hunting Buffalo in the summer, various tribes would meet together for a time. They did this to more effectively hunt large herds, to work out disputes, and to practice religious ceremonies such as the Sun Dance

TheSunDance

Over time a variety of religious traditions formed among tribes. Although the specifics differed, most tribes were animist and participated in a few larger inter-tribal ceremonies throughout the year.

Plains Tribes practiced a variety of art, but it varied from tribe to tribe. Much of it was done in drawing, particularly on leather hides, pots, and even tattoos! Perhaps one of the most striking images of a Plains First Nation person is an elaborately feathered headdress.

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The Impact of European Contact The initial impact on Plains First Nations by Europeans came in the form of trade. Horses, guns, and alcohol were all new items to the Plains People. The later impact came in the form of immigration. As Europeans pushed further west, they began to take land away from the Native population. They also spread new diseases to First Nation tribes, resulting in a massive loss of life. The Plains People hunted Buffalo to near extinction in order to provide furs to European traders. This impacted the amount of food and resources available to them. In some areas, First Nation women began to marry European men. Within a few generations, a new Aboriginal population called “The Metis” became dominant, having a mixed heritage.

A region around modern Winnipeg, called “The Red River Valley”, was considered the heart of Metis culture.

LouisRiel,afamousMetisleader,andhisprovisional

government

Today the Plains People continue to exist, although their traditional nomadic way of life has been lost. Tribal leaders continue to pass on the ways of their people into the 21st century.

Think It Through A. From the description of the Canadian plains (southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba), why do you think so many people choose to live there? Give TWO reasons people live there today, and TWO reasons people lived there long ago. Are they the same reasons, or slightly different? Explain. B. What was it about tipis that made them the best type of home for the Plains People? C. Why were “travois” important? D. Draw a Picture of one of the three ways that Plain First Nations hunted buffalo. E. Why did various tribes meet together for a time in the summer months? F. Write a Poem that describes the impact of Europeans on the Plains Peoples. You can write from the perspective of a Plains Native, a European, or in Third Person.

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Vocabulary // Lesson 3

The Plains People

The Plains People The First Nation tribes who lived on the interior plains of North America. DialectsVariation in pronunciation and words in a spoken language that is usually still close enough that two different speakers can understand each other. First Nation sign languageA language using gestures developed by various Plains People in order to understand one another when they met. TipisCone-shaped living structures made with long wooden poles and animal hides. TravoisA sled-like device that was attached to dogs in order to pull important possessions such as tipis, food, and everyday essentials. PemmicanA beef-jerky kind of meat that was made from buffalo meat, fat, nuts, and berries. Sun DanceAn elaborate ceremony performed by several tribes when they met in the summer months. AnimistThe belief that non-human things like trees, animals, lakes, and rocks possess a spiritual element. The MetisA First Nation group that arose in the Plains region that had both a Native and European ancestry. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Assignment Pick FIVE vocabulary words and write a paragraph about the Plains People that uses those words correctly.

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