The Importance of the Bison

• Sometimes mistakenly referred to as buffalo, bison are large members of the cattle family that once ranged across North America in the millions.The Plains Indians originally hunted the bison on foot. They would set fires to the prairie grass to herd them into one location where they could be surrounded or drive them off cliffs or into corrals. After European contact, many Plains Indian tribes started hunting on horseback. Plains Indians used almost every part of the bison for food, clothing shelter and tools. In the late 19th Century, white hunters nearly drove the bison to extinction, killing them for their pelts and tongues. However, the species has been brought back through careful conservation efforts. However, their present population of about 500,000 is nowhere near the estimated 50 million that once called North America home.
  
  

Hunting Gear

• The early ancestors of the Plains Indians hunted with stone tipped spears. However, these were replaced by the bow and arrow soon after the adoption of the horse. The bow was made from wood backed with sinew and arrows were tipped with flint, bison bone or bison horn. After contact with European settlers, many tribes used metal arrowheads. They also acquired guns from fallen enemy soldiers or through trade.
  
  

Other Tools

• The Plains Indians made many of their tools from bison. Horns provided utensils such as spoons, cups and ladles as well as gun-powder horns. Buffalo fat provided soap, tallow and lubricant. Hair provided fiber for rope, sleeping pads and pillows. Muscles provided thread, glue and arrow ties. Hide provided buckets, tepees, saddles, stirrups, ropes and snow shoes. Bones provided pipe stems, knife handles, shovels, splints and arrowheads.
  
  

Transportation

• When the Spanish introduced the horse to North America in the 16th Century, the Plains Indians adopted them readily. The horse was a warrior's prized possession, referred to as a "sacred dog." When the tribe needed to move, tribe members loaded their tepee and goods onto a travois. The travois consisted of two poles with straps or crosspieces at one end to hold a load. The other end was strapped to a horse, which dragged it on the ground.