Sioux of the Plains
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Sioux of the Plains |
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United States map highlighting the Plains region were the Sioux
Indians lived
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The Sioux Indians are a group of tribes who speak a
similar language and lived in the Plains region of Nebraska, Wyoming,
Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. The Sioux Indians
were also known as a tribe of the Plains Indians. They lived in the grassy plains where there were many prairies and rolling hills. They had very hot summers, while their winters were very harsh and cold. |
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At one time, the Sioux Indians lived in tent-like homes called tepees. The tepee was the perfect home for the Sioux Indians because they moved frequently to follow the buffalo herds. The tepee was made from buffalo hides. Tepees were portable, easily moved, and could be put up in only three minutes. The women would put the tepees up while the men were out hunting. First, they would tie long poles together. Next, they would spread the bottoms of the poles to make a circle. Finally, they covered the poles with buffalo hides. When the tribe traveled, the long poles of the tepee were dragged behind the horse and used to carry the Indians things. This was called a travois. |
 The wild buffalo |
The Sioux Indians were mostly hunters, horsemen and warriors. Buffalo was the main food for the Sioux Indians. Keeping it fresh was very hard. It was dried and could then be stored for a long time. Some of the dried meat was pounded into powder and mixed with hot, melted buffalo fat and berries to form pemmican. Women collected berries in the summer. Some berries were eaten fresh but many were dried and stored so they could be used as dyes, food, and jewelry. The Sioux men also hunted and ate deer, moose, elk, wolves, coyotes, lynx, rabbits, gophers, prairie chickens, and many other birds and small animals were also trapped. Vegetables were a very important part of the Sioux Indians' diet. The Sioux Indians also made parfleches. A parfleche was a buffalo-hide pouch used to store or carry food. They would store jerky and pemmican which was a dried mixture of fat and meat. The parfleches were considered to be very valuable. |
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The Sioux Indians used two methods of transportation. They walked and rode horses. Before the horses came to the plains the Sioux Indians walked everywhere and carried all of their things themselves. When the horses were brought to the Plains, it made life much easier. The horses carried them as well as all of their things. Horses also made hunting buffalo easier, safer, and more productive - they could kill more at a time. If a family owned many ponies, they were thought of as very rich. |
These are from Mrs. Sauerwine's Native American site in Loudoun County, VA.
If you would like to read more about the Plains Culture, try Germantown's site.
