The Buffalo: More Than an Animal-A Way of Life

The Buffalo: More Than an Animal-A Way of Life. . , The Dakota, Lakota, Nakota, Cheyenne, Crow, and many other Indian tribes inhabited the Great Plains. Some tribes formed stable villages; however, most of them lived a nomadic life. All of them depended on one thing: buffalo., No animal is more linked to the various Plains Indian cultures than the buffalo. Many of these cultures viewed the species as their brothers. The buffalo provided them with food, clothing, and shelter. Buffalo also played a major role in their religious and social beliefs.,

"The buffalo was a part of us, his flesh and blood being absorbed by us until it became our own flesh and blood. Our clothing, our tipis, everything we needed for life came from the buffalo's body. It was hard to say where the animal ended and the man began." , John (Fire) Lame Deer

, The Magic of the Buffalo , More than a food and clothing resource, buffalo were revered as religious icons within many Plains Indian cultures. Their presence on the prairie shaped the lifestyle of the nomadic tribes., Buffalo skulls were sacred and often adorned with feathers, quillwork, and medicine bundles. Buffalo masks and headdresses were used in ceremonial dances., Caption Dances were often intended to attract herds of buffalo to hunting lands. Indian dancers imitated the movements of buffalo, pawing at the ground, swaying heads, and stampeding. Dances went on for days without stopping, as different dancers stepped in to take their turns., From the Tongue to the Tail , Plains Indians used nearly every part of the buffalo in some way. Horns served as cups and spoons, while stomachs were used as cooking pots. Flyswatters came from tails, and crushed buffalo chips (manure) became baby powder. For the most part, the Plains Indians did not waste anything. They used buffalo for their survival on the unforgiving prairie., Captions Indian women spent a great deal of time tanning buffalo hides. they spread hides on the ground and pegged them into place. Using scrapers, they removed all of the flesh, fat, and blood., Many Plains Indians dried buffalo meat on racks. This type of drying method kept the meat from spoiling. This technique created jerky, which could be stored for many months., Bison bones created numerous tools, such as fleshers, paint brushes, awls, and gardening tools., Drawings depicted stories of life's adventures and recorded history at the same time. As portrayed by many Plains Indian cultures, buffalo were often pursued and hunted., The scrotum of bison bulls were sometimes made into rattles for young children., Bison ribs helped straighten arrow shafts by twisting wet branches and removing any bends., The bladder of a bison was often used as a storage container for water.,

"His meat sustained life; it was cut in strips and dried, it was chopped up and packed in skins, its tallow and grease were preserved, all for winter use; its bones afforded material for implements and weapons; its skull was preserved as great medicine; its hide furnished blankets, garments, beads, ropes, and a warm and portable house; its hoofs produced glue; its sinews were used for bowstrings and a most excellent substitute for twine." , Sioux Chief Red Cloud

, The Loss of the Buffalo Meant a Loss of Life , Westward expansion by pioneers, increased trade, and improved weapons doomed the buffalo in the mid-1800s. In the process, the destruction of the great buffalo herds caused the demise of many Plains Indian cultures. Without the buffalo for food, shelter, and spirit, the Plains Indians would need to revert to a new and unfamiliar lifestyle. It would be the end of an era that had been perfected over 300 years.