Sioux
Habitat
The Plains Indians lived West of the
Great Lakes in Minnesota. The Plains Indians also included tribes such as
the Sioux, Cheyenne, Crow, Blackfeet, Comanche, Pawnee and many more. These
tribes lived in the Great Plains region of North America. This region was
made up of grasslands, valleys, streams and hills. The summers were hot
and winters were long and cold.
Homes
The Sioux Indians were nomadic
people, they mostly lived in teepees
made of buffalo hides and wooden
poles. Because they followed the buffalo for food, teepees provided
shelter that could be quickly and easily put together and taken down.
The women were responsible for putting up and taking down the teepees. Their teepees were very important to them, they painted them with religious
symbols. These teepees were warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Fires
were built in the middle of the teepees for cooking and warmth. For the
tribes that didn't move, they lived in earth and grass lodges. They were
dome-shaped and was covered with earth.
Dress
Most all their clothes were made
from animal skins such as buffalo, antelope and deer. All Sioux wore moccasins
on their feet that were made from hides and buckskins decorated with beads and
quill work. In the winter they wore
snowshoes when hunting buffalo. A distinguished warrior often wore an eagle feather war
bonnet. The number of feathers in the warrior's war bonnet represented the
number of brave acts performed. Men usually wore animal skin shirts and leggings.
In warm weather they wore only a
loin cloth and a belt. The women wore dresses made of deerskins.
Boys wore nothing until the age of 10 then they began wearing breech clouts. A
breech clout was a deerskin stretched between the legs and fastened to by a
leather belt in the back and the front. Young boys in the tribe often wore
leggings and lion cloths like the tribal men.
Food
When Indians first came to America
they did not have horses. Hunting could be very difficult on foot.
They used courage, brains and often stampeded animals into traps. The Sioux were considered great
hunters. Buffalo were very important to
the Sioux Indians. The buffalo provided food, clothing, covering for
their dwellings and raw materials for their tools. They only
killed what was needed to survive. Some tribes grew crops such as
maize,
beans, pumpkins and potatoes. They also gathered wild fruits, berries and
plums. In order to preserve their food, they dried it in the sun so their
food would last for a longer period of time.
Customs
The Sioux tribe routinely
performed the Sun Dance, in which they asked the
sun to give them strength.
They greatly respected and honored spirits with religious ceremonies, and
medicine pipes. They also performed powwows as
a celebration or prayer to the Great Spirit.
Tools/Weapons
The Sioux used bows and arrows to
hunt for game animals. Buffalo was more than food the the Indians. No part of the buffalo went to
waste. The horns were used as spoons, cups and toys. The bones were
used as tools and weapons. From bones they would make awls which are small
tools for making holes in leather.
Interesting Tales
Sitting Bull was a famous Sioux
Indian Chief. He was famous for the Battle of Little Bighorn. Read
Sitting Bull's biography and learn more about this important battle.
http://www.ndtourism.com/regions/west/WestSittingbull.html