The Head-Smashed-In Buffalo-Jump Site in South-West Alberta, Canada

The tribe lived in thatched houses before which were grass huts shaped like beehives. They had a communal way of life in their permanent habitations. When men went to hunt they build temporary shelters from buffalo hides. Before the modern times, the men dressed in breech clothes and occasionally putting on leather chaps to act as leg protection. Their hair was cut in traditional Mohawk or complete shaving of hair and wore single long tassel of hair on the top of the head. Women kept long hair styled in a bum or braid. They wore wrap around skirts and ponchos. In the modern times traditional dress and face paints are only reserved

In 1883, the last of the bison herds were killed. Black Elk could not understand why the Wasichus would kill animals without using everything it had to offer. That year Black Elk said, "All our people now were settling down in square gray houses, scattered here and there across this hungry land, and around them the Wasichus had drawn a line to keep them in. The nation's hoop was broken, and there was no center any longer for the flowering tree. The people were in despair.” (BES, p. 213-214) In 1886, as part of a show, Black Elk traveled to London to study the Wasichus and their way of life. By studying

The Buffalo were very important to the Native Americans tribes living in the Great Plains because Buffalo was their main food. They have many uses like: Buffalo bones provided marrow to eat, Buffalo bones were carved to make knives, and could boiled to make glue, Buffalo skin could be used to make clothes, moccasins, bedding, saddle covers and water-bags, dried Buffalo dung provided fuel for fires, and even the tail of a Buffalo could be used as a fly swatter. Then tragedy struck. When the first explorers came to the Great Plains, they killed over 35 million buffalo for either sport or food and the drive the Indians of the Great Plains. That step reduced the buffalo population to 1,500 but the year of 1912.

The major animals that live in the interior plains are wolves, mule deers, elks, antelopes and brown bears. These animals, with the exception of the wolves, feed on the vegetation that grow on the plains, which are mainly grasses. The native plant life in the interior plains consist mostly of different types of grasses, like blue stems, june grass and porcupine grass. The trees that grow in the plains include pine, spruce and fir

The Blackfoot Indian tribes held a major tribal ceremony in the summer, for which all the bands came together. It was called the Sun Dance. By engaging in the Sun Dance, their prayers would be carried up to the Creator, who would bless them with well being and abundance of buffalo. Other than the winter, when a few bands might join together for shelter, this was the only time the entire tribe came

Restoration of the Bison is something that has been going on for the past two decades. As a matter of fact, several Native American tribes have come together to form the Inter Tribal Bison Cooperative (ITBC) which has been set out to bring bison back onto the American plains in the midwest. Bison have an intimate relationship in the traditions and rituals of Native Americans. The importance of bison within the culture has made bringing back the bison an important issue in the preservation of wildlife. However, some of the arguments made by the ITBC show that the bison's economic value should be the main factor why they should be brought back. Yet others involved in this cause suggest that buffalo restoration

The Plains Cree Tribe lived in Canada, north and west of Lake Superior in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Women wore dresses made out of deerskins, Men wore animal skin leggings,a loincloth which is a small piece of cloth or skin worn between the legs and a belt to hold the loin cloth. They did not speak english, their language is called Montagnais. They lived in teepees.

The Plains Indians religious beliefs were quite similar and interesting. The Plains Indians believed in Animism. Animism is the belief that everything possesses a spirit. Besides Animism, the Plains Indians only worshiped one other “god.” That was the Great Spirit. The Great Spirit was the mother of all things. They would perform ceremonies for her. Sacred items were also important to the people of the Plains. They would have items that they believed had spiritual or talismanic powers. The items would be located in a pouch at the person’s side. The Medicine Man would also carry around multiple pouches with different talisman. This could come in the form of a peace pipe or a calumet or something that they

The Native Americans developed their cultures, communities and way of life around the buffalo. About 24 to 28 Native American tribes had figured out how to use the buffalo in 52 different ways for food, supplies, and war. The hooves, for example, are boiled to use as glue. The humpback is, that part of the buffalo is really kind of sturdy, and so it's used for making shields, the hides for making a teepee.( The buffalo was indeed the most important resource for them. In Document 5 it show how much the Native American relied on the buffalo for for everything for example they used the buffalo’s tongue for hair brushes and their bones, for silverware, dice and brushes. After the Americans killed most of them they had to move to reservations or they wouldn’t be able to survive. In 1870 the American hunters killed at least 100 million buffalo a year. By the 1880s, the buffalo were dying out and most plains peoples were being forced onto reservations. The Native American people were not happy going to reservations but that's the only way they could survive do to their number one food supply dying out. The Natives lost a lot of the land from the

In 1996 in the Columbia River Valley a pair of teenagers came across a skeletal by the river. These remains belonged to the Kennewick Man who died 9,000 years ago. The skeleton of the Kennewick man is one of the most complete skeletons discovered from that era with over three-hundred bones. The skeleton sparked controversy with Native American tribes claiming him as their ancestor who should be properly reburied. The opposing side would be the scientists claiming he is of polynesian descent, meaning his remains should be kept in a museum. Forensic anthropologists analyzed the skeletal for signs of his descent. By the use of forensic anthropology the bones were examined for wounds that would show his life style, his facial structure, and signs of his diet which all gave evidence of him being of polynesian descent. (Achenbach, 2014)

Taylor describes how most of their well being was based around horticulture, a couple of annual trips dedicated to hunting buffalo. Subsequently, the author spoke to the religion of the tribes in the Great Plains which, like most Native religions, was based on a dualism between life and death. A few tribes were not villages, instead living a nomadic lifestyle and following the herds of buffalo wherever they roamed. The nomads became collectively known as the Apache. Almost everything they ate, wore, and owned was provided by the buffalo.

When analyzing the West region of Canada two groups emerge one being the Prairies of

The Little Bison Basin has a relatively new history shrouded in mystery and revealed through its many glaciers and carved out regions. Prior to and into the ice age, this entire region was a frozen wasteland, lifeless and barren. In fact, it was so barren that no people had even ventured into the area.

The Sioux nation was divided into 7 groups. They were known as the 7 council fires. Each council fire had its own leaders and own group of families that always camped together. The largest Council Fire lived on the western plains. It was so big it was divided into 7 groups. It was called the Teton Sioux. They spoke the Lakota dialect of the Sioux language.

The Assiniboine were a nomadic people who moved about following buffalo herds. They lived in tipis made of buffalo hides and wore buckskin clothing. The men hunted game, especially buffalo and antelope, and the