Lifestyle of the Great Plains Indians

The vast majority of Great Plains Indians were nomadic tribes that hunted big game, with their primary prey being the American bison, or American buffalo. The bison provided these people with food, shelter, clothing, and bone tools. Other prey items were antelope, deer, and elk. Hunting was usually an all-or-nothing activity that involved evicting prey off cliffs or into fences or surrounding it with fire.The introduction of the horse in the 17th century greatly enhanced the efficiency of Indian hunting. These nomadic tribes consisted of small, localized units called clans that came together only for big summer hunts or important religious ceremonies. The Teton Sioux, Cheyenne, Comanche, and Crow were typical nomadic tribes.

A few of the tribes, although primarily nomadic, also garden and make pottery, while living in established villages for part of the year. These semi-sedentary tribes spend part of their time engaged in the cultivation and harvesting of grains, such as corn, beans, pumpkins, and sunflowers. The Pawnee, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara are typical semi-settled tribes.

The Great Plains Indians did not have hereditary social classes of any kind, although they could win wealth and prestige through valor, relief of the poor, enjoyment of goods with relatives***, and generosity and hospitality. Since almost every tribe highly respected individual performance and martial arts style, they formed a number of military groups and martial arts clubs to guide the spirit of progress within the tribe.