Great Plains

 

 

The Plains cultural area is vast and extends the between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains and Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. After contact with Spanish settlers in the 18th century and the introduction of horses, the plains people became more nomadic and used the horses to pursue buffalo. Plains Indians used the tipi as their dwellings. Tipis are traditionally made using wooden poles and covered with animal skin. They are commonly associated with most American Indian tribes but were not typically used by any but the Plains Indians. Another common stereotype applied to many native nations is the use of the war bonnet. The feather bonnets were used exclusively by the Plains people. War bonnets are only worn by men and are a mark of high respect as each feather was earned by a doing a brave deed in battle. Languages spoken by the Plains people include: Algonquian, Athabaskan, Caddoan and Siouan. More than 70 independent Nations make up the plains region, this includes: Anishinaabe, Apache, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Comanche, Crow, Kiowa, Osage, Pawnee, Dakota and Lakota People.