Plains Native Americans - Pawnee (original) (raw)

The Pawnee loved the stars. There was no ceremony that did not have some connection with the stars.

They are also credited with being the best scouts on the Plains. Their young warriors could make a call that sounded exactly like a wolf. Their scouts seemed to almost have the power to be invisible. Be it day or night, it was rare a Pawnee scout was spotted. They were one of the largest groups living in the Plains, and one of the most powerful. Their warriors had a reputation for outstanding courage. They painted their faced red when they went into battle.

The Pawnee lived in villages. Their homes were earth lodges, some as large as 60 feet in diameter. The opening to the lodge always faced east. As many as 50 people lived in each earth lodge. They had a center pit that burned wood to cook food. The fire pit also helped to keep the lodge warm as needed. The lodge was used in the spring and fall. In the spring, the women planted gardens and grew corn, squash, pumpkins, and beans. In the summer, it was hunting season. The tribe traveled all summer looking for animals, especially buffalo for food and skins. In the fall, they returned to the lodge, harvested the crops, and stored them in pits they dug in the ground. These pits could be accessed all year long. In the winter it was off again for the hunt. While they were harvesting at home or on the hunt searching for food, in the evenings, they would tan leather and make it into clothing and supplies. Their life was very ordered and dictated by the movement of the stars overhead.

Pawnee Warrior

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Native Americans for Kids

Native Americans in US, Canada, and the Far North

Early people of North America (during the ice age 40,000 years ago)

Northeast Woodland Tribes and Nations - The Northeast Woodlands include all five great lakes as well as the Finger Lakes and the Saint Lawrence River. Come explore the 3 sisters, longhouses, village life, the League of Nations, sacred trees, snowsnake games, wampum, the arrowmaker, dream catchers, night messages, the game of sep and more. Special Sections:Iroquois Nation,Ojibwa/Chippewa,The Lenape Indians. Read two myths: Wise Owl andThe Invisible Warrior.

Southeast Woodland Tribes and Nations - The Indians of the Southeast were considered members of the Woodland Indians. The people believed in many deities, and prayed in song and dance for guidance. Explore the darkening land, battle techniques, clans and marriage, law and order, and more. Travel the Trail of Tears. Meet theMuscogee (Creek),Chickasaw,Choctaw,Mississippians,Seminole Indians and Cherokee Indians.

Plains Indians - What was life like in what is now the Great Plains region of the United States? Some tribes wandered the plains in search of foods. Others settled down and grew crops. They spoke different languages. Why was the buffalo so important? What different did horses make? What was coup counting? Who was Clever Coyote? Meet theBlackfoot,Cheyenne,Comanche,Pawnee, andSioux Nation.

Southwest Indians - Pueblo is not the name of a tribe. It is a Spanish word for village. The Pueblo People are the decedents of theAnasazi People. The Navajo and the Apache arrived in the southwest in the 1300s. They both raided the peacefulPueblo tribes for food and other goods. Who were the Devil Dancers? Why are blue stones important? What is a wickiup? Who was Child of Water?

Pacific Coastal Northwest Indians - What made some of the Pacific Northwest Indian tribes "rich" in ancient times? Why were woven mats so important? How did totem poles get started? What was life like in the longhouse? What were money blankets and coppers? How did the fur trade work? How did Raven Steal Crow's Potlatch?

Inland Plateau People - About 10,000 years ago, different tribes of Indians settled in the Northwest Inland Plateau region of the United States and Canada, located between two huge mountain ranges - the Rockies and the Cascades. The Plateau stretches from BC British Columbia all the way down to nearly Texas. Each village was independent, and each had a democratic system of government. They were deeply religious and believed spirits could be found everything - in both living and non-living things. Meet theNez Perce

California Indians - The Far West was a land of great diversity. Death Valley and Mount Whitney are the highest and lowest points in the United States. They are within sight of each other. Tribes living in what would become California were as different as their landscape.