PLAINS INDIANS. The tribes of the central portion of the North American continent, on the open plains and parkland prairies extending from Alberta and Saskatchewan to Texas and from the Rocky Mountains almost to the Mississippi river, formed a natural unit, both in environment and culture. Essentially, this territory is the habitat of the American bison (buffalo) ; and on this animal the Plains tribes primarily depended for food, shelter, clothing and many utensils, and to its habits many of their cus toms were adapted. The eastern tribes, in the prairies, seasonally combined bison hunting and maize farming; the western ones, in the plains proper, were wholly nomadic. Originally, they trans ported their tents and belongings on travois frames dragged by dogs. After the introduction of the horse by the Spaniards, be ginning about 165o, this animal gradually replaced the dog, tribal movements became freer, while their numbers augmented and their culture elaborated. They camped in large circles of tepees, conical tents of bison skins supported by long poles leaning on a primary tripod (or four poles)—a highly specialized, convenient dwelling quickly pitched and struck. Cooking was by roasting, or with hot stones in bison rawhide containers; meat predom inated heavily in the diet. Property and food were stored and transported in rawhide bags and "parfieches." Clothing was of deer (antelope, elk) skins, supplemented by bison robes, and was well tailored, ample, comfortable, and often highly ornamented with embroidery of porcupine quills, later beads. Social organi zation was simple : matrilinear clans, patrilinear clans, or non exogamic bands, according to tribe. Warfare was constant, being carried on partly for profit (horse raiding) but chiefly for honour, a man's career depending directly on the prestige of his war ex ploits; hence arose the system of "counting coups," that is, pub licly recounting blows struck on enemies. The best known ritual
was the so-called Sun dance. Most other rites were conducted by societies, which among some tribes were age-graded. Super natural power was sought in visions by most men, warriors as well as curers. There were sacred "bundles" for tribes, clans and societies ; these were fetiches preserved for generations.
The Plains tribes are proud, brave, out-spoken and direct, and possess an unusual sense of individuality and personality. The physique is exceptionally tall, rangy and hardy. With their long braided hair, fringed costume, eagle feather war-bonnets, mounted on ponies, with tepees as a background, the Plains tribes have captured the imagination of recent generations of whites; and pass popularly as the most representative of Indians. The most typical Plains tribes are the Dakota, Assiniboine, Blackfeet, Gros Ventre, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Comanche; others are the Sarsi, Plains Cree, Plains Ojibwa, Wind River Shoshone, Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Pawnee, Omaha, Ponca, Iowa, Oto, Missouri, Kansas, Osage, Wichita, Kiowa Apache; and, among the tribes in or across the Rocky mountains, the Kootenay, Flathead, Nez Perce, Bannock, Ute and Jicarilla Apache have been especially influenced by Plains culture. The preponderant stock is the Siouan ; next, the Algonkin ; Shoshonean, Athabascan, Caddoan are also each represented by two or more tribes.
See C. Wissler, "Indians of the Plains" (Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 1912) for a general summary ; and monographs or books by G. Catlin, W. P. Clark, E. H. Curtis, G. A. Dorsey, J. 0. Dorsey, A. C. Fletcher, G. B. Grinnell, A. L. Kroeber, F. La Flesche, Lewis and Clark, R. H. Lowie, Maximilian (Prince zu Wied), W. McClintock, J. Mooney, J. Murie, S. Riggs, J. W. Schultz, L. Spier, C. Wissler. (A. L. K.)