Plains Native Americans of the United States for Kids and Teachers Illustration

The Plains Native Americans
Native Americans
in Olden Times for Kids

What was life like in olden times in what is now the Great Plains region of the United States?

There were many different Plains people. Some wandered the plains in search of foods. Others settled down and grew crops. They spoke different languages. Tribes communicated with hand signals, smoke signals, mirror signals, and pictographs. The buffalo was very important. The discovery of horses made a huge difference to the Plains People in Olden Times. Why did the Plains people prefer teepees to houses? Why were names so important? What did coyote do to earn the name Clever Coyote?  Welcome to the Plains People in Olden Times.

Pictographs, Smoke Signals, Mirrors

Teepees

Coup Counting

The Horse

Food & Agriculture

Buffalo

Names were important

Arts & Clothing

Star Quilts

Daily Life

Government

Marriage

Kids

Religion

Warriors

Myth: Clever Coyote, retold by Lin Donn, illustrated by Phillip Martin

Tribes

Blackfoot

Cheyenne

Comanche

Pawnee

Sioux Nation

Other Principal Tribes