Why were buffalo so important to the Native American way of life?

Answer 1

The buffalo and bison meant everything to the Indian tribes of North America. In particular, they provided the necessities the Native North American Indians needed to survive on the plains. These monarchs of the plains once numbered 60 million but nowadays only a relative handful remain.

More interesting info about The Buffalo Culture :The Blackfoot, Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota (Sioux) Indians used the buffalo meat for food, and the hides for clothing, bedding and shelter. In addition, every part of the animal could be used in some way : bones and horns for tools, sinews for bowstrings and laces, dung for fires. Hooves could be ground for glue, and the brains could be used in the tanning process for the hides. The extra meat was preserved by drying as pemmican.

The principal means of killing large numbers of bison was the buffalo jump, where herds were stampeded over cliffs and butchered at the bottom. Buffalo jumps were common on the northern Plains in ancient times.

A buffalo jump is a cliff formation which native Americans historically used in mass killings of American bison. Hunters herded the bison and drove them over the cliff, breaking their legs and rendering them immobile. Tribe members waiting below closed in with spears and bows to finish the kills. The Blackfoot Indians called the buffalo jumps "pishkun", which loosely translates as "deep blood kettle". This type of hunting was a communal event which occurred as early as 12,000 years ago and lasted until at least 1500 AD, around the time of the introduction of European horses to the Americas.

Buffalo jump sites are often identified by rock cairns, which were markers designating "drive lanes," by which bison would be funneled over the cliff. These drive lanes would often stretch for several miles.

Because the buffalo was so important, it had a special place in their religion. An old story legend tells that the Indians once lived underground. They called themselves Pte Oyate, or the Buffalo Nation. One day, they came to the surface to live. Here, life was hard. A holy man named Tatanka came to them as a buffalo. He gave the people everything they needed. Today, one Indian name for the buffalo is tatanka.

The buffalo moved in large herds. Thus, the Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota people had to move with them, living a nomadic lifestyle, following the buffalo herds to new grasslands or pastures. Hunting was hard before white people brought horses to the Americas. Most of the tribe had to help hunt the buffalo. The people would herd the animals into a canyon or corral. Hunters killed the penned animals. One of these ancient "kill sites" is found near the town of Buffalo, South Dakota.

Answer 2

Buffaloes were important to Native Americans because, for many tribes, it was their primary food source. Also the buffalo was used in rituals and religion as well as to perform rituals and grand send offs, returns, or celebrations. Further more, the buffalo skin was used to create blankets, clothing, and even housing.