Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article
January 24, 1988
By Susan J. Dehler
Vigo County Historical Society
Craftwork eased lives of Plains Indians
The “Plains” is a geographic name given to the Indians who inhabited the vast grassland region between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains.
The area stretches northward into Canada and southward to the Rio Grande. The Plains Indians were designated by the languages they spoke and comprised many tribes or “nations,” such as the Cheyenne, the Pawnee, the Dakota (or Sioux), the Arapaho and the Commanche.
The nomadic tribes of the Plains lived in conical-shaped tents or tepees which were portable. They hunted big game--buffalo, antelope, deer and elk. Although the semi-sedentary tribes were hunters, they also were involved in horticulture. In their move permanent villages, the women raised maize, beans, squash and sunflowers.
Dwellings of many sedentary tribes were dome-shaped structures called earth lodges. The roof was made of earth and the entrance was covered by mats or skins.
The material culture left by the Plains Indians reveals the importance that buffalo and other game played in their lives. Buffalo was their primary source of food, but it was equally essential for clothing, shelter and tools. Buffalo skins were carefully fitted and sewn together to make tepees and tents. Rawhide and leather were used for receptacles. Bone, horn and antlers were shaped into tools.
Animal skins were used for clothing. Among the northern Plains, a male Indian wore a shirt, leggings reaching to the hips, moccasins and a buffalo robe. Women wore long dresses of deer or mountain-sheep skin, leggings to the knees, and moccasins. Clothes often were decorated with porcupine-quill embroidery or fringe.
The elk-tooth necklace on display in the museum is an Indian ornamental piece from the Plains region. Teeth, bone and antlers were used for adornment as well as other natural materials from the environment, such as shell earrings and stone pendants.
The encroachment of the white man eventually led to a decline in native craftword. As the white man’s presence was felt in the Plains region, Indians acquired manufactured items such as knives, axes, metal utensils, blankets and cloth.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.