The Indians were in danger of over hunting so only killed the number of buffalo that they needed at the time and no more. The animal was not only used for food - to make sure there was not any waste and to provide for their basic needs, all parts of the animal were used. The hide used for clothing, shelter, head dresses, buckets etc, the bones for weapons and tools, fat for soap and cooking oil and the horns for cups, spoons etc. The fresh meat was eaten raw, roasted or boiled but the meat that could not be eaten right away was stored for the winter months. The problem the Indians faced with a shortage of food occured when the white man moved onto the plains and killed the buffalo unnecessarily as a sport or to clear the land for the building of railroads.
Very few of the tribes ate fish as they believed that fish were an unclean creature.
As the nomadic tribes did not stay in one place for any length of time, they also relied on wild plants, such as berries, wild greens and wild prairie turnips as a food source.
For the tribes that stayed permanently in villages, farming crops such as corn, beans, squash, turnips and melons was the main food source but they did hunt buffalo once a year. Because of the weather conditions these crops grew only in the summer months but were stored for the harsh winter months. Corn was the most important crop because it could be stored for a long period of time and used in foods such as bread, corn flour and other food items.
A lack of water and rain was also a problem on the hot dry plains, but the Indians realised that if they followed the buffalo’s they would lead them to a river or streams.
The Indians had many different methods of killing the buffalo. Before horses were used, the men would dress up in buffalo skins, make crying sounds like a baby and wait for a buffalo to leave the herd to check on the baby buffalo in trouble. They would then kill the animal with spears and arrows.
Horses were eventually used, with the Indians riding into the herd and used bows and arrows to kill, or they would chase a buffalo over a cliff. In some tribes, boys as young as 10 hunted their first buffalo. When the hunt was over the women and children would join the men to cut up the buffalo to bring it back to the camp.