About Native American Nomads

Though many tribes found land upon which to settle down and build a self-sufficient community, many tribes, even today, choose to remain nomads. They consistently wander the land, following the traveling patterns of their main sources of food, shelter and other resources, the buffalo. Since a large surplus of supplies cannot be kept if one wanders continuously, nomadic tribes face many challenges and must lead very simple, efficient lives in order to survive.

Function

In the past, Native American nomads tended to move about on foot, though some also utilized travois, which were pulled by dogs or horses. A travois was a transportation device that consisted of two poles attached to the sides of the dog or horse that allowed that animal to carry equipment on their trek. As they traveled most early Native American nomads hunted buffalo, which they used for eating and keeping warm.

Geography

The Great Plains region is a very popular spot for nomadic Native American tribes due to its vast prairies and often desert-like landscape. Many of these tribes have spent significant periods of time in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Texas, Wyoming and even parts of Canada that are considered to be the Great Plains, including Alberta and Manitoba.

Types

Most of the Indians that resided within the Great Plains engaged in some level of nomadic living. Some tribes were entirely nomadic, and they included the Cheyenne, Plains Apache, Shoshone, Blackfoot and Tonkawa, while others remained in one place for longer periods of time than others. These tribes were called semi-sedentary and included the Omaha, Iowa, Ponca, Pawnee, Mandan and Wichita.

Features

Nomadic Native Americans typically lived in teepees because these cloth-like structures were easy to assemble and were convenienty transported by the dogs or horses with travois. Nomadic Indians also need to utilize every aspect of the animals they hunt, namely bison and buffalo. Being that they're always moving, they cannot rely on crops, storage or surplus in order to survive. Therefore, when an animal was killed every viable part of it was eaten, while its bones and hide were used for clothing, weapons and decorations.

Misconceptions

Just because certain Native American tribes are nomadic, it doesn't mean that they share teh same beliefs. Some nomadic tribes have adopted their own forms of religion, such as the Sioux, who believe in Wakan Tanka as their god, though others merely believed in worshiping the earth or the sun. Most tribes did, however, have shamans or medicine men who were called upon to heal tribal members.