The food that the Sioux tribe ate included the meat from all the animals that were available to hunt: Buffalo, deer, elk, bear and wild turkey. These were supplemented with roots and wild vegetables such as spinach, prairie turnips and potatoes and flavored with wild herbs. Wild berries and fruits were also added to the food available to the Sioux. When animals for food was scarce the tribe ate dried buffalo meat, called pemmican.
The weapons used by the Sioux tribe for hunting included bows and arrows, stone ball clubs, jaw bone clubs, hatchet axe, spears, lances and knives. War Shields were used on horseback as a means of defence. The rifle was added to their weapons with the advent of the white invaders.
Food
The women of the Sioux tribe were responsible for making the articles of clothing worn by the people. Most items were sewn from soft, tanned skins of deer (buckskin) and buffalo. A cape like yoke was formed from two pieces hung over the shoulders that fell loosely over the arms, taking the place of sleeves. Clothing was often decorated with paint, porcupine quills or beadwork. Sioux clothing for both men and women were adorned with with beads in geometric designs and ornaments, especially necklaces and armbands.
Many of the clothes worn by the men of the Sioux tribe are illustrated in the pictures on this site. The clothes worn by the Sioux men consisted of breechcloths, fringed buckskin tunics or shirts and leggings. Warm buffalo robes or cloaks were also worn to protect against the rain and the cold. The adult Sioux men also wore beaded, feathered war bonnets decorated with eagle feathers, ermine fur and beadwork as a symbol of honor and accomplishment. The Sioux wore a trailing bonnet with feathers trailing to the floor.
The type of clothes worn by the women of the Sioux tribe were knee-length dresses and leggings. The women’s leggings covered the legs up to the knee and were held with garters. The women also wore the buffalo robes to keep warm and dry. The dresses of the Sioux women that were used for special occasions were elaborately decorated with beads and painted with signs and symbols that reflected their tribal identity and family values celebrating acts of valor by their men or sacrifices made for the well being of the family and tribe. Sioux women wore their hair in two, thick braids decorated with beads.
Clothing
The Sioux tribe lived in tent-like homes called teepees. The Teepee was constructed from wooden poles that were covered with durable animal skins such as buffalo hides. It was pyramid shaped, with flaps and openings, rounded at the base and tapering to an open smoke hole at the top. Teepees had few furnishings. Buffalo hides were used for seating, bedding, and covers. A hearth was built in the center of the tepee for cooking and heating. Most tepees were approximately 12 to 16 feet in diameter at the base. This type shelter suited the nomadic lifestyle of the Sioux tribe. A teepee was quick to erect and easy to dismantle. A Siouan village could be ready to move within an hour.
Shelter
Food
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The Sioux were primarily hunter-gatherers. How might this have been affected by the climatic environment they lived in (Northern Plains)?
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The Sioux are a Northern tribe, and the Navajo had their origins in Northern Canada as well. How does Sioux food compare with early Navajo food? What are some of the differences between later Navajo farming and herding, and what caused these differences?
Clothing
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Compare and contrast among the traditional and modern clothing style of the Sioux. Do you observe any differences? What are the causes for this change?
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How is Sioux clothing similar and different to Cherokee clothing?
Shelter
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Sioux could dismantle or assemble their dwelling, a teepee, in an hour's time. Why was such mobility important to their culture?
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How much of your home could you pack up within an hour? Why do you think there is such a difference?
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How was the Sioux teepee similar to the Cherokee's? How did environment and circumstance influence such similarities?
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Why do you think the Sioux did not have town complexes like the Cherokee townhouse or the Navajo hogan-stead?