How early were the Plains Indians inhabiting the region?

The Plains Indians were inhabiting the Plains and Prairies of North America at least 13,000 years ago.

What are some of the best-known tribes of the Plains Indians?

The best-known tribes of the Plains Indians are the Sioux, the Cheyenne, the Comanche, the Pawnee, the Kiowa, and the Blackfoot.

What is the Sun Dance?

The Sun Dance is the most important spiritual ritual of the Plains Indians and is observed to reawaken the earth after winter and give thanks for the sun.

Did the different tribes of the Plains Indians make war on each other?

The various tribal nations of the Plains Indians made war on each other all the time. The most feared nation was the Comanche, who were at war almost constantly with everyone else, especially after they had horses.

Plains Indians

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Definition

The Plains Indians (also known as Native Americans of the Plains and Prairie, Indigenous Peoples of the Great Plains) are the original inhabitants of the western plains of North America, now part of the United States and Canada. They are the Native Americans most often depicted in media from the 19th century to the present.

More about: Plains Indians

Timeline

c. 11000 BCE - 13000 BCE
Plains Indians inhabit the Plains and Prairies of North America.
c. 700 CE - c. 900 CE
Plains Indians first begin cultivating corn (maize) and establish permanent settlements.
c. 1700 CE - c. 1825 CE
Cheyenne have mastered the horse and become one of the most powerful Plains Indians nations of the west.
1837 CE
Smallpox epidemic devastates Plains Indians.
1890 CE
Wounded Knee Massacre kills over 250 Sioux men, women, and children, ending the Indian Wars of the Plains.