“Traditional use of Tatanka (buffalo)” is a PowerPoint series developed by Badlands National Park and South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

The PowerPoint series includes a brief history of buffalo in South Dakota. Also, there are photos of buffalo parts, like a buffalo hide and tail.

Click the mouse to advance through the PowerPoint. "Click" will appear in the lower right-hand corner when it is time to advance.

The buffalo part above is a buffalo bone. The bone was removed from the hump of the buffalo;

can you guess the traditional use of the buffalo part?

The buffalo bone was used as a paintbrush. The hump bone shown

is similar to a modern painting sponge, but it is very hard.

The hump bone was porous (spongy bone).Paint absorbed into the pores, then

it was transferred to a tipi or clothing for ornamentation.

Native Americans used all of the buffalo fluids above when painting. The differentfluids provided a variety of colors. Ornamentation, which included quill work,

painting and bead work, was very important to Native Americans.

Blood was also used to make puddings and soups; stomach contents were also used to make medicine.

The hump of a buffalo was verymassive. The bones (below) andmuscles of the hump helped thebuffalo move snow in the winter.The buffalo moved its head from side to side in a process called

snowplowing (right); they movedthe snow in search of food.

Photo courtesy Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Copyright 2009

National Park Service Photo

National Park Service Photo

Buffalo Skeleton

Photo courtesy Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Copyright 2009

Diagram courtesy Texas Beyond History, The University of Texas at Austin

The animal parts above are not from a buffalo; can you guess which South Dakota animal they come from?

What is the traditional Native American use of the animal parts shown?

The animal parts shown above are porcupine quills. The quills are smooth hollowtubes with a very sharp barbed end; they range in length from 1 to 4 inches.

The quills were dyed to produce different colored quills. Then the quillswere sewed, braided or wrapped onto objects for ornamentation. The introduction

of beads (beadwork) largely replaced quillwork, but it was still practiced.

Florida Center for Instructional Technology

Additional “Traditional” Uses of the Buffalo

The paunch (belly) liner was used toto make meat wrappings, buckets,

collapsible cups, basins and canteens.

The buffalo tongue was usedas a comb (rough side). Also, it was

a choice meat for human consumption.

After the arrival of the white-man,buffalo were often found dead with

the tongue removed and a few strips of meat off of the back.

Hooves, dewclaws and feet weremade into glue, rattles and spoons.

Hooves are shown below.

Teeth were made into ornamentals. An incisor teeth necklace is shown

to the left.

The stomach liner was usedto make water containers

and cooking vessels.

Fat was used to make soaps,hair grease and cosmetic aids.

Hind leg skin (shown left) wasused to make pre-shaped moccasins.

Note: graph is not to scale

•For more information aboutNative Americans or buffalo visit www.nps.gov/badl,

http://www.sdhistory.org/mus/ed/DakotaNakotaLakota.htmor http://www.sdpb.org/learning/Resources/NativeAm/index.asp

•Photos provided by Badlands National Park, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, National Parks Service, Florida Center for Instructional

Technology (FCIT) at USF. http://etc.usf.edu/clipart and Texas Beyond Historyat http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/bonfire/talkingbones.html

•Information provided by Badlands National Park ,and the South Dakota State Historical Society

•Music: “Flag Song" and "Ineffable” from Oceti Sakowin: The People of theSeven Council Fires; composed and performed by Kevin Locke.

For more information about Kevin Locke or to purchase his music visithttp://www.kevinlocke.com/kevin/index.html