Buffalo Uses
According to the Native Americans, if the morning star, moon and Mother Earth combined their talents to give birth and hope to the native, if the sun was the dispatcher of wisdom and warmth, then the buffalo was the tangible and immediate proof of them all, for out of the buffalo came almost everything necessary to daily life - including his religious use as an intermediary through which the Great Spirit could be addressed; and by which the Spirit often spoke to them.
In short, the buffalo was life to the Plains Nations until the white man's goods and ways first eliminated and then replaced the animal.
Below is a diagram that helps to show the infinite use of the buffalo and also helps to draw a sharper picture of the creative talents of the Plains Nations.
1 Horns
cups, fire carrier, powderhorn, spoons, ladles, headresses, signals, toys
2 Hair
headresses, saddle pad filler, pillows, ropes, ornaments, halters, medicine belts
3 Hide (buckskin)
moccasin tops, cradles, winter robes, bedding, breechclouts, shirts, leggings, belts, dresses, pipe bags, quivers, tipi covers, gun cases, lance covers, dolls
4 Rawhide
containers, clothing, headresses, food, medicine bags, shields, buckets, moccasin soles, rattles, drum sticks, drums, splints, cinches, ropes, thongs, saddles, stirrups, knife cases, bull boats, quirts, armbands, lance cases, horse masks, horse forehead ornaments, bullet pouches, belts
5 Tail
medicine switch, fly brush, lodge exterior decorations, whips
6 Skin of Hind Leg
moccasins or boots (pre-shaped)
7 Meat (every part eaten)
pemmican (converted), hump ribs, jerky (converted), inner parts eaten on the spot
8 Hoof & Feet
glue, rattles
9 Beard
ornamentation of apparel and weapons
Other Parts
Tongue (best part of meat)
Skull
Ceremonies, sun dance, prayer
Brains
hide preparation
Muscles
sinew, bows, thread, arrows, cinches, glue
Bones
knives, arrowheads (ribs), shovels, splints, winter sleds, arrow straighteners, saddle trees, war clubs, scrapers, quirts, awls, paint brushes (hip bones), game dice
Bladder
sinew pouches, quill pouches, small medicine bags
Paunch
lining used for buckets, cups, basins, dishes
Scrotum
rattles
Four Chambered Stomach
first stomach contents - frost bite, skin diseases
liner - container for carrying and storing water, cooking vessel
Buffalo Chips
fuel
signals
ceremonial smoking
Whole Animal
totem, clan symbol, *white buffalo sacred, adult yellow rare - prized
*see stories and legends