Indian uses for the buffalo

Chicago's meat packers used to brag that they used every part of a pig but the squeal. But long before the Midwestern metropolis became the center of American livestock processing, Indians roaming the Great Plains had managed to develop an equally efficient system for deriving food and other products from the buffalo, of which it could be said they used everything but the bellow. Here's a list of the products Plains tribes derived from this singularly important animal.

Rawhide

• Containers
• Shields
• Buckets
• Moccasin soles
• Drums
• Splints
• Mortars
• Cinches
• Ropes
• Sheaths
• Saddles
• Saddle blankets
• Stirrups
• Bullboats
• Masks
• Ornaments
• Lariats
• Straps
• Caps
• Quirts
• Snowshoes
• Shrouds

Beard

• Ornamentation
• Dolls
• Mittens

Teeth

• Ornamentation

Tongue

• Choice meat
• Comb (rough side)

Bladder

• Pouches
• Medicine bags

Tendons

• Sewing thread
• Bowstrings

Horns

• Arrow points
• Cups
• Fire carriers
• Powderhorns
• Spoons
• Ladles
• Headdresses
• Toys
• Medication

Tanned hide

• Cradles
• Moccasin tops
• Winter robes
• Bedding
• Shirts
• Belts
• Leggings
• Dresses
• Bags
• Quivers
• Tipi covers
• Tipi liners
• Bridles
• Backrests
• Tapestries
• Sweat lodge covers

Blood

• Soup
• Pudding
• Paint

Fat

• Tallow
• Soap
• Hair grease
• Cosmetic aids

Tail

• Medicine switch
• Fly brush
• Decorations
• Whips

Hair

• Headdresses
• Pad fillers
• Pillows
• Ropes
• Ornaments
• Hair pieces
• Halters
• Bracelets
• Medicine balls
• Moccasin lining
• Doll stuffing

Bones

• Fleshing tools
• Pipes
• Knives
• Arrowheads
• Shovels
• Splints
• Sleds
• Saddle trees
• War clubs
• Scrapers
• Quirts
• Awls
• Paintbrushes
• Game dice
• Tableware

Meat

• Immediate consumption
• Jerky (dehydrated)
• Pemmican (pounded, mixed with fat and berries, dried)

Gall

• Yellow paint

Hind leg skin

• Preshaped moccasin

Hooves, feet and dewclaws

• Glue
• Rattles
• Spoons

Liver

• Tanning agents

Stomach contents

• Medicines
• Paints

Stomach lining

• Water Containers
• Cooking Vessels

Paunch lining

• Wrappings (meat)
• Buckets
• Collapsible cups
• Basins
• Canteens

Scrotum

• Rattles
• Containers

Skull

• Rituals

Brain

• Hide preparation
• Food

Muscles

• Glue preparation
• Bows
• Thread
• Arrow ties
• Cinches

Dried dung

• Fuel
• Diaper powder
• Toys
• Jewelry