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The Plains Indians had numerous transports. They pursued the great buffalo herds within the territories.
Travois were the first main way to transport meat, firewood, clothing, small children, and other possessions. Dogs pulling the travois were the size of a wolf. The travois consisted of 2 poles tied together at the top with rawhide attached to the dog’s shoulders. The ends were dragged on the ground behind the dogs. Halfway down and between these 2 poles, a rawhide net was woven and to this frame, up to 30kg were tied. Many families had as many as 20 dogs. The dogs were helpful but not as helpful as the horses to the Plains Indians.
When horses came in the early 17th century, transportation became so much easier to the Plains Indians. A superior travois was given to the horses. Horses allowed hunting to be done quicker and further efficient. Trading also became more frequent with the help of the horses. Elderly people could also be carried on horses. Before horses had arrived, wealth and prestige was not important to the Plains Indians but that all changed when horses had arrived. The quantity of horses owned and the attainment of trade goods became a measure of wealth and reputation. Chiefs had hundreds of horses. In the moving camp, the richest people went first, then the middle-class people and last were the poor people. Men carried weapons in case of a war while the woman carried everything else. Horses were mainly used for transportation on land.
Bullboats were used for transportation in the water. It was a miniature boat constructed of willow branches covered with bison hides. The hide was first drenched in water, and then it was stretched around the “hoop” made from the branches. The bullboat was usually made from hair facing the inside. It was used for hauling wood and to ferry wood across rivers.
Bark and dugout canoes were also used to journey in the water. Bark and dugout canoes were seldom used by the plains people; skin covered boats or rafts were constructed to ferry possessions across streams and rivers. Bark canoes were light and painless to carry. Some large dugout canoes could transport as much as 60 people. Light boats were made out of reeds. Rafts were also used for transportation in the water. They were often towed by physically powerful swimmers.
In the winter, it was very difficult to get around in the deep snow. Snowshoes and toboggans were used in the winter. They were pulled by dogs the sizes of a wolf. Snowshoes were invented by the North American Indians. The frames of snowshoes were made of birch and shaped by boiling wood until it was flexible and could be shaped into snowshoes. Snowshoes were woven with wet rawhide like snowshoes today. Sinews were used for the netting of snowshoes. Snowshoes were used more than toboggans in daily life but toboggans were used for moving camps.
