The Plateau Indians relied wholly on wild foods. Fishing was the most important food source. The Indians dried fish on wooden racks to preserve them for the winter food supply. They supplemented the fish catch by hunting deer, elk, bear, caribou, and small game.
Q. What type of houses did the Great Basin live in?
Housing. The Great Basin Indians were nomadic, meaning that they moved from place to place during the year. They, therefore, had shelters that could be moved easily. Tribes that used horses replaced these shelters with Plains-style tepees.
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Q. What were Native American houses made of?
They were made from wooden frames and covered with woven mats and sheets of birchbark. Often wigwams were built in a dome or cone shape. Mats covered the floor, and extra mats could be added for warmth. In the Southern Plains, some tribes built homes called grass houses.
Q. What animals live in a plateau?
The people of the Plateau also hunted smaller animals for furs and food such as:
- coyote.
- fox.
- raccoon.
- porcupine.
- marten.
- weasel.
- beaver.
- marmot.
Q. What tools did the Plateau Tribes use?
The tools that the Plateau people used were made from bone (arrow heads), wood (nets and carvings), and stone (spears and cutting tools), and were decorated with carvings, copper, feathers, and beads.
Q. Are the Nez Perce still around?
Today, the Nez Perce Tribe is a federally recognized tribal nation with more than 3,500 citizens.
Q. How did the horse change the lifestyle of the Plateau Indians?
Owning horses changed the lifestyle of many of the landlocked Plateau tribes. It meant that they could travel farther to gather food and to hunt. It meant that they could carry heavier loads to and from their hunting or fishing camps, so they could collect a greater variety of food and haul larger amounts.
