Nations Associated

People of the Plains

Those who considered it a primary resource would be the Indigenous Peoples of the Plains [Upper Kutenai, Flathead, Canadian Sioux, Plains Metis, Assiniboine, Rapid, Sekanid, Shawnee, Western Ojibwa (Anishinabek), Fort Resolution (Dene), Plains Cree, Blackfoot, and the Chipewyan].

Other Nations

Nations from the Northwest Territories and Yukon [Kainai (Blood Tribe), Dane-zaa (Beaver tribe), Potawatomi (Anishinabek), Plateau, and the Lower Kutenai] thought differently as they saw bison as a resource only needed when their other primary resources were unavailable.

**To learn more about what bison was used for, see 'Uses of bison.'

Spiritual Beliefs

Numerous Indigenous and First Nations tribes have belief and taboos associated with bison and hunting. To the Plains Cree, the Bison Spirit Power was strong; to them, spirit power could help construct the pounds (to understand more about hunting, see 'Hunting'). To express a few other examples, the Flatheads would teach their children not to make fun of the bison, because if they did it would result in trouble; the Crow tribe believed that if they left the carcass of a bison by their door, it would attract good spirits; the Kutenai would have a shaman sing in the night to invite bison to their camp if the hunting prospects appeared poor.