Food

• The Sioux looked to the buffalo as an important food source. Most commonly, women hung and dried the buffalo meat in the sun to preserve it, guarding the meat from scavenging animals as it dried. They used buffalo hide to carry the meat from the hunting site. The Sioux also pounded in ingredients such as berries and fat to transform the buffalo meat into a longer-lasting jerky known as pemmican.
  
  

Clothing

• The Sioux clothed themselves using buffalo hides. Leggings for men, dresses for women and moccasins helped protect them from the elements. The Sioux found that rain-hardened hides from the tops of tepees were especially suitable for making moccasins. In the cold winters of the Dakotas, they also used buffalo skin robes, gloves and blankets, critical for conserving body heat.
  
  

Shelter

• Tepees served as homes for the Sioux. They built these portable, tent-like structures from wooden poles wrapped with buffalo hides. Over time, the hides would harden and become virtually waterproof, effective for keeping out rainwater. Inside the tepee, buffalo hide served as bedding and curtains.
  
  

Other Uses

• The Sioux made dishes, spoons and toys from buffalo horns. They turned the bones into weapons such as arrowheads and clubs and into awls for leather work. They used buffalo hide as a canvas for artwork, and hardened hide served as a shield in battle.