Description
The Pawnee are a Central Plains Indian tribe that historically lived in Nebraska and northern Kansas but today are based in Oklahoma. They are the federally recognized Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, who are headquartered in Pawnee, Oklahoma. Their Pawnee language belongs to the Caddoan language family, and their name for themselves is Chatiks si chatiks or "Men of Men". In the early 18th century, the Pawnee numbered more than 60,000 people. They lived along the Loup (ickari?) and Platte (kíckatuus) river areas for centuries; however, several tribes from the Great Lakes began moving onto the Great Plains and encroaching on Pawnee territory, including the Dakota, Lakota, and Cheyenne.
Language
Pawnee is a Caddoan language
Culture
Like many other Plains Indians, the Pawnee traditionally lived in large dome-shaped earth-covered lodges during most of the year, opting for tepees while on bison hunts. Pawnee women raised maize, squash, and beans and in the art of pottery making. Horses were first introduced in the 17th and 18th centuries from Spanish settlements in the Southwest. Historically, the Pawnee led a lifestyle combining village life and seasonal hunting and generally settled close to the rivers and placed their lodges on the higher banks. The Pawnee women are skilled horticulturalists and cooks, cultivating and processing ten varieties of corn, seven of pumpkins and squashes, and eight of beans.After they obtained horses, the Pawnee adapted their culture and expanded their buffalo hunting seasons. With horses providing a greater range. Like many other Native American tribes, the Pawnee had a cosmology with elements of all of nature represented in it.