Buffalo Hide Collection

Sioux tepee of buffalo-hide
Tipi made of buffalo hide sewn with sinew in the traditional way, Wicoti Living History Lakota Encampment, Black Hills, SD. Digital photograph

Dance Moccasins, 1935. Creator: Michael Trekur
Dance Moccasins, 1935

Mountain Chief, 1910. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Mountain Chief, 1910. Photograph shows Mountain Chief, wrapped in Buffalo hide, standing outside of tipi

Sia buffalo dancer. Full-length, standing, facing right, c1926. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Sia buffalo dancer. Full-length, standing, facing right, c1926

Black Eagle-Assiniboin, c1908. Creator: Edward Sheriff Curtis
Black Eagle-Assiniboin, c1908. Black Eagle, full-length portrait, standing, facing front, wearing buffalo hide, holding wing of bird

Captain Meriwether Lewis and William Clarke reaching the Pacific Ocean 46
6337877 Captain Meriwether Lewis and William Clarke reaching the Pacific Ocean 46, Indian woman protecting her child from fire under a buffalo hide 47

Buffalo hide tipi of the Lakota Sioux
Sioux tepee made of buffalo hide sewn with sinew in the traditional way, Wicoti Living History Lakota Encampment, Hill City, South Dakota. Digital photograph

Interior of a Sioux tipi
Buffalo robes and pillows inside a Sioux tepee made of buffalo hide, Wicoti Living History Lakota Encampment, Hill City, South Dakota. Digital photograph

NATI2D-00378
Sioux tepee made of buffalo hide sewn with sinew in the traditional way, Wicoti Living History Lakota Encampment, Hill City, South Dakota. Digital photograph

NATI2D-00379
Sioux tepee made of buffalo hide and sewn with sinew in the traditional way, Wicoti Living History Lakota Encampment, Hill City, South Dakota. Digital photograph

NATI2D-00384
Inside a Sioux buffalo hide tepee made in the traditional way, Wicoti Living History Lakota Encampment, Hill City, South Dakota. Digital photograph

NATI2A-00092
Native American women curing buffalo hides in a tepee village. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

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Buffalo hides held deep cultural significance for Native American tribes, particularly the Sioux. In this collection, we see various depictions of their use: Mountain Chief (1910) and Sia buffalo dancer (c1926) proudly displaying their hides in traditional attire. Edward S. Curtis captured these moments, preserving the rich history of the Plains Indians. Buffalo hides not only served as clothing, but also as shelter, as seen in the Sioux tepees (NATI2D-00378, NATI2D-00379, NATI2D-00384). The hides were also crucial for survival, as seen in depictions of an Indian woman protecting her child from a fire (46) and Clarke escaping from a river deluge (48). The connection between the Sioux and their buffalo hides is a testament to their resilience and resourcefulness.