Facts about the Assiniboine Native Indian Tribe
This article contains fast, fun facts and interesting information about the Assiniboine Native American Indian tribe. Find answers to questions like where did the Assiniboine tribe live, what clothes did they wear and what food did they eat? Discover what happened to the Assiniboine tribe with facts about their wars and history. The word Assiniboine means "They Who Cook With Rocks." In their own language, the Assiniboine people call themselves Nakota or Nakoda, which means "the allies."
What did the Assiniboine tribe live in?
The Great Plains Assiniboine tribe lived in tent-like homes called tepees. The Tepee was constructed from wooden poles that were covered with durable, weather resistant animal skins such as buffalo hides. The teppee was pyramid shaped, with flaps and openings, rounded at the base and tapering to an open smoke hole at the top. Tepees had few furnishings. Buffalo hides were used for seating, bedding, and covers. A hearth was built in the center of the tepee for heating and cooking. Most tepees were approximately 12 to 16 feet in diameter at the base. This type shelter suited the nomadic lifestyle of the Assiniboine tribe as tepees were quick to erect and easy to dismantle.

Map showing location of the Southwest Native American Cultural Group |
Where did the Assiniboine tribe live?
The Great Plains Assiniboine adopted a nomadic lifestyle, hunting the great buffalo herds and living in tepees made of buffalo hides. They were allied with the Cree and the Saulteaux Native Indian tribes in what was known as the "Iron Confederacy".
The American Great Plains region mainly extended across states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota
Land: Grass covered prairies with some streams and rivers
Climate: Hot summers and cold winters
Animals: The animals included the Bison (Buffalo), deer, cougars, elk, bear, beaver, porcupine, antelope, prairie dogs, eagles and wolves
What language did the Assiniboine tribe speak?
The Assiniboine tribe a Siouan-speaking people closely related linguistically to the Sioux and Stoney.
What did the Assiniboine tribe eat?
The food that the Assiniboine tribe ate came from the animals they hunted: Buffalo, elk, deer (venison), elk, bear and wild turkey. These meats were supplemented with roots and wild vegetables such as spinach, prairie turnips and potatoes and flavored with wild herbs. Wild fruits and berries were also added to the food available to the Asasiniboine. When food was scarce the tribe ate dried buffalo meat, called pemmican.
What weapons did the Assiniboine use?
The weapons used by the Assasiniboine included bows and arrows, stone ball clubs, hatchets, spears, lances and knives. War Shields were used on horseback as a means of defence. The rifle was added to the Asasiniboin weapons with the advent of the white settlers.
What clothes did the Assiniboine wear?
The men of the tribe wore breechcloths, fringed buckskin tunics or shirts and hip-length leggings. Warm buffalo robes or cloaks were also worn to protect against the cold and the rain. The women wore buckskin knee-length dresses and leggings and buffalo robes during bad weather.
Assiniboine History: What happened to the Assiniboine tribe?
The following Assiniboine history timeline details facts, dates and famous landmarks of the people. The Assiniboine timeline explains what happened to the people of their tribe.
Assiniboine History Timeline
1600s: The Assiniboine lived in northwest Ontario, Saskatchewan and eastern Alberta
1658: Living near Lake Superior the British and French made contact with the tribe and began trading with them. The Assiniboine became affiliated with the Cree
1700's: Forced from Great Lakes area to Minnesota area by tribal warfare
1750's: Southern Assiniboines acquire horses and began to move south
1777: Inter-tribal conflicts erupts between the Assiniboine, Gros Ventre and Cree over tribal lands
1781: Smallpox epidemic
1800's: Assiniboine territory extended along the Missouri River in the area of northwestern North Dakota and northeastern Montana
1804: The Lewis and Clark first encountered the Assiniboine on November 15, 1804
1836: Second major Smallpox epidemic killed about 4,000
1843: The first major migration along the Oregon Trail took place in 1843 which led to violent conflicts with the white settlers who traveled along the Oregon trail in wagon trains
1845: The white settlers bring various diseases to the Native Indians who lived in the surrounding areas of the Oregon Trail
1851: Treaty at Fort Laramie between the US and many Great Plains tribes. The Assiniboine agree not attack settlers traveling the Oregon Trail and are assigned land in western Montana
1854: The Sioux Wars (1854 - 1890) in South Dakota, Minnesota and Wyoming were led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull in a fight to keep their homelands
1864-80: Tribe under the authority of the Montana Superintendency
1866: The Bozeman Trail and the Connor Expedition
1866: The tribe agreed to move to Fort Buford, in "North Dakota"
1867: Assiniboine Tribe become under the jurisdiction of the Fort Berthold Agency
1868: The Fort Buford military reserve was established from Assiniboine lands
1870's: Assiniboine people sent to Fort Belknap Reservation (with Gros Ventre Tribe) and Fort Peck Reservation (with Sioux Tribes)
1877: Treaty Seven is signed by the Blackfoot Confederacy and by the Stoney (Canadian) Assiniboine
1877: Fort Peck (Montana) became the agency for the Lower Assiniboine and the Yanktonai Nakota and Dakota Sioux
1883: Starvation on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, partly due to the extermination of buffalo
1887: Railroads were built through northern Montana reservations
1887-1934: General Allotment Act (1887) began land allotment of Assiniboine territory
Assiniboine History Timeline
Assiniboine
- Interesting Facts and information about the way the people lived
- The clothes worn by men and women
- Description of the homes and the type of food the Assiniboine would eat
- Fast Facts and info about the Assiniboine
- Names of famous chiefs and leaders
- Interesting Homework resource for kids on the history of the Assiniboine Native American Indians
Pictures and Videos of Native American Indians and their Tribes
The Assiniboine Tribe was one of the most famous tribes of Native American Indians. Discover the vast selection of pictures on the subject of the tribes of Famous Native Americans such as the Assiniboine nation. The pictures show the clothing, war paint, weapons and decorations of various Native Indian tribes, such as the Assiniboine tribe, that can be used as a really useful educational resource for kids and children of all ages. We hope you enjoy watching the video - just click and play - a great social studies homework resource for kids .