Great Plains Indian Trading Networks before Lewis and Clark
Okay kiddo, remember how we talked about Native American tribes living in different parts of America and how they traded with each other?
Well, a long time ago, before Lewis and Clark came to the Great Plains, there were many different tribes living there. They all had things that they made and things that they needed, just like we do.
But since they didn't have stores like we do, they had to trade with other tribes to get the things that they needed. So they had these big trading networks where they would meet up with other tribes and exchange goods.
Some tribes were really good at making things like baskets or blankets, and others were better at hunting or finding certain plants. So they would trade their goods with other tribes who needed them.
These trading networks would stretch across the Great Plains and even sometimes across the whole country. The tribes would use special trails called trade routes to travel to different trading spots and meet up with other tribes.
This trading helped the Great Plains tribes become really skilled at making certain things and helped them get the things they needed to survive. It was a really important part of their way of life before Europeans came and changed things.
Well, a long time ago, before Lewis and Clark came to the Great Plains, there were many different tribes living there. They all had things that they made and things that they needed, just like we do.
But since they didn't have stores like we do, they had to trade with other tribes to get the things that they needed. So they had these big trading networks where they would meet up with other tribes and exchange goods.
Some tribes were really good at making things like baskets or blankets, and others were better at hunting or finding certain plants. So they would trade their goods with other tribes who needed them.
These trading networks would stretch across the Great Plains and even sometimes across the whole country. The tribes would use special trails called trade routes to travel to different trading spots and meet up with other tribes.
This trading helped the Great Plains tribes become really skilled at making certain things and helped them get the things they needed to survive. It was a really important part of their way of life before Europeans came and changed things.