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Arapaho Tribe
How do you pronounce the word "Arapaho"? What does it mean?Where do the Arapahos live?How is the Arapaho Indian nation organized?What language do the Arapahos speak?What was Arapaho culture like in the past? What is it like now? Arapaho flag | Here are links to the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and the Northern Arapaho Tribe. On their sites you can find information about the Northern and Southern Arapaho people in the past and today. |
How do Arapaho Indian children live, and what did they do in the past?  Arapaho toy horse | They do the same things all children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Arapaho children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play, like early colonial children. But they did have dolls and toys, and they played games like this hoop game. Arapaho mothers, like many Native Americans, traditionally carried their babies in cradleboards on their backs--a custom which many American parents have adopted now. |
What were Arapaho men and women's roles? Women dragging tipi poles | Arapaho women were in charge of the home. Besides cooking and cleaning, an Arapaho woman built her family's house and dragged the heavy posts with her whenever the tribe moved. Houses belonged to the women in the Arapaho tribe. Men were hunters and warriors, responsible for feeding and defending their families. Only men became Arapaho chiefs, but both genders took part in storytelling, artwork and music, and traditional medicine. |
What were Arapaho homes like in the past? Arapaho tipi | Arapaho people lived in tall buffalo-hide houses called tipis (or teepees). Here are more tipi pictures. Tipis were carefully designed to set up and break down quickly. An entire Arapaho village could be packed up and ready to move within an hour. Originally tipis were only about 12 feet high, but after the Arapaho acquired horses, they began building them twice that size. Today, Native Americans only put up a tepee for fun or to connect with their heritage. Most Arapahos live in modern houses and apartment buildings, just like you. |
What was Arapaho clothing like? Did they wear feather headdresses and face paint? Arapaho war shirt  Arapaho woman |
Arapaho women wore split skirts or long buckskin dresses, and the men wore
breechcloth and leggings.
Shirts were not necessary in Arapaho culture,
but women frequently wore mantles, and in battle or on special occasions, Arapaho warriors would wear special fringed shirts like this one. Sometimes the Arapaho
decorated their clothing with beads, porcupine quills, or rows of elk's teeth (like the lady at the bottom.) Both genders wore
moccasins on their feet and buffalo-hide robes to keep warm.
Here is a site about the symbolism of Plains Indian war shirts, and some photographs and links
about Native American clothing in general.
Both Arapaho men and women wore their hair in two long braids, which they sometimes wrapped in fur. Traditionally, Arapaho men tied feathers to locks of their hair, and women occasionally painted their hair red. Later, some Arapaho warriors began wearing impressive feather warbonnets like their neighbors the Sioux. Both genders painted their faces with bright colors for special occasions. Arapaho people used different patterns for war paint, religious ceremonies, and festive decoration. Today, some Arapahos still wear moccasins or a fringed shirt, but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of breechcloths... and they only wear feathers in their hair on special occasions like a dance. |
What was Arapaho transportation like in the days before cars? Did they paddle canoes? Dog travois | No--the Arapaho weren't coastal people, and most of their travels were overland. Originally the Arapahos used dogs pulling travois (a kind of drag sled) to help them carry their belongings. Once Europeans introduced horses to North America, the Arapahos became known as expert riders and traveled greater distances. Horse riding is still popular in the Arapaho nation today, but like other Americans, Arapaho people also use modern vehicles like cars now. |
 Cheyenne-Arapaho bison hunt |
What was Arapaho food like in the days before supermarkets? Originally the Arapaho were corn farmers as well as hunters, but once they acquired horses they mostly gave up farming to follow the seasonal migrations of the buffalo herds. Most of their diet was meat, especially buffalo, elk and deer, which they cooked in pits or dried into jerky. The Arapahos also collected chokecherries, fruit, and roots to eat. What were Arapaho weapons and tools like in the past?The most popular Arapaho weapon was the bow and arrow. The Arapahos were famous for their skill shooting arrows. Arapaho warriors also used spears and hide shields. |
What other Native Americans did the Arapaho tribe interact with?  Arapaho beaded moccasin |
What are Arapaho arts and crafts like? Arapaho artists are known for their quill embroidery and beadwork, which they used to decorate clothing, moccasins, bags, and even their tepees. Here are some more photographs of Arapaho beadwork. What kinds of stories do the Arapahos tell?There are lots of traditional Arapaho legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to the Arapaho Indian culture. Here is a story about Nihancan the spider trickster. |
What about Arapaho religion?Can you recommend a good book for me to read?How do I cite your website in my bibliography?
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