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The lifestyle of the indigenous Plains Indians was adopted by many other tribes who later migrated to the region. Wealth and prestige could be gained through bravery in warfare and by achieving such feats as touching an enemy in battle or stealing their tethered horses. Individualism was encouraged and most Plains tribes had military societies to channel aggressiveness. Common beliefs included that of the thunderbird creator of the storms of the Great Plains. Visions played an important role in their religion, and Plains Indians also had shamans, or medicine men, who performed healing rituals. Their chief ritual was the sun dance at summer solstice. The warriors of some peoples practised gruelling torture tests in return for supernatural assistance; the Mandan, for example, hung themselves from pegs skewered under the skin.
The nomadic hunting lifestyle of the Plains Indians came to an end with the disappearance of the buffalo at the end of the 19th century through overhunting by white hunters. Social hierarchies, which had been based on hunting prowess, collapsed, and pressure from encroaching white settlement resulted in the Indians' removal to reservations. Many now raise cattle, avoiding cultivation which was traditionally perceived as women's work.
White represents the snow on Monte Titano and the clouds above. Blue stands for the sky. Effective date: 6 April 1862.
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