Editing Pawnee people (section)

===Hunting===
[[File:Alfred Jacob Miller - Pawnee Indians Migrating - Walters 37194066.jpg|thumb|Pawnee Indians migrating, by [[Alfred Jacob Miller]]]]
After they obtained horses, the Pawnee adapted their culture and expanded their [[American Bison|buffalo]] hunting seasons. With horses providing a greater range, the people traveled in both summer and winter westward to the [[Great Plains]] for buffalo hunting. They often traveled {{convert|500|miles}} or more in a season. In summer the march began at dawn or before, but usually did not last the entire day.

Once buffalo were located, hunting did not begin until the tribal priests considered the time propitious. The hunt began by the men stealthily advancing together toward the buffalo, but no one could kill any buffalo until the warriors of the tribe gave the signal, in order not to startle the animals before the hunters could get in position for the attack on the herd. Anyone who broke ranks could be severely beaten. During the chase, the hunters guided their ponies with their knees and wielded bows and arrows. They could incapacitate buffalo with a single arrow shot into the flank between the lower ribs and the hip. The animal would soon lie down and perhaps bleed out, or the hunters would finish it off. An individual hunter might shoot as many as five buffalo in this way before backtracking and finishing them off. They preferred to kill cows and young bulls, as the taste of older bulls was disagreeable.<ref>{{cite dictionary |first=W.P. |last=Clark |article=Hunt |title=The Indian Sign Language |location=Lincoln |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |year=1982 |orig-year=1885 |edition=trade paperback |isbn=0-8032-6309-0}}</ref>

After successful kills, the women processed the bison meat, skin and bones for various uses: the flesh was sliced into strips and dried on poles over slow fires before being stored. Prepared in this way, it was usable for several months. Although the Pawnee preferred buffalo, they also hunted other game, including elk, bear, panther, and skunk, for meat and skins. The skins were used for clothing and accessories, storage bags, foot coverings, fastening ropes and ties, etc.

The people returned to their villages to harvest crops when the corn was ripe in late summer, or in the spring when the grass became green and they could plant a new cycle of crops. Summer hunts extended from late June to about the first of September; but might end early if hunting was successful. Sometimes the hunt was limited to what is now western Nebraska. Winter hunts were from late October until early April and were often to the southwest into what is now western Kansas.