We have trekked from Antarctica to North America this term, to investigate the life and culture of the Native Americans who roamed across the Prairies of the United States long before the arrival of Christopher Columbus and the Europeans and discovered why the indigenous people were first called ‘Indians’. We have explored their traditions and customs through art. We made our own headdresses like those worn by the Apache Tribe and made a model of a Teepee which were used by the Nomad tribes. We found out that Native Americans relied heavily on bison for their survival and well-being, using every part of the bison for food, clothing, shelter, tools, jewellery and in ceremonies. We designed our own bison hide using brown paper. We learned that the men in the tribes used lots of weapons for hunting and war and designed our own shields. We also found out that the women would weave baskets and tried out this skill too. We enjoyed listening to the story of a famous female Native American – Sacagawea and her journey through the Black Hills. Did you know that Sacagawea is the character in the movie ‘Night at the Museum?’ We love to sing songs and can now sing ‘The Black Hills of Dakota!’

So… is it bison or buffalo?

In American English, both buffalo and bison are considered correct terms for the American bison. However, in British English, the word buffalo is reserved for the African Buffalo and water buffalo and not used for the bison.