How did native South Dakotans hunt buffalo before they had horses?

Answer 1

There were almost no natives hunting buffalo on the Great Plains before horses were re-introduced to the Americas, since it was next to impossible to keep up with the migrating herds on foot. Most groups lived only on the edges of the plains, in semi-permanent villages, growing crops and only venturing onto the plains for short periods.

We know that in certain areas some people used dogs to transport very small tipis and carry other equipment; we know that in areas where cliffs were found the hunting style known as a "buffalo jump" was used, where hunters on foot herded and stampeded buffalo over these cliffs, using fires and fences of brushwood.

In South Dakota there are few suitable cliffs (one example is near Shadehill Reservoir), so the only other option would be hunting in deep snow - this slowed down the buffalo herds and made any injured or sick animals much more vulnerable. Hunters wore snow-shoes and used spears to kill the buffalo, who could not run in deep snow. George Catlin, the explorer and artist, illustrated winter hunting such as this.

In summer, the natives would have returned to the edges of the plains, to rely on growing crops and hunting small game such as ground squirrels, birds and deer.