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Description
Pawnee, North American Indian people of Caddoan linguistic stock who lived on the Platte River in what is now Nebraska, U.S., from before the 16th century to the latter part of the 19th century. In the 19th century the Pawnee tribe was composed of relatively independent bands: the Kitkehahki, Chaui, Pitahauerat, and Skidi. Each of these bands occupied several villages, which were the basic social unit of the Pawnee people.

Like many other Plains Indians, the Pawnee traditionally lived in large dome-shaped earth-covered lodges during most of the year, opting for tepees while on bison hunts. Pawnee women raised corn (maize), squash, and beans and were practiced in the art of pottery making. Horses were first introduced in the 17th and 18th centuries from Spanish settlements in the Southwest.

Pawnee class distinctions favoured chiefs, priests, and shamans. Each chief of a village or band had in his keeping a sacred bundle, a hide-wrapped collection of small ritualistic items of importance to the group. Shamans were believed to possess special powers to treat illness and to ward off enemy raids and food shortages. Priests were trained in the performance of rituals and sacred songs. Along with shamanistic and hunt societies, the Pawnee also had military societies.

Description
Pawnee, North American Indian people of Caddoan linguistic stock who lived on the Platte River in what is now Nebraska, U.S., from before the 16th century to the latter part of the 19th century. In the 19th century the Pawnee tribe was composed of relatively independent bands: the Kitkehahki, Chaui, Pitahauerat, and Skidi. Each of these bands occupied several villages, which were the basic social unit of the Pawnee people.

Like many other Plains Indians, the Pawnee traditionally lived in large dome-shaped earth-covered lodges during most of the year, opting for tepees while on bison hunts. Pawnee women raised corn (maize), squash, and beans and were practiced in the art of pottery making. Horses were first introduced in the 17th and 18th centuries from Spanish settlements in the Southwest.

Pawnee class distinctions favoured chiefs, priests, and shamans. Each chief of a village or band had in his keeping a sacred bundle, a hide-wrapped collection of small ritualistic items of importance to the group. Shamans were believed to possess special powers to treat illness and to ward off enemy raids and food shortages. Priests were trained in the performance of rituals and sacred songs. Along with shamanistic and hunt societies, the Pawnee also had military societies.