Native American Life on the Great Plains 10 of 11 For centuries,
trade was a major part of the livelihood for Native Americans
living on the Great Plains. The Missouri River provided a trade
transportation route for Native Americans, European, and
American trappers and traders. Agriculture-based tribes traded
surplus food to nomadic tribes in exchange for goods, such as
animal hides, feathers, and meat. The map above shows the
prehistoric trade route between tribes of the Northern Plains.
Fun Fact: The first contact between Northern Plains Indians and
Europeans was European commodities, not the Europeans
themselves, through a network of trade. Photo source: Library of
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