I'm from Saskatchewan and always wondered what happened in the Prairies before horses and Europeans arrived.
If I understand right, the Great Plains were populated by dozens of cultures, most of whom were nomadic (or semi-nomadic) and followed the bison herds. I'm assuming they interacted, traded and fought with each other but did they also have contact with the other non-nomadic groups around them, like the Pueblo, Mesoamerican, Inuit or Mississippi cultures?
Bonus question: Did the role of the Great Plains resemble that of the Eurasian Steppe? Did the Great Plains have a tendency to produce nomadic cultures that would put pressure on their agricultural neighbours?
Thank you all so much!
In the Southwest, Pueblo groups were trading pretty extensively with different plains groups in eastern New Mexico/western Texas at least after around AD1315. We know Pueblo pottery is being traded to these plains groups and that the Pueblos are probably receiving bison hide in return, being an important component in making ceremonial shields for the Pueblo. Pottery isn't very useful for nomadic groups, being heavy and fragile to carry around, and it seems like it was probably what was in the pottery that the plains groups were mainly interested in. Food or perhaps dyes being traded in these bowls and jars would be the most likely candidates.
Of course there are hostile relationships also, as there inevitably are between neighboring groups, but really large scale hostilities don't really begin until horses are introduced. Raiding on a large scale isn't really very feasible on foot, so the relationship between plains groups and the Pueblos (as well as the O'odham in southern Arizona) changes pretty significantly after the introduction of horses. Additionally, sometime in the 14th and 15th century (it is difficult to know exactly when), the first Apaches and Navajo move into the Southwest and off the plains/out of the Great Basin. They aren't technically "plains" cultures at that point since they are living up on the Colorado Plateau and other areas of New Mexico/Arizona, but their relationship to the sedentary agriculturalists in the Southwest is very similar to the relationship of other nomadic groups with sedentary agriculturalists.
I should also note that while under Spanish rule, the Pueblos often made alliances with the Apache and Navajo in order to strike at the Spanish, organizing raids on Spanish caravans or homesteads. So horses weren't the only thing that changes the relationship, but just the presence of the Spanish themselves. The Utes also engaged in frequent trade relations with the Spanish.