The Pawnee loved the stars. There was no ceremony that did not have some connection with the stars. They are also credited with being the best scouts on the Plains. Their young warriors could make a call that sounded exactly like a wolf. Their scouts seemed to almost have the power to be invisible. Be it day or night, it was rare a Pawnee scout was spotted.

The Plains people did not have a written language of words and letters. They used pictures and symbols. Although they had a spoken language, when the early European explorers entered the plains area, they created a sign language. At one time, there were over 3000 different signs. Each had a meaning.

Smoke Signals: Smoke signals were another form of communication. The plains are flat. You could see a smoke signal for miles. By changing the puffs of smoke from short to long, they could send a message. Sometimes the message was one of warning. Some were simple messages like, "Come on home. It's time for supper!" Fire Signals: Fire signals were used at night. These were motion signals made by running in front a fire, or running around it. Indian scouts could read these messages easily. One of the uses for fire signals was to tell other tribes of danger. Running around the fire meant "go away, get out of here."

Blanket Signals: Warriors used blankets to communicate to someone who could see them, but might not hear them. A wildly waving blanket told of danger. It gave the tribe a few precious extra minutes to get ready for an attack. Mirror Signs: The Plains people did not invent the mirror. The white man brought the mirror with him. The Plains people put mirrors to good use. They traded for them with traders who might have thought the Plains people wanted to see themselves in a mirror. Not even close. They wanted mirrors to use to send signals in the daytime - signals that could be seen for miles - streaks of reflected sunlight, which could be read as easily as puffs of smoke. The mirror was instantly portable. They could send a signal on horseback, and be miles away in no time.

Sign Language: Not all the Plains people spoke the same language. To communicate with other tribes, they developed a sign language, a language of hand movements. Over time, the same signs were used all over the Plains area. Usually, each band had at least one sign talker. The "talkers" understood over 3000 different signs. Some of the "talkers" could sign faster than you could speak. When Europeans first started entering the Plains region, various tribes communicated with these early explorers using sign language.

A tepee (tipi, teepee) is a Plains Indian home. It is made of buffalo hide fastened around very long wooden poles, designed in a cone shape. Tepees were warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Some were quite large. They could hold 30 or 40 people comfortably.

Inside the Tepee: There was a small fire in the center for cooking and for warmth when needed. Tepees had an open space at the top, a little off center, to let the smoke out. When it rained or snowed, the men were sent outside to wrap an extra piece of hide around the top of the tepee. The men always left a little room for the smoke to get out. The Plains people used little furniture. They slept on buffalo skins on the floor of their homes. Tepee Etiquette: If the entrance flap was open, it was an invitation to enter. If the flap was closed, you needed to announce yourself and wait for an invitation to enter a tepee, even if you lived there. A guest always sat to the left of the head of the family, who always sat the farthest from the door flap. These were rules that everyone knew and everyone followed.