ASSINIBOIN

also called Stonies, American Plains Indian people belonging to the Siouan linguistic stock who split from the Yanktonai Dakota before the 17th century and lived during their greatest prominence in the area west of Lake Winnipeg along the Assiniboin and Saskatchewan rivers, Canada. Their name is derived from the Ojibwa (Chippewa) tongue and means One Who Cooks with Stones (they are known as Stonies in Canada). They were closely allied with the Algonkian Cree, with whom they fought almost constantly against the Dakota. The Assiniboin were great buffalo hunters known for their trading of pemmican (preserved buffalo meat) for firearms and other European goods brought in by traders on the Hudson Bay and along the upper Missouri. The encroachment of the British and French caused them to move continually westward into the plains of Canada, Montana, and North Dakota, bringing them into confrontation with the Blackfoot over control of the prairies. The Assiniboin were divided into separate bands, each with its own chief and council. The bands moved their camps frequently in pursuit of the migrating buffalo; before the introduction of horses in the 18th century, they moved on foot and used dog-drawn travois. Women performed all work related to the lodges (tepees), including assembling and dismantling them. Prowess in war consisted of the taking of scalps and horses and of touching the enemy during battle. War-party leaders received their instructions in visions or dreams. In spite of their warrior tradition, the Assiniboin were exceptionally friendly with whites. The most significant religious ceremony was the sun dance, or medicine lodge dance. The power and prominence of the Assiniboin were reduced severely in the 1820s and 1830s by recurrent smallpox epidemics during which thousands died. Their first treaty with the U.S. government was signed in 1851, after which they were placed on reservations. In the late 20th century the Assiniboin numbered more than 1,000 in Canada and were reported to exceed 4,000 in the United States.