Before they obtained guns from whites, Plains warriors fought their enemies in close combat with heavy war clubs or from a distance with bows and arrows tipped with stone points.
Another popular weapon was the lance, a spear with a shaft as long as ten feet that a man on horseback could use to stab an opponent. Warriors also often carried shields.
They painted their shields’ hide coverings with designs or animal images that the warriors believed gave them special power in battle.
