Animals (including birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and insects as well as mammals) were crucial to the traditional Arapaho way of life. Animals were the primary source of food, clothing, and shelter, and were also extremely important for tools and implements (elk horn hide scrapers, thread from sinew, bone awls, etc.). They also had important medicinal uses, and many animal parts were used ceremonially as well.
Moreover, animals play a crucial role in Arapaho mythology and traditional stories. In addition, many places were named after the presence of animals or based on resemblance to animal parts (see the Places). In addition, animal images were an important part of Arapaho "decorative" arts motifs, many of which were closely linked to both the mythological and narrative traditions and the Arapaho view of the landscape and their sense of place.
Listen to one Arapaho story about "The King of the Birds"
Key sources for learning about Arapaho animals include the early works of Henry Schoolcraft and Ferdinand Hayden, which contain many older Arapaho names for animals; the ethnographic work of Alfred Kroeber and George Dorsey; and the narratives collected by Truman Michelson, Dorsey and Kroeber in the early 20th century. Additional narratives collected by Zdenek Salzmann offer important information. Two recent collections by Andrew Cowell and Alonzo Moss are valuable in this regard, and Cowell and Moss 2005 has an index of all mentions of animals in the narratives of that volume.
Where no source is cited for information in this website, the information derives from original research with contemporary Arapaho elders, done specifically for this project in collaboration with Dr. Andrew Cowell of the University of Colorado.
FINALLY, please keep in mind that the format of this website - separating out the animals by individual species and taxonomic groups - is done primarily for a non-Arapaho audience. The traditional Arapaho view of the natural world was and still is to a significant degree organic and integrated - as traditional narratives clearly illustrate. Animals were linked to specific ecosystems, specific kinds of uses, or specific narrative complexes.
A NOTE ON HUNTING. Those interested in contemporary Arapaho views on hunting animals may wish to consult Wyoming Wildlife, March 2006, for an article on wildlife management on the Wind River Reservation as practiced by the Arapaho and Shoshone wildlife managers.