A buffalo robe is a cured buffalo pelt, with the hair left on. They are used as blankets, saddles, or as trade items by Plains Indians, the Native Americans from the vast grasslands of the Interior Plains.
Some have been painted with pictographs or winter counts that depict important events such as epidemics, famines, and battles.
From the 1840s to the 1870s, the great demand for buffalo robes in the commercial centers of Montréal, New York, Saint Paul, and Saint Louis was a major factor that led to the near extinction of the species. The robes were used as blankets and padding in carriages and sleighs and were made into buffalo coats.
Only pelts taken in winter between November and March, when the furs are in their prime, are suitable for buffalo robes. The summer hides have their hair removed, are tanned, and are used for dresses, pouches, moccasins, and other useful items. Historically, they were used for tipis.
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