The Pawnee  (Click here for early photographs of the Pawnee)    When the Spanish explorer, Coronado, visited the southern part of Nebraska in about 1541, the Pawnee lived in the Platte River Valley, Republican River, and earlier along the lower Loup River.  By the early 1800s, the Pawnee had about 10,000 to 12,000 people in their tribe. The Pawnee had more people in the Nebraska area than any other Native-American tribe. There were four groups of Pawnee each group had a different name.  They spoke the Caddo language (This language is very different from the other languages spoken by other Nebraska Native-Americans.).      The Pawnee were hostile to the Sioux and the Cheyenne, but were friendly with the Oto.  They were very good warriors (fighters).  Even when the United States government treated them unfairly, they provided the U.S. Army with scouts.  The scouts helped the Army protect the Union Pacific Railroad against other Indian tribes who did not want the railroad to go through their lands.       They lived in large round houses made of earth called "Earth Lodges."  They used buffalo skin covered "tepees" when they were out hunting.  They were a kind of tent.       Women raised corn, squash, and beans. They made clothing from the skins of animals. The women did most of the work in their villages.      Many Pawnee people died from an outbreak of smallpox and other diseases between 1830 and 1840. There were only about 4,500 Pawnee left after the diseases killed so many.          During the 1800s, many treaties were signed between the Pawnee tribe and the American government.  They gave all their Nebraska lands to the government and moved to a reservation in Oklahoma.  Each Pawnee was allowed to own their own land.        In 1990 there were over 3,300 Pawnee in the United States living mostly in Oklahoma. Back