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Primary Source Sets
The Columbian Exchange
An 1891 photograph of a traditional Native American cow shield.

An 1891 photograph of a traditional Native American cow shield.

Cow shields were used by Native Americans as a defensive and protective armor for warriors on horseback. Cow shields were especially prominent amongst the Great Plain Indians. Columbus brought the first cows to the Americas from Europe in 1493. As a domesticated animal, cows were primarily a food source for Native Americans. Additionally, cowhide was used for clothing, tents, and shields. The cow shield in this photograph has green spots on white ground, with blue, red, and yellow lines across center.

Citation Information
“Cow Shield,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/88694bade10d9a1f2885761a676041b9.
Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.
Courtesy of National Museum of Natural History - Anthropology Department via Smithsonian Institution.

Tips for Students

For this source, consider:

  • the author's point of view
  • the author's purpose
  • historical context
  • audience

Item 6 of 13 in the Primary Source Set The Columbian Exchange

Previous ItemNext Item
A drawing of Christopher Columbus.
An illustration of Christopher Columbus’s initial meeting with Native Americans.
An excerpt from the 1815 book The History of the Small Pox by James Carrick Moore.
A drawing of a sugar plantation.
An excerpt from The Potato, a 1917 book by Arthur W. Gilbert.
An 1891 photograph of a traditional Native American cow shield.
An excerpt from a 1672 book describing plant and bird discoveries in New England.
An excerpt from an 1890 book on horse training.
An Aztec codex prominently displaying maize, 1830.
An excerpt from a 1994 book of cultural ecology discussing Spanish missions.
A photograph of a sweet potato plant, 1900.
A fire pot depicting Aztec gods, circa 1325 to 1521.
An eighteenth-century illustration of a tomato plant.

These sets were created and reviewed by teachers. Explore resources and ideas for Using DPLA's Primary Source Sets in your classroom.

To give feedback, contact us at info@dp.la. You can also view resources for National History Day.

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