Buffalo provided:

Meat, dried as pemmican or jerky, that sustained communities through winter.

A well-prepared winter store of dried buffalo meat could feed a family for months.

Hides, processed by women into robes, lodges, clothing, bags, containers, and trade goods.

The lodge covers — the tipis — that sheltered families were made of buffalo hides, typically a dozen or more per lodge.

Bones, fashioned into tools, needles, sleds, and structural elements.

Sinew, used for bowstrings, thread, and binding.