EnhancedSpirit
High Priestess
The white man came and ravaged the land. How can we begin to right these wrongs?
The American Buffalo (also called American Bison; taxonomically correct name = American Plains Buffalo) was brought almost to extinction by overzealous hunters. In the 1800's, about 65 million buffalo roamed the prairies of the Great Plains. Herds were described up to 25 miles long, containing 12 million animals. Possibly the high population was a result of the elimination of other large herbivores that competed with the buffalo for food and space. Native Americans hunted the buffalo for thousands of years without making a dent in the population.
The great buffalo slaughter started with the arrival of settlers from Europe and especially the railroads in the 1860's. As the railroads pushed west, huge numbers of buffalo were killed for meat and hides, and to starve out the Native Americans. A representative of the Intertribal Bison Cooperative describes the buffalo slaughter as a calculated military strategy designed to force the Native Americans on to reservations. Professional hunters shot the animals for their tongues and hides and often left the carcasses to rot. About 2.5 million buffalo were killed annually between 1870 and 1875, and by 1883 the last large herd containing about 10,000 buffalo was slaughtered. Domestic cattle diseases may have also had a major impact on the herds. By 1890, less than 1000 buffalo remained in the U.S. The final refuge for the species was Yellowstone National Park, established in 1872.
Loss of the buffalo and other big prey animals caused wolves to turn their attention to farm animals, leading to organized efforts to exterminate them. Now they are an endangered species and subject of a controversial reintroduction program.
A stack of buffalo hides at a Dodge City hide yard. Commercial buffalo hunters slaughtered the animals by the thousands and left their carcasses to rot on the Plains. Photo courtesy of the Kansas State Historical Society.
The American Buffalo (also called American Bison; taxonomically correct name = American Plains Buffalo) was brought almost to extinction by overzealous hunters. In the 1800's, about 65 million buffalo roamed the prairies of the Great Plains. Herds were described up to 25 miles long, containing 12 million animals. Possibly the high population was a result of the elimination of other large herbivores that competed with the buffalo for food and space. Native Americans hunted the buffalo for thousands of years without making a dent in the population.
The great buffalo slaughter started with the arrival of settlers from Europe and especially the railroads in the 1860's. As the railroads pushed west, huge numbers of buffalo were killed for meat and hides, and to starve out the Native Americans. A representative of the Intertribal Bison Cooperative describes the buffalo slaughter as a calculated military strategy designed to force the Native Americans on to reservations. Professional hunters shot the animals for their tongues and hides and often left the carcasses to rot. About 2.5 million buffalo were killed annually between 1870 and 1875, and by 1883 the last large herd containing about 10,000 buffalo was slaughtered. Domestic cattle diseases may have also had a major impact on the herds. By 1890, less than 1000 buffalo remained in the U.S. The final refuge for the species was Yellowstone National Park, established in 1872.
Loss of the buffalo and other big prey animals caused wolves to turn their attention to farm animals, leading to organized efforts to exterminate them. Now they are an endangered species and subject of a controversial reintroduction program.
