The Buffalo: The Animal & The Totem
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Published 2024-03-23
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A bison is a large bovine in the genus Bison, within the tribe 'Bovini'. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised. Of these two surviving species, the American bison, 'B. bison', found only in North America, is the more numerous. Although, colloquially referred to as a buffalo in the United States and Canada, it is only distantly related to the 'true buffalo'. The North American species is composed of two sub-species: the 'Plains bison' and the 'wood bison', 'athabascae', which is the namesake of Wood Buffalo National Park, in Canada. References to "woods bison", or, "wood bison" from the Eastern United States refer to this sub-species. The European bison, 'bonasus', or, wisent, or zubr, or colloquially, European buffalo, is found in Europe ..and the Caucasus, reintroduced, after being extinct in the wild. For the sake of a little brevity, this video will focus, (predominately) on the North American 'Plains bison' and the 'wood bison'.
For the Indigenous Peoples of the North American Plains, the bison (buffalo) was their principal food source. They highly valued their relationship with the bison and saw them as sacred, treating them respectfully, to ensure their abundance and longevity. In his biography, Lakota Elder John Fire Lame Deer described the relationship as such: "The buffalo gave us everything we needed. Without it, we were nothing. Our tipis were made of his skin. His hide was our bed, our blanket, our winter coat. It was our drum throbbing through the night, alive, holy. Out of his skin, we made our water bags. His flesh strengthened us, became flesh of our flesh. Not the smallest part of it was wasted. His stomach, a red-hot stone dropped into it, became our soup kettle. His horns were our spoons, the bones our knives, our women's awls and needles. Out of his sinews, we made our bowstrings and thread. His ribs were fashioned into sleds for our children, his hoofs became rattles. His mighty skull, with the pipe leaning against it was our sacred altar. The name of the greatest of all Sioux was 'Tatanka Iyotake', Sitting Bull. When you killed off the buffalo you also killed the Indian, the real, natural, "wild" Indian."
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Many Thanks & Much Respect To: Brother & Sister Buffalo..; InterTribal Buffalo Council..; AmericanIndian.si.Edu..; SpiritLodge.itgo.com..; Ted Andrews (..in Spirit)..; "Animal-Speak"..; En.Wikipedia.Org..; SOUNDS FROM OUR MOTHER EARTH.. and to all the other brothers and sisters who have contributed to this video with photos and/or, in any other way.
Chi Miigwetch!.. Many Blessings & Thanks..!
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