NATAMST 90 Lecture Notes - Lecture 30: Clark Fork River, Gros Ventre, American Bison

• School: Berkeley
• Department: Native American Studies
• Course: NATAMST 90
• Professor: Diane Pearson

Document Summary

Bison bison; american indians and a cultural icon. Going to buffalo: indian hunting migrations across the rocky mountains: part 1, Making meat and taking robes -- william e. farr. Mounted cavalcades of indian people from west of rocky mountains made way eastward to hunt buffalo for food & hides on short-grass plains near missouri, Western indians competed for access to immense herds of migrating buffalo with welter of plains people, especially those belonging to blackfoot-speaking tribes & their allies, the gros ventres & sarcees. Encountered crows, plains crees, gros ventres & sioux. Possessed absolute passion for going to buffalo . Continue these hunts until early 1880s, when increased hunting already exterminated american bison. Buffalo country was fought over or reluctantly shared as established buffalo commons. Indian experiences in going to buffalo were recognized by contemporaries as sophisticated & necessary. Only portions of tribal peoples committed themselves to distant & uncertain enterprise.