Buffalo

1
Buffalo

• the buffalo is the chief of all animals and
  represents the earth, the totality of that is
• --Black Elk, Oglala Sioux

2
White Buffalo Woman
Read the book The Legend of the White Buffalo
Woman by Paul Goble. This book can be found in
your teachers resource kit.
3
Vocabulary

• descendants proceeding from an ancestor or
  source
• migration how humans/animals move from one
  country or place to another
• nomadic wandering without a permanent home
• preservation to keep safe from injury, harm or
  destruction, protect
• stampede a sudden charge of scared animals
• technology the way in which humans produce items
  they use, improved at a slow rate

4
Buffalo or Bison?

• Known as buffalo but really is a bison
• Common name is buffalo
• Scientists prefer the name bison
• Scientific name
• Plains Bison-
• Bison bison
• French explorers called them boeuf meaning beef
• English pronounced it buff thus the word changed
  to buffalo

5
Description

• Bison
• any of several large shaggy-maned usually
  gregarious recent or extinct bovine mammals
• have a large head with short horns and heavy
  forequarters surmounted by a large fleshy hump
• Sometimes called a buffalo

6
Buffalo Characteristics

• Hump over front shoulders
• Short
• Sharp pointed horns that curve up
• Massive head
• Slim Hindquarters
• Thick brownish-black hair

7
Buffalo Characteristics contd

• Bull 6 ½ feet high, 12 feet long, 1800-2400
  pounds
• Cow 5 feet high, 10 feet long, 750-1000 pounds
• Give birth yearly
• April-May

• Calves are tended by the female (cow)
• A calf stands up 30 minutes after being born
• Hump begins to appear at 2 months

8
Basic Buffalo Information

• The bison/buffalo came from Asia
• Early bison came from Siberia to Alaska
• Land bridge
• Weighed 5000 pounds
• Over time a trimmer buffalo appeared
• Buffalo roamed the plains (Texas to Canada)
• 13 million buffalo once roamed in Montana
• Greatest concentration was the Great Plains
• Lakota name for the buffalo is tatanka

9
Buffalo Are Survivors

• Buffalo were North American survivors
• They eat plants that cattle wont eat
• In the winter they dig through snow to eat grass
• Eat snow for water
• Have heavy thick coats (winter protection)

10
Plains Indian Information

• Buffalo migrated because they needed grass and
  water.
• Before the arrival of Europeans, Plains Indians
  lived a nomadic life style.
• Followed herds so they wouldnt starve
• Pursued buffalo on their southward migration to
  the Central Great Plains

11
The Great Plains Canada

• In Canada the great plains are part of three
  provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba)

12
The Great Plains States

• The area of the Great Plains in the United States
  includes 11 states.
• The Great Plains consist of prairies and steppes.
• Central Great Plains are called the Great
  American Desert
• The grasses were ideal for the buffalo.

13
Map Activity

• Using your map of the United States, label the
  Great Plains, then color them green.
• Montana
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Minnesota
• Wyoming
• Nebraska
• Colorado
• Kansas
• Oklahoma
• New Mexico
• Texas

14
Buffalo Distribution

• Click on the site below to see how bison numbers
  have declined over time
• As you click on each year from 1700 to 1884
  discuss the change in herd size and possible
  causes
• http//www.carnegiemnh.org/exhibits/north-south-ea
  st-west/lakota/loss.html

15
Buffalo Ranges1870-1889
Licensing through wikipedia.org
16
Questions to Ponder

• Where did the native peoples get the items they
  needed for daily survival, such as food, shelter
  and clothing?
• Today, where do we get the items we need for our
  daily survival, such as food, shelter, and
  clothing?

17
The Importance of the Buffalo

• No part of the buffalo was wasted.
• The buffalo and the plains peoples lived in
  harmony with each other.
• Native Indian people honored and revered the
  buffalo.
• The buffalo gave the tribes everything they
  needed.
• The next three slides show buffalo usage.

18
Some uses of the Buffalo
19
More uses of the Buffalo
20
More uses of the Buffalo
21
Uses of the buffalo

• Use your worksheet
• Piegan Uses of the Buffalo
• Fill in the blanks using the next 5 slides
• Choose 3 for each body part

22
Piegan uses for Buffalo

• Hair and Tail
• Headdress ornaments
• Fly Switch
• Saddle stuffing
• Bridles
• Lodge ornaments
• Club ornaments
• Ball Stuffing
• Rope

• Tendons
• Material for ropes
• Bow Strings
• Material for bow backing
• Snowshoe webbing

23
Piegan uses for Buffalo

• Hooves
• Glue
• Rattle
• Bones
• Arrow straighteners
• Awls
• Dice
• Fleshing tools
• Paint brushes
• Sled Runners

• Internal Organs
• Water containers
• Buckets, cups, basins
• Cooking vessels
• Yellow pigment
• Fat
• Polishing substance
• Mixture for paints
• Ingredient for softening hides
• Pemmican ingredient

24
Piegan uses for Buffalo

• Teeth
• Necklaces
• Dress Ornaments
• Horns
• Headdress Ornaments
• Powder flasks
• Spoons
• Medicine flasks

• Horns
• Ladles
• Cups
• Quill flattener
• Horse mask
• Arrow points
• Tobacco flasks
• Dishes

25
Piegan uses for Buffalo

• Hide

• Ceremonial mask
• Snowshoes
• Armor
• Saddles
• Harness
• Winter clothing
• Floor mats/rugs
• Buffalo dress for hunting

• Doors
• Lodge covers
• Linings
• Moccasins
• Leggings
• Ropes
• Light-weight clothes
• Bedding

26
Piegan uses for Buffalo

• Rawhide
• Repair soles of moccasins
• Covers for meat
• Pounders
• Bullet pouches
• Tobacco pouches
• Drumheads
• War Clubs
• Mauls
• Watering troughs
• Headdress

• Rawhide
• Kettles
• Thread
• Cinches
• Saddle frame covering
• Bridles
• Ropes
• Saddle-rigging strap
• Saddle bags
• Travois hitches
• Rattles
• Shields

27
Hunting Method 1Surround

• Hunters would surround the herd until they were
  able to get close and kill it.
• A human chain was formed
• Spears and arrows were used in this method of
  hunting.

28
Hunting Method 2Impound

• Buffalo hunters would herd the animal into a
  corral or canyon that was made out of logs.
• The hunters would only take a few buffalo at a
  time into the corral/canyon.

29
Hunting Method 3Pishkun or Buffalo Jumps

• No one knows how the tradition of using buffalo
  jumps began
• Some jumps were used 2000 years ago
• A buffalo jump is a cliff-like formation which
  was used to kill buffalo by driving them over the
  cliff
• In the Blackfeet language pishkun means deep
  blood kettle

30
Hunting Method 3Pishkun or Buffalo Jumps

• Pishkun or buffalo jump method of hunting was
  very popular and the most famous method used.
• Now Pause the Slide Show
• Listen to the CD (found in the teachers resource
  packet) a Tale From A Buffalo (running time 10
  minutes)

31
Duties during the Hunt

• Men
• Hunters
• Women
• Tanned Hides
• Prepared Meat

32
The Buffalo Cafe

• Insert CD American Indian Music-More Than Just
  Flutes and Drums
• Track 7

33
Time Line

• 1800
• 60 million bison in North America
• 1820-1830
• Fur traders began hunting buffalo
• 1832
• 150,000-200,000 buffalo robes were marketed
• 1850
• Bison extinct East of the Mississippi
• 1866-1883
• Railroad Construction impacted the buffalo herds
• 1872
• Modern buffalo breeding began with the Pend
  dOreille tribe.
• 1880-1883
• Slaughter of Plains Buffalo

34
Time Line

• 1886
• William Hornaday formed the American Bison
  Society
• 1894
• Congress stopped killing of Buffalo
• 1893
• Great Northern Railroad Completed
• 1900
• Only 2 wild herds left
• 1902
• Yellowstone buffalo restoration program was
  started by the Federal Government
• 2000s
• Many tribes manage their own herds

35
Hunting Influences

• Horses
• With the introduction of the horse the Indians
  expanded their hunting grounds
• Method of hunting changed
• Repeating Rifle
• A new technology
• Replaced the bow and arrows making hunting more
  efficient

36
The Buffalo and the Railroad

• The railroad brought problems for the Plains
  people
• Railroad brought white settlers
• Took part in wholesale slaughter of buffalo
• Shot buffalo for sport from the trains
• Railroads brought rapid change to the Plains

37
Cultural Differences

• Native Culture
• Skilled hunters with bows and arrows
• Life and ceremonies centered on the buffalo
• Hunted for survival

• White Culture
• Used professional hunters
• Stressed an agrarian life
• Hunted for sport

38
The Beginning of the End

• With the loss of the buffalo and changes in
  government policies the life that Native
  Americans had known would change forever. They
  would have to fight for their land and its
  buffalo.

39
First Peoples Buffalo Jump
Photo courtesy of First Peoples Buffalo Jump
40
First Peoples Buffalo Jump

• Used between 900-1500 A.D.
• This site was used before Lewis and Clark came
  through the area
• One of the largest jumps in North America
• Kill site can be seen on the mile long sandstone
  cliff

41
First Peoples Buffalo Jump

• Drive line remnants can be seen
• Compacted bison bones can be seen in the soil
• Now a Montana State Park
• Located near Great Falls, Montana on Interstate
  15 Exit 270 at Ulm

http//fwp.mt.gov
42
Wahkpa Chugn Buffalo Jump

• Pronounced walk-pa-chew-gun
• 2000 years old
• Located in Havre, Montana
• Most extensive and best preserved jump in the
  Northern Great Plains
• Has 20 foot walls of buffalo bones and skulls
• John Bramley discovered the jump in 1962

43
Buffalo Jump Wahkpa Chugn

• This site was used by three different Native
  American groups
• Besant
• Avonlea
• Saddle Butte
• Wahkpa Chugn was last used 600 years ago

• Wahkpa Chugn is located in North Central Montana
  near the Bear Paw Mountains and the Milk River.
• This jump has been on the National Register of
  Historic Places since 1974.

44
Tour of Wahkpa Chugn

• What to learn and see more about a buffalo jump
  in our state. Then take the virtual tour and be
  informed.
• Once you are on the site select the red circle to
  start your adventure.
• http//www.buffalojump.org/vtour.htm

45
Big Medicine

• We will be reading a story.
• As you listen to the story think about these
  questions
• What did Cy Young see out of his binoculars?
• Why did he take a picture of what he saw?

46
Questions

• Was it a true albino?
• What was its first name?
• What did this animal mean to the Blackfeet
  people?
• What was the second name given him?
• Read the story Big Medicine as found in The
  Four-legged Legends of Montana pages 51-57.

47
Post-story discussion questions

• Before his death what foods were fed to Big
  Medicine?
• Why did the Native Americans refuse the meat
  given to them from the carcass of Big Medicine?
• Name the sculptor who mounted Big Medicine.
• Where can you see Big Medicine today?

48
National Bison Range

• Teddy Roosevelt helped to create the National
  Bison Range

http//www.fws.gov/bisonrange/nbr/photographs.htm
49
National Bison Range

• Established in 1909 to preserve the buffalo
• Oldest wildlife reserve in the U.S.
• Around 400-500 buffalo are in the herd
• One can tour this area in the comfort of a car

50
The Buffalo Today

• Read the article A Long Walk to Protect
• http//www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/wr/article/0,2
  8391,57481,00.html
• Now what do you think?
• Today the buffalo is
• Part of the meat industry
• Some tribes have started investing into buffalo
  herds

51
Final Review Questions

• How did the buffalo come to North America?
• Where did the buffalo get its name?
• What is the difference of a buffalo and a bison?
• Why was the buffalo important to Native peoples?

52
Final Review Questions

• Why did the buffalo survive so well in North
  America?
• What kinds of hunting techniques did the Indians
  use?
• How did the use of the rifle and the horse affect
  hunting?
• What was the white settlers view of the buffalo?

53
Final Review Questions

• After the destruction of the buffalo how did life
  change for the Native Americans?
• Where were buffalo jumps located?
• Why were buffalo jumps used?
• Is the buffalo extinct today?

54
Extension Activities

• Click on any of the extension activities for your
  classroom use.
• Extension-Diamonte Poem
• Extension-Buffalo Names
• Extension-Bulletin Board
• Extension-Think Food Activity
• Extension-Big Medicine
• Extension-Buffalo Hide Activity

55
Extension-Diamonte Poem

• Students should create a Diamonte Poem on how the
  buffalo was a survivor.
• Directions
• Line 1 Noun
• Line 2 Two adjectives
• Line 3 Three action verbs that end in -ing
• Line 4 Four Nouns
• Line 5 Three action verbs that end in -ing
• Line 6 Two adjectives
• Line 7 Noun

Back To Choices
56
Extensions-Buffalo Names

• Buffalo Names
• Many geographic places, sports teams, and
  products have the buffalo as their name or use it
  as a logo. They use the word buffalo because of
  its significance in our society and its powerful
  meaning. Now answer the following questions on
  your worksheet. If you used any research sources
  please list them.
• List places (towns, rivers, etc) named after the
  buffalo in Montana and other states.
• List sport teams or schools that have a buffalo
  as their symbol.
• List products that use the buffalo as their
  symbol or logo.

To Choices
Back
57
Extension-Bulletin Board

• Product Bulletin Board
• Design a bulletin board or make a collage of
  products using the buffalo as a symbol or logo.

Back To Choices
58
Extension-Think FoodActivity

• The Plains Indians needed the buffalo for daily
  survival. Others, like the Tlingit needed fish,
  the Hopi needed corn and the Apache needed the
  yucca plant for food supply.
• On the Think Food Worksheet draw a food that you
  need. Once you have drawn your food write a
  paragraph as to why you need this food.
• Upon completion of this project you will share
  your choice with your classmates

Back To Choices
59
Extension-Big Medicine Activity

• Hand your students the fill in the blank activity
  sheet found in the teachers resource kit. (See
  next slide for answers)

Back To Choices
60
Big Medicine Review of Facts

• The Blackfeet assumed Big Medicine was the
  property of the sun.
• He lived his entire life at the Bison Range.
• Before he died Big Medicine was feed steamed
  barley with molasses, high-protein rabbit
  pellets, 2 kinds of bran and tender alfalfa.
• A mount of Big Medicine done by Bob Scriver can
  be seen at the Montana Historical Museum, located
  in Helena, Montana.

Back To Choices
61
Extension-Buffalo Hide Activity

• Visit this website and do any or all of the
  activities
• http//americanhistory.si.edu/kids/buffalo/hideact
  ivity

Back To Choices
62
Works used Books

• Freedman, Russell. Buffalo Hunt. New York, New
  York. Holiday House,1988.
• Green, Carl R. The Bison. Mankato, MN., Crestwood
  House,1985.
• Grisham, Noel. Buffalo and the Indians on the
  Great Plains. Austin, Texas, 1985.
• Hoyt-Goldsmith, Diane. Buffalo Days. New York,
  New York, Holiday House. 1997
• Keoke, Emory Dean. Food, Farming and hunting.
  Facts on File, 2007.

63
Works used Books

• Montana Historical Society. Lifeways of
  Montanas First People. Helena, Montana,
• Montana Historical Society,2002
• Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw. Buffalo The American
  Bison Today. New York, New York. Clarion Books,
  1986.
• Stone, Lynn M. Back From The Edge The American
  Bison. Vero Beach, Florida. Source
  Corporation, 1991.

64
Works usedMedia Sources

• Office of Public Instruction. Long Ago in Montana
  (DVD
• PBS. American Experience The Way West
• PBS. American Experience Transcontinental
  Railroad

65
Works usedMusic Links

• Montana Office of Public Instruction. American
  Indian Music-More Than Just Flutes and Drums.
  Track 7. OPI, Helena, Montana, 2007.

66
Works usedWeb Links

• http//www.angelfire.com/realm/shades/nativeameric
  ans.bison.htm
• http//www.buffalojump.org/history.htm
• http//www.factmonster.com/ce6/sci/A0807699.html
• http//fwp.mt.gov
• http//fwp.mt.gov/lands/site_289135.aspx
• http//fwp.mt.gov/lands/site_282807.aspx
• http//www.digonsite.com/drdig/native/8.html
• http//montanakids.com

67
Works usedWeb Links

• http//www.nativeamerican.com/Buffalo.htm
• http//www.nativeamericans.com/MiracleTheWhiteBuff
  alo.htm
• http//www.sd4history.com/Unit3/buffalouses.htm
• http//www.lewisandclarktrail.com/section3/montana
  cities/greatfalls/ulmpishkun
• http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/terr/tguide/index.htm
  l

68
Works usedWeb Links

• http//www.montana.edu/digital/nadb
• http//www.montana.edu/wwwcbs/index.html
• http//www.u-s-history.com/pages/h941.html
• http//www.ultimateungulate.com/Artiodactyla/Bison
  _bison.html
• http//www.carnegiemnh.org/exhibits/north-south-ea
  st-west/lakota/loss.html
• http//www.northern.edu/natsource/MAMMALS/Bison1.h
  itm