The bison is a relative newcomer to North America, having originated in Eurasia they, (like Aboriginal North Americans); migrated over the Bering Strait; in their case about 10,000 years ago.
The North American Native belonged to a wholly stone-age culture, not possessing metals of any kind (ornamental gold being the only exception) and although the Inuit (a people believed to have immigrated much later) used dogs, the so called "Indians" did not. The usual draft animals were unknown and neither had discovered the wheel. Theirs was a very primitive culture, a thousand years or more behind most Asian, European, or even African civilizations; but the natives were certainly not stupid and they knew Canada's national game --Survival.
Native bows, not very accurate and designed for close range (100 yard max); in bush or tall grass, were not powerful enough (30-50 lb. pull) to kill a bison --unless possibly-- if the arrow were first shot high into the air and let fall back to earth (a technique used by the English, in military conditions, with their long-bows). We surely haven't forgotten the other lesson learned from the English. We should remember that the short bow was replaced by the long bow that threw a heavy arrow. It was only with the long bows and heavy arrows that penetration of armour was obtained, when short bows and light arrows had proven useless.
First let me be understood. There seems to be no question that a modern 50 pound bow will kill white tail deer and even larger game such as elk and wapiti quite successfully. However, we also know that a .22 long rifle bullet is capable of eventually killing big game but is barred from use for this purpose, because it is NOT considered adequate for the job.
Records show; it often taking up to fifty native arrows to kill a tethered beef animal; which eventually bled to death. But then death is caused by haemorrhage, when using any form of weapon, and the extent of this haemorrhage is determined by the width of the hole cut and by the extent of tissue damage
Even after the introduction of the horse, it is a certainty that far more bison were killed with a lance or spear than ever had been by an arrow. The process of collecting all the necessary materials and producing a single arrow would take up to two weeks; the natives could not afford to loose them. The common weapons of war were clubs, lances, spears and knives made from stone or more often tree bark. The making of a bow string, usually from three strands of fine sinew, was a major undertaking.
Later, after the acquisition of rifles; natives like whites, shot bison from a "stand", and at a distance. Only a complete idiot would chase them on horse back, causing them to stampede away.
Instead the savvy hunter would customarily locate the herd in the early morning, and station himself about 150 yards from it. The animals were always shot broadside through the lungs; and still the bullets would often flatten and fail to penetrate, especially if the animal was matted with mud as they most often were. If done properly, using some care a large number of bison could be felled at one time; usually until a wounded animal attacked another, causing the herd to disperse. Because of the added likelihood that they would only wound rather than kill; head or neck shots were never used,
To get the optimum use out of bison the Natives had a specific method of butcher. The method involves skinning down the back in order to get at the tender meat just below the surface. This is now known as the "hatch" or "hatched area". After removal of the hatched area, the front legs were cut off as well as the shoulder blades. Doing so exposes the hump meat (in the Wood Bison), as well as the meat of the ribs and the bison's important inner organs. After everything was exposed, the spine was then severed and the pelvis and hind legs removed. Finally, the neck and head were removed as one. This allowed the tough meat to be dried and made into pemmican.
Originally, because they no way of splitting them; the thick very heavy bison hides, suitable for machine belts and heavy equipment, were of little use to the natives; other than for what was fashioned into armour for battle. They soon learned from the Europeans however; and while the commercial take of anywhere from 2,000 to 100,000 animals per day depending on the season; vastly exceeded the take by Indian or individual meat hunters; with a hide selling for anywhere between$3.00 and $15.00 at a time when $15.00 a month was considered very good pay, the natives soon learned to take their share..
Even Europeans had trouble handling these heavy hides; which may have been one reason the United States insisted on calling the North American animal a buffalo. They were probably hoping Old Word customers would think they were buying much lighter and more pliable buffalo hides. Professional commercial skinners would drive an iron spike through the nose of each dead animal with a sledgehammer, hook up to a team or horses or preferably mules, and pull the hide from the carcass. The hides were dressed, prepared, and stacked on the wagons by other members of the organization.
As for driving bison off a cliff-only a fool would approach several thousand of these 2000 pound (1 ton) beasts on foot--the natives were not likely to risk the survival of their entire clan by asking twenty or thirty hunters (a very large clan) to risk their lives in doing so; the results of such an attempt were very likely to have been the other way around.
Bison are among the most potentially dangerous animals encountered by visitors to the various Canadian National Parks. Although they are not carnivorous, they will attack humans; especially if the humans are on foot and the bison is provoked. Visitors to Elk Island National Park have learned better than to sound their car horns, if bison are blocking the road. Such action is far more likely to cause them to attack than to move out of the way. Bison may appear slow because of their lethargic movements, but they can easily outrun humans-they have been clocked running at 35 miles per hour and they have endurance. Between 1980 and 2000, over four times as many people have be killed or injured by bison (close to a hundred) as have been killed by bears, cougars and all other predators combined. Bison also have the unexpected ability, given the animals' huge size and body structure, to easily leap over a standard barbed wire fence.
YOU DO NOT HONK YOUR HORN AT THEM.
YOU DO NOT TRY TO CHASE THEM OFF THE ROAD--OR ANYWHERE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER.
Like Americans, bison, can also be rather uncooperative, cantankerous beasts; so often they were not to be found anywhere near a cliff.
Just as wolves killed the stragglers the North American Native on occasion did the same but it was more a matter of opportunity than intent. Why would a society, which depended solely on some form of hunting or gathering, expend the time and energy, and manpower required to prepare a bison hunt (a week or more), at considerable risk to human life, when an equal or greater supply of meat and far more serviceable pelts and skins could be obtained in one day from other sources, and at little or no risk of human life?
I do not dispute that bison were on occasion, herded into large chutes made of rocks and willow branches and then stampeded over cliffs and bison jumps are found in several places in the U.S. and especially in Canada (Head-Smashed-In Bison Jump, just out of Calgary Alberta). These jumps were used primarily after, not before the natives had horses. The hides were used in trade.
Elk Island National Park
After taking these pictures, my daughter wrote "At first I thought this one was dieing; but then I realized what was going on".
Bison, thanks to the efforts of the conservation, are no longer vanishing. On the Western ranges, herds of bison are raised like" beef" cattle and an increasing supply of the meat is coming to the market. Bison, meat is of a finer grain than beef, often just as tender and the liver is a greater delicacy than calf liver. Because bison are generally not finished in feed lots, as are our "beef cattle" bison steaks, and joints, have a pleasantly gamey flavour. The meat is leaner, and should be generously larded; otherwise it may be prepared like beef.
Were it not for the fact that they are extremely hard to slaughter, the bison, native of this country is the ideal "meat" animal. Bison belong to the bovine family and therefore are beef.
As for driving bison off a cliff-only a fool would approach several thousand of these 2000 pound (1 ton) beasts on foot--the natives were not likely to risk the survival of their entire clan by asking twenty or thirty hunters (a very large clan) to risk their lives in doing so; the results of such an attempt were very likely to have been the other way around.Bison are among the most potentially dangerous animals encountered by visitors to the various Canadian National Parks. Although they are not carnivorous, they will attack humans; especially if the humans are on foot and the bison is provoked. Visitors to Elk Island National Park have learned better than to sound their car horns, if bison are blocking the road. Such action is far more likely to cause them to attack than to move out of the way. Bison may appear slow because of their lethargic movements, but they can easily outrun humans-they have been clocked running at 35 miles per hour and they have endurance. Between 1980 and 2000, over four times as many people have be killed or injured by bison (close to a hundred) as have been killed by bears, cougars and all other predators combined. Bison also have the unexpected ability, given the animals' huge size and body structure, to easily leap over a standard barbed wire fence.Even after the introduction of the horse, it is a certainty that far more bison were killed with a lance than ever had been by an arrow. The process of collecting all the necessary materials and producing a single arrow would take up to two weeks; the natives could not afford to loose them. The common weapons of war were clubs, lances, spears and knives made from stone or more often tree bark. The making of a bow string, usually from plant fibre or sometimes three strands of fine sinew, was a major undertaking.Later, after the acquisition of rifles; natives like whites, shot bison from a "stand", and at a distance. Only complete idiot would chase them on horse back, causing them to stampede away.Instead the savvy hunter would customarily locate the herd in the early morning, and station himself about 150 yards from it. The animals were always shot broadside through the lungs; and still the bullets would often flatten and fail to penetrate, especially if the animal was matted with mud as they most often were. If done properly, using some care a large number of bison could be felled at one time; usually until a wounded animal attacked another, causing the herd to disperse. Because of the added likelihood that they would only wound rather than kill; head or neck shots were never used.
To get the optimum use out of bison the Natives had a specific method of butcher. The method involves skinning down the back in order to get at the tender meat just below the surface. This is now known as the "hatch" or "hatched area". After removal of the hatched area, the front legs were cut off as well as the shoulder blades. Doing so exposes the hump meat (in the Wood Bison), as well as the meat of the ribs and the bison's important inner organs. After everything was exposed, the spine was then severed and the pelvis and hind legs removed. Finally, the neck and head were removed as one. This allowed the tough meat to be dried and made into pemmican.
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