The Great Herds Before the Horses
By Greg Scott
Long before the first whisper of European presence disturbed the wild heart of North America, the buffalo reigned supreme over the vast grasslands. From the rolling prairies of what is now the Midwest to the open plains stretching toward the Rockies, the great herds roamed freely, their numbers so vast that they seemed to blur the very horizon. These creatures, the American bison, were the lifeblood of the Plains. Their presence was so integral to the land that one could scarcely imagine the prairies without them, as if the earth itself had been shaped to support their mighty hooves.
In those early days, when the buffalo moved in their slow, steady rhythm across the plains, they were more than mere animals; they were a force of nature, a living tide that ebbed and flowed with the seasons. Estimates, based on the rough reckoning of later times, suggest that their numbers ranged between 30 to 60 million, but such figures scarcely do justice to the reality. They were the custodians of the grasslands, maintaining the balance of life through their grazing. And they were the sinews that held the world of the Plains Indians together, providing food, clothing, shelter, and tools with a generosity that seemed as boundless as the sky.
Yet, in those days, hunting the buffalo was no easy task. Without horses, the pursuit of these formidable beasts was fraught with danger and difficulty. The Plains Indians, relying on their cunning and collective effort, developed techniques like the buffalo jump, where entire herds were driven over cliffs, or the careful ambush in narrow passes. These methods were effective, but the scale of the hunt was always in harmony with the herds’ vast numbers. The balance was delicate, but it was maintained, and the buffalo continued their eternal migration, undisturbed by the great changes that would soon come.
The Horse and the Plains
Then, in the 16th century, a new element was introduced to this ancient dance—an element that would transform it utterly. The arrival of the horse, brought to the continent by Spanish explorers, was a turning point in the history of the Plains. For the first time, the Indians had a means to match the buffalo’s speed and endurance, to follow them across the endless prairies and bring them down with an efficiency previously unimaginable.
The horse became an extension of the hunter’s will, a partner in the age-old pursuit that now took on a new and exhilarating dimension. With horses, the Plains Indians could hunt with greater frequency, bringing down more buffalo than ever before. This abundance allowed them to secure their food supply and stockpile resources, transforming the buffalo from a source of subsistence into a foundation for trade and wealth. The great herds were still vast, still seemingly inexhaustible, but now they were subject to a new pressure, as the hunt intensified.
The introduction of the horse also brought about a cultural flourishing among the Plains Indians. The horse, like the buffalo, became central to their way of life, a symbol of freedom and power on the open plains. Tribes like the Blackfoot, Blood, Comanche, Sioux, and Cheyenne became renowned for their equestrian skills, their ability to move swiftly and strike with precision. The buffalo hunt, once a dangerous and uncertain venture, became a grand spectacle, a communal event that reinforced the bonds of tribe and family. Yet, beneath this flourishing, the seeds of future calamity were already being sown, as the balance between the hunters and the hunted began to shift.
The Rise of the Métis
As the 18th century unfolded, a new people emerged on the plains, a people who would play a crucial role in the history of the buffalo. The Métis, born of the union between Indigenous women and European fur traders, developed a distinct culture that blended elements of both heritages. They spoke their own language, Michif, a fusion of French and Cree, and they lived a life that was deeply connected to the land and its resources.
For the Métis, the buffalo hunt was more than just a means of survival; it was the cornerstone of their economy and their identity. The great hunts, held in the summer and fall, were monumental events, involving hundreds of men, women, and children. These were not haphazard affairs but carefully planned operations, with leaders chosen and roles assigned weeks in advance. The hunt itself was a blend of tradition and innovation, with the Métis using both European firearms and traditional hunting methods to bring down the buffalo.
Once the buffalo were felled, the real work began. The carcasses were quickly processed, the meat dried and turned into pemmican—a rich, nutritious mixture of buffalo fat and berries. This pemmican became a vital trade commodity, especially in the fur trade, where it was valued for its durability and energy-giving properties. The Métis, through their organized hunts, became key players in the trade networks that spanned the continent, linking the prairies to the trading posts of the Hudson’s Bay Company and beyond.
Yet, as successful as these hunts were, they too added to the growing pressure on the buffalo herds. The Métis were careful hunters, and tried to ensure that the buffalo would continue to thrive. But their success drew the attention of others—men who saw in the buffalo not a sacred resource, but a source of profit to be exploited without regard for the consequences.
The Plunder of the Buffalo
By the mid-19th century, the buffalo had become the target of a new and voracious kind of hunter—men driven by the insatiable demands of Eastern markets and the relentless push of the railroads. These hunters, often working for large companies or as independent operators, began to slaughter the buffalo on a scale that was both staggering and horrifying. The Metis also became suppliers of Buffalo meat, and skins for those who would pay.
The hides, in particular, were highly prized, tanned into leather for belts, machinery, and other industrial uses. The railroads, snaking their way across the plains, facilitated this slaughter, carrying the hides back to the factories of the East and the hunters out to the plains. Train companies even organized “buffalo hunts” for tourists, where the animals were shot from the comfort of a railcar, their bodies left to rot where they fell.
The impact on the buffalo herds was swift and devastating. By the 1870s, the once endless herds had dwindled to a fraction of their former size. Where there had been millions, now there were only thousands, and by the 1880s, they teetered on the brink of extinction. The slaughter was indiscriminate, driven by greed and short-sightedness, with no thought given to the long-term consequences.
The Fall of the Buffalo and Its Aftermath
The collapse of the buffalo population had profound and far-reaching effects, not just on the land but on the people who had depended on the herds for their very survival. For the Plains Indians, the loss of the buffalo was nothing short of catastrophic. These animals had provided food, clothing, shelter, and tools for generations, and their sudden disappearance left a void that could not easily be filled.
Starvation became a grim reality for many tribes, as the traditional way of life was rendered impossible by the disappearance of the buffalo. Forced onto reservations, dependent on government rations that were often inadequate and poorly administered, the Plains Indians faced a bleak future. The buffalo, which had once symbolized their freedom and independence, was now a painful reminder of all that had been lost.
For the Métis, the collapse of the buffalo herds signaled the end of their way of life as well. The great hunts that had sustained their communities and economies became impossible, leading to economic hardship and the eventual dispersal of the Métis across the Canadian Prairies. Their culture, once vibrant and strong, was undermined by the loss of the buffalo, contributing to their marginalization in the rapidly changing world of the 19th century.
In the end, the destruction of the buffalo stands as one of the great tragedies of American and Canadian history—a symbol of the clash and demands of two worlds, one ancient and living off the land, the other new and driven by a desire for for a new life and expansion. The buffalo, once the heart of the Great Plains, was brought low by overwhelming forces beyond its control, leaving a legacy of loss and a reminder of the fragile balance that sustains all life on earth.