Tatanka

Q: What is the spiritual relationship between the bison and the American Indian culture?
A: It varies from tribe to tribe. However, many of the tribes relied on bison not just for meat, but for shelter, clothing, and a source of utensils, tools, etc. The bison naturally became a spiritual focus for many American Indian tribes. Often, the creation legends of the tribes included the bison. (from Buffalo Nation, by Valerius Geist.)

On my walk today, I stopped by to pay the herd a visit. They were closer to the road today. Apparently, there are eleven of them here in the park and they are all females. Reading from this site, it is probably just as well; while the females weigh a hefty 1,100 pounds, the males weigh in at 2,000 pounds! I have been thinking about this paleolithically. If there was no refrigeration or substantial amounts of salt for curing, then how did a tribe eat all the edible portions before they began rotting? Even if half of a male was considered inedible, that means there was 1,000 pounds of meat on the dinner table that night. I wonder if they dried it?

I made it to the all the way to the Zoo and back – 15.5 miles. It was a gloomy day.