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Buffalo Requiem: Indian ceremony honors slaughtered bison. By Brett French. Billings Gazette.
The Billings Gazette did a major story on the Native American ceremony to honor the 1500 plus Yellowstone Park bison the Montana Department of Livestock has killed this winter.
Related: Change in bison policy comes slowly. By Brett French. Billings Gazette. This is about Rosalie Little Thunder, bison activist.
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Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan’s Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of “Hiking Idaho.” He also wrote “Beyond the Tetons” and “Backpacking Wyoming’s Teton and Washakie Wilderness.” He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
Comments
I wish that I could have been there, while not a spiritual person I have always found these ceremonies moving. Thanks to Chief Arvol Looking Horse and Rosalie Little Thunder for making this happen.
I find it odd that the article mentions that “News media were not allowed to photograph, videotape or record the ceremony” then they post a video anyway. Seems rather disrespectful but that’s what I have come to expect from the Billings Gazette.
The article calls brucellosis a virus. Not true, it’s a bacterium.
Buffaloed,
There were times where video was allowed and even encouraged by the Chief; there were other moments when it was not. The ceremony itself had no recording, though one reporter seemed to keep noting everything on paper, which seemed strange during that part of it.
It was very moving. There’s another account of the day here from a non-mainstream media standpoint:
http://www.yellowstone-online.com/2008/04/prayer-ceremony-for-yellowstone-buffalo.html .
Again – the Chief encouraged taping and photographing before the “Ceremony” started, about 30 minutes or so of him talking. They want their story to reach as many folks as possible – all in the name of change.
I have so so many emotions about being there yesterday, I will narrow it down to these two:
When I laid my hand upon the skull and the wind whipped hard and cold, I saw hundreds and hundreds of buffalo stampeding off that plateau, which we were now standing on, into the tall,green grasslands of forever. Let’s just say they made on hell of an exit.
Two, we’re smarter than this people – I swear to God I know we’re smarter than this.
ps – I hate typos: “Let’s just say they made “one hell of an exit”.
Also, the story on the link listed above says it all.
That’s good to know, thank you.
I’ve been pretty good about not letting this get me upset and I would have lost it yesterday if I had been there. I’m trying to not get too emotional about this but it’s hard. I have seen a lot of buffalo captured and hauled to slaughter, wolves killed, and tried to remain as emotionally detached from the things that I’ve seen but it is becoming harder and harder by the day. I am not impartial about this stuff but I try to remain rational about it. I may not always be that way though. I think I’m rambling.