In Appreciation of the Incredible American Plains Bison

What is so special about the North American bison? Simply put, the tale of the Great prairie plains bison of North America has no equal. It is the compelling saga of an ancient bovid species, and their complex relationship with the plains Indians. And their near extinction and remarkable recovery. To make it a casual yet memorable reading for anybody aged 12 and over, the author has endeavored to tell the complex and long history of the plains bison in a very casual language. Except...
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What is so special about the North American bison? Simply put, the tale of the Great prairie plains bison of North America has no equal. It is the compelling saga of an ancient bovid species, and their complex relationship with the plains Indians. And their near extinction and remarkable recovery. To make it a casual yet memorable reading for anybody aged 12 and over, the author has endeavored to tell the complex and long history of the plains bison in a very casual language. Except for a few technical terms for the various, now extinct, ancient species of bison endemic to the continent of the USA, no other tongue-twisting words or phrases are used!
The plains bison of the North American prairies evolved from a species of bison called the steppe bison, which had their roots about 1 million years ago in Europe. This bison crossed into North America from Asia during the Pleistocene epoch, or the Ice Age, some 8,000 -12,000 years ago. Following the herd were the hunter-gatherers, who came to be known as the American Indians.
Next, the fascinating story of bison evolution after the steppe bison in North America is discussed in detail. There were four distinct ancestors of the present-day bison called the Bison Latifrons, Bison Antiquus, Bison Priscus, and Bison Occidentalis. In turn, from these species evolved the plains bison and wood bison which survived till AD 1,500s.
The bison has been the keystone species of the prairies. They were and are instrumental in creating balance in this ecosystem. For the plains Indians the bison became not just a source of food but their spiritual entity as well. An account of how the plains Indians strategized and hunted the magnificent bison is explored in-depth. One of the most heart-pounding way of hunting bison was the" buffalo jump" in which a herd of bison was driven over a cliff and killed. It was practiced since from about 12,000 years go till around AD 1,500. It makes for an engrossing reading.
The story takes a dramatic turn now. When the Europeans arrived in AD 1,500s, there were an estimated 30-60 million plains bison in the US continent. In the meantime, as the Americans were expanding Westward, there were conflicts between them and the plains Indians. The industrial revolution in Europe and the transcontinental railroad expansion in the US in AD 1800s created huge demand for bison meat and hide. Therefore, the US government encouraged amateur, professional hunters, and the army to kill as many bison as possible. Over killing bison was also a ploy to deprive the Indians of their food, shelter, and spiritual needs. By the dawn of the 20th century, the Americans realized their folly in driving the plains bison into near extinction. They were also saddened at the wrongs done to the Indians, the plains Indians, in particular. There was a general awareness in the whole nation. It then took long, painstaking, and continued efforts by the US authorities along with several native American Indian tribal organizations in the country to bring back the bison from total extinction.
This is a sort-of a bird's eye view of the whole panorama of the history of the North America plains bison. It is told with over 120 pictures, graphs, tables, and appendices. Since the author is also a self-taught wildlife artist, few of his sketches and paintings are also included. After reading the book, the author hopes that the reader will appreciate why the plains bison is so important to us.