They Made It Their Own (Poem)

 

They Made It Their Own

I assended to the high Country and from an eminance, I had a view of the plains for a great distance. from this eminance I had a view of a greater number of buffalow than I had ever Seen before at one time. I must have Seen near 20,000 of those animals feeding on this plain.” - Captain Clark

The Sioux, Lakota, 

Blackfoot, Cheyenne, 

Comanche, Osage, 

and Metis forged their spiritual connection

Man to Bison,

Where did the animal end, the human begin,

Herds of millions, forging the plains,

Roaming to endless horizons for thousands of years.

Nothing impeded their numbers, their flow and power,

Bison as relative, teacher, gift of the “Great Spirit”

embodiment of strength, resilience,

abundance, generosity and gratitude.

Humans and Bison evolved together, 

one ecosystem,

one soul.

The flesh, blood and spirit of the bison

Part of the people, 

bison for survival, clothing, bedding, 

tools, household items, 

their spiritual well-being, 

in creation stories, prayers,

healing.

The Long Knives, forced marches and genocide 

the Trail of Tears, 

Blue Soldiers fought endless Indian Wars, 

defeated the natives, annihilating a way of life,

Ending a people and their herds.

Remains now only bleached mounds of bones until

Millions become a few. 

Railroads ran where bison once roamed.

A horrid shrine to a lost creation.

They settled the West; they made it their own.

“God bless America.

The Land of the Free

The Home of the Brave”

“(the whole region) was covered with one enormous mass of buffaloes. Our vision, at the least computation, would certainly extend ten miles, and in the whole of this vast space, including about eight miles in width from the bluffs to the river bank, there apparently was no visa in the incalculable multitude.”

Naturalist J.K. Townsend