Josh Hughey

Europeans vs. Native Americans: Buffalo

     This report is a continuation of my first research post.  As a brief review, or possibly introduction, I am opposed to the mistreatment of any culture by another based on the beliefs of the aggressor.  Specifically I am interested in the mistreatment of Native Americans by European settlers in early America.  I am still convinced, as in my first post, that I can understand the mindset of the settlers by examining their acts of aggression toward the Native Americans.   

     Having already explored acts of biological warfare by early Americans I was determined to find another act that was perpetrated by the settlers and extremely detrimental to the Natives.  Though it would be simple enough to explore direct physical violence toward the Natives I wanted to find something different.  Violence, often, does not require much thought, and after all I am trying to understand the mind of the settlers.  I wanted something horrible and detrimental to the Natives, but also something that required planning on the settler’s part.  The one thing that seemed to fit the criteria was the systematic elimination of something many Native Americans had depended on for generations, the buffalo.

     As settlers began moving westward and confrontations with the Native Americans became more common they became determined to gain the upper hand.  Certainly the settlers had noticed that many Native groups depended on the buffalo for many things, including food, clothing, tools, shelter and more.  The idea then got into their heads that the best way to fight the Native Americans without actually fighting them was to take away the source of their survival.  James Throckmorton, a congressman from Texas, was quoted as saying, “it would be a great step forward in the civilization of the Indians and the preservation of peace on the border if there was not a buffalo in existence.”  An American General was also reported to have said that buffalo hunters “did more to defeat the Indian nations in a few years than soldiers did in 50.”  This is easy to believe considering that many train companies let passengers shoot buffalo from the train, often killing hundreds at a time (pbs.org).

     By some accounts there were, at one time, thousands of professional buffalo hunting companies and, depending on the time of year, 50,000 to 100,000 buffalo could be killed a day.  The American government supported all of this extermination of buffalo in order to clear land, clear train tracks, and most importantly to control the Native American population (Affeld). 

     After examining two major attempts by early Americans to wipe out Native Americans it is my opinion, though it is an opinion based on research, that the settlers simply saw themselves as entitled to everything they wanted.  They let their beliefs trick them into thinking that the Native Americans were inferior to them and thus meant to be dominated.  Though that is my opinion I will admit that I really do not know why the settlers went to such extremes to wipe out the Native Americans.

Works Cited

Affeld, Marlene. “The Extermination of the American Buffalo.” Ezinearticles.com (nd.): n. pag. Web. 4 May 2010. http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Extermination-of-the-American-Buffalo&id=1755293

“American Buffalo: Spirit of a Nation.” Pbs.org (1998): n. pag. Web. 4 May 2010. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/american-buffalo-spirit-of-a-nation/introduction/2183/