Every time I read something about buffalo, that image of the white men on that mountain of buffalo skulls seeps into my brain, and my heart hurts. Love Dr. Anton Treuer. I've seen a few moose in my time--how majestic.
I went to his book event in Northfield and bought it (and one for my son because he went to Bemidji State U.), but I haven't read it, yet. But will! It just won the MN Book Award for YA!
Now I have "Home on the Range" in my head as my musical brain worm! Thanks for that, Jill. ;) It's interesting how we take place names at face value until something jogs our curiosity and we begin to wonder if they actually mean something. Good for you for digging into Buffalo Point and finding that it most likely really refers to bison. And thanks for that tiny glimpse into your past. Now I have a mental picture of you in your married-and-living-in-NY-state years, driving the truck to the Farmer's Market and singing "Home on the Range"--that's a sweet image!
Apologies for the ear worm of "where the buffalo roam." Picture me in dirty overalls wearing a sunhat and a blade of grass stuck between my teeth driving a little red pickup truck.
my theory is that is an area or culdesac where the could be alaughtered enmass. . by the way have youlooked in to garden Island history. There was writtings about it in the new your times and there was a multitribe take over where the sturgen were eliminated. Great thrill to read your reshearch
Gerald, I thought about how the point might be an area where they could be corralled and cornered in a hunt and I think it's worth looking into further this summer. Steinbach in Manitoba has a museum I've never been to and I think they have had some archeological research done in the area.
Garden Island is east of Buffalo Point and a little west of Oak Island. I will have to find out more about this multitribe takeover regarding the sturgeon.
Thanks for reading and I wonder if you have any memories of moose sightings.
I loved this piece. I had no idea about the govt’s concerted effort to starve them onto a reservation. Makes me sick. Those skulls are haunting. But I think you were onto something. Moose and avon ladies are linked.
Some groups are still fighting to support what's left of the buffalo herd. I read just this legislation: "In 2025, the Sierra Club has been actively involved in advocating for legislation to protect bison.... Specifically, the Sierra Club has been instrumental in pushing for the Protect Wild Bison Act, which was signed into law by Governor Polis, designating bison as big game and providing protections against poaching. This act also allows for legal hunting opportunities for Native Americans " Reading this from Sierra Club and then reading your post brought me back to my own childhood singing that same song about where the buffalo roam. I agree with Eliza that the mountain of skulls is chilling and connects us to a brutality that is still honored in this country.
Protect Wild Bison Act in the state of Colorado is an important step in wildlife conservation. Thanks for mentioning ongoing efforts across the country.
"Home on the range" is the unofficial anthem of the Old West. It has a fourth verse I didn't know about until I looked up the lyrics.
"The red man was pressed from this part of the West,
He's likely no more to return
To the banks of Red River where seldom if ever
Their flickering camp-fires burn."
Funny how that part of the song isn't part of our memory.
Yes, to Eliza's comment: "There's always another layer to this nation's brutality and greed." Thanks for writing this, Jill, for having the bravery to look it all in the face, and for giving us that lightness at the end with the moose and the doorbell - it helped me remember that life is made up of moments like that, too.
Ding Dong, Avon calling! It was a moment I'll never forget. Our dachshund was named Rocky and a real-life Bullwinkle came calling. Encountering the wild instilled in me a sense of awe.
That image of those Buffalo skulls and their genocidal slaughter to help control native people is so chilling … there’s always another layer, it seems, to this nation’s brutality and greed. Your stamina for your task here is so impressive, truly.
What scares me is how easy it is for me to ignore the history of brutality and greed and not even think to ask the question of whether or not there were buffalo there. The act of unforgetting, of making the invisible assumptions more explicit, is the task at hand.
Every time I read something about buffalo, that image of the white men on that mountain of buffalo skulls seeps into my brain, and my heart hurts. Love Dr. Anton Treuer. I've seen a few moose in my time--how majestic.
I agree about that image as iconic of what happened to buffalo in history. It is a photographic image that once you have seen it you won't forget it.
Have you read Anton Treuer's novel, WHERE WOLVES DON'T DIE? I though it was a great book for young readers.
I went to his book event in Northfield and bought it (and one for my son because he went to Bemidji State U.), but I haven't read it, yet. But will! It just won the MN Book Award for YA!
You'll love it! He's a gifted writer across many genres.
Now I have "Home on the Range" in my head as my musical brain worm! Thanks for that, Jill. ;) It's interesting how we take place names at face value until something jogs our curiosity and we begin to wonder if they actually mean something. Good for you for digging into Buffalo Point and finding that it most likely really refers to bison. And thanks for that tiny glimpse into your past. Now I have a mental picture of you in your married-and-living-in-NY-state years, driving the truck to the Farmer's Market and singing "Home on the Range"--that's a sweet image!
Apologies for the ear worm of "where the buffalo roam." Picture me in dirty overalls wearing a sunhat and a blade of grass stuck between my teeth driving a little red pickup truck.
Great image! Thanks for the chuckle....
my theory is that is an area or culdesac where the could be alaughtered enmass. . by the way have youlooked in to garden Island history. There was writtings about it in the new your times and there was a multitribe take over where the sturgen were eliminated. Great thrill to read your reshearch
Gerald, I thought about how the point might be an area where they could be corralled and cornered in a hunt and I think it's worth looking into further this summer. Steinbach in Manitoba has a museum I've never been to and I think they have had some archeological research done in the area.
Garden Island is east of Buffalo Point and a little west of Oak Island. I will have to find out more about this multitribe takeover regarding the sturgeon.
Thanks for reading and I wonder if you have any memories of moose sightings.
I loved this piece. I had no idea about the govt’s concerted effort to starve them onto a reservation. Makes me sick. Those skulls are haunting. But I think you were onto something. Moose and avon ladies are linked.
Fine bone china. The bone is buffalo bone. One of the many profitable products created through the slaughter of bison.
Some groups are still fighting to support what's left of the buffalo herd. I read just this legislation: "In 2025, the Sierra Club has been actively involved in advocating for legislation to protect bison.... Specifically, the Sierra Club has been instrumental in pushing for the Protect Wild Bison Act, which was signed into law by Governor Polis, designating bison as big game and providing protections against poaching. This act also allows for legal hunting opportunities for Native Americans " Reading this from Sierra Club and then reading your post brought me back to my own childhood singing that same song about where the buffalo roam. I agree with Eliza that the mountain of skulls is chilling and connects us to a brutality that is still honored in this country.
Protect Wild Bison Act in the state of Colorado is an important step in wildlife conservation. Thanks for mentioning ongoing efforts across the country.
"Home on the range" is the unofficial anthem of the Old West. It has a fourth verse I didn't know about until I looked up the lyrics.
"The red man was pressed from this part of the West,
He's likely no more to return
To the banks of Red River where seldom if ever
Their flickering camp-fires burn."
Funny how that part of the song isn't part of our memory.
Yes, to Eliza's comment: "There's always another layer to this nation's brutality and greed." Thanks for writing this, Jill, for having the bravery to look it all in the face, and for giving us that lightness at the end with the moose and the doorbell - it helped me remember that life is made up of moments like that, too.
Ding Dong, Avon calling! It was a moment I'll never forget. Our dachshund was named Rocky and a real-life Bullwinkle came calling. Encountering the wild instilled in me a sense of awe.
l can imagine!
That image of those Buffalo skulls and their genocidal slaughter to help control native people is so chilling … there’s always another layer, it seems, to this nation’s brutality and greed. Your stamina for your task here is so impressive, truly.
What scares me is how easy it is for me to ignore the history of brutality and greed and not even think to ask the question of whether or not there were buffalo there. The act of unforgetting, of making the invisible assumptions more explicit, is the task at hand.