Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE AMERICAN BISON
The American bison, the largest land mammal in North America, is
divided into two subspecies: the plains bison and the wood buffalo.
During the 19th century, 30 to 70 million plains bison roamed the
great North American prairies, and Aboriginal peoples drew most of
their subsistence from them: food, clothing and skins to cover their
dwellings. At the same time, some 170,000 wood buffalo lived in
the northern portions of what are now the provinces of Alberta and
British Columbia and the Northwest Territories.
The wood buffalo is much larger than the plains bison; its forelegs are
almost bare, and its forelock falls in long tufts over its forehead. The
plains bison has a long mane that reaches below its chest, and its coat
forms a thick tuft between its horns.
After the arrival of the Europeans, governments wanted to extermin-
ate the bison because the species, along with the Aboriginal peoples
it fed, was hampering the progress of civilization (most notably that of
agriculture). They almost succeeded in attaining their goal: in 1895,
there were fewer than 100 bison in the United States and around
300 in Canada, but there were still plenty of Aboriginals...
The country's national parks were eventually created to protect the
surviving bison and allow them to reproduce. Elk Island National Park,
located around 65km east of Edmonton, the capital of Alberta, is to-
day home to some 600 plains bison and 350 wood buffalo. Wood
Buffalo National Park, which stretches over northern Alberta and the
southern Northwest Territories, is home to over 2,000 bison.
When the bison numbered in the millions, Aboriginals used various
hunting techniques, including forcing the bison to throw themselves
off a cliff and killing them through hunting with horses and guns. The
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, located around 15kms northwest of
Fort Macleod, Alberta, is one of the best preserved sites in North
America where Aboriginals, along corridors fl anked with rocky cairns
they had created, forced bison to jump off a cliff not far from a vast
pasture. This was before the arrival of the horse (and the European
colonists).
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The majestic bison. © Travel Alberta
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