Bison (Buffalo)

Largest mammal in North America extensively slaughtered in the 1870s and 1880s for hides, meat, and tongues.
When Europeans arrived in the new world, two subspecies of bison roamed much of the North American continent— north to south from present-day Canada into northern Mexico and west to east from present-day California to the Appalachian Mountains, northern Florida, and Pennsylvania. The most prolific of the species was the Plains bison (Bison, bison, bison), which roamed the plains and prairies. The wood or mountain bison (Bison, bison, athabascae) thrived in the Rocky Mountains. Bison population peaked in the mid-nineteenth century. Although scientists and historians have had difficulty determining exact numbers, most accept that the plains species totaled between 30 and 70 million and the mountain variety between 3 and 5 million.
The bison was critical to the survival, advancement, and development—both physical and spiritual—of the indigenous populations of the North American plains. Native peoples organized massive hunts and then used all parts of the animals for everything from food to shelter to utensils. Immediately following a kill, the tribes had what some have described as a feeding frenzy, eating some parts of the bison raw. They made jerky and pemmican via a process somewhat the most important source of funding for small and medium-sized businesses, the financial intermediary used most often by the general public, and a major player in the money supply process. Although credit unions have existed in the United States since 1909, their primary function is to serve members as credit cooperatives. Credit unions were healthy into 2003, but they do not fulfill many of the functions of banks.