November 2 - Bison Day

nPosted on November 2, 2019

Key Points

n(First Saturday of November)

nOften called “buffalo,” the American bison was an important animal in the history of North America. For the Plains Indians, bison were an important source of meat, bones for toolmaking, hides and hair for shelter and clothing, horns for containers and implements, and more. The Native Americans not only hunted bison and relied on bison in many ways, bison also figured into their religious practice and ceremonies.

nCertainly some European Americans who settled the plains also killed bison for food and hides (and other reasons – including sport) – and bison remained a symbol of “The West” for many even as guns and disease started to kills off the herds precipitously.

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By the end of the 1800s, there were only about 1,000 bison left. This highly endangered species was protected in Yellowstone Park and also raised on ranches. Nowadays there are about 3,000 bison in Yellowstone’s herd, and there between 150,000 to 200,000 bison in the U. S. altogether. They are no longer endangered!

nThere have been two campaigns to honor the bison in recent decades. One was to make it the national mammal of the United States – and that campaign succeeded when, in 2016, President Obama signed a law making it so. The second campaign was to make the first Saturday of November an official holiday called Bison Day. That hasn’t happened yet, but the Senate has passed a resolution that declares Bison Day that particular year. I think that signal of approval means that Bison Day has lots of support and will eventually be enacted into law.