Barnes & NobleBlood Memory- The Tragic Decline and Improbable Resurrection of the American Buffalo by Dayton Duncan

Fantastic

Do you have to destroy the things you love? George Horse Capture Jr. quoted in Blood Memory When I was a girl in the 50s the Indian head nickel (1913-1938) with the buffalo on the back was still circulating. The model for the buffalo was caged in New York City’s Central Park Menagerie. His name was Black Diamond. No one wanted his care, and he slaughtered for meat. In a nutshell, Black Diamond’s story reflects the story of America’s interaction with the buffalo: holding them as iconic and representational of America while slaughtering them for profit. Millions of these beasts were killed in a few decades for quick money and the thrill of killing. Europeans thought in terms of profit and money, not sustainability. The Native Americans knew the value of the buffalo. Today we understand the prairie ecosystem and the buffalo’s central role in it. But did we really learn anything? We still take and use and destroy and then grouse when it’s gone. From the start there were a few who wanted to protect and preserve the buffalo. Some tried to interbreed them with cattle. Small herds were kept on ranches. One man gave a buffalo to the natives so they could have their Sun Dance. But mostly, people came from far and near to kill them. Some took the hides which were a hot commodity for a while. Some just wanted to kill a huge animal. Some wanted to replace them with cattle, some wanted to destroy the native way of life so they would become farmers. And then they were gone, but for a few. People banded together and created a society and preserves. The buffalo have survived, but diminished, no longer roaming across the wide prairies. This companion book to Ken Burn’s documentary series “Blood Memory” includes 217 color photographs. Drayton Duncan’s text is heartfelt and informative, damning and hopeful. If you loved the series, read it. (I read it first, and plan now to watch the series.) Put it on your list for Christmas giving. Thanks to the publisher for a free book. People–nations–can make grievous mistakes. They’re also capable of learning from those mistakes, of acknowledging them and then deciding to fo in a different direction. Dayton Duncan in Blood Memory