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Chargement... Blood Memory: The Tragic Decline and Improbable Resurrection of the American Buffalopar Dayton Duncan
   Aucun Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre.  nancyadair | Nov 4, 2023 |  aucune critique | ajouter une critique
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"The epic story of the buffalo in America, from prehistoric times to today-a moving and beautifully illustrated work of natural history. The American buffalo-our nation's official mammal-is an improbable, shaggy beast that has found itself at the center of many of our most mythic and sometimes heartbreaking tales. The largest land animals in the Western Hemisphere, they are survivors of a mass extinction that erased ancient species that were even larger. For nearly 10,000 years, they evolved alongside Native people who weaved them into every aspect of daily life; relied on them for food, clothing, and shelter; and revered them as equals. Newcomers to the continent found the buffalo fascinating at first, but in time they came to consider them a hindrance to a young nation's expansion. And in the space of only a decade they were slaughtered by the millions for their hides, with their carcasses left to rot on the prairies. Then, teetering on the brink of disappearing from the face of the earth, they would berescued by a motley collection of Americans, each of them driven by different-and sometimes competing-impulses. This is the rich and complicated story of a young republic's heedless rush to conquer a continent, but also of the dawn of the conservation era-a story of America at its very best and worst"-- Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
Discussion en coursAucunCouvertures populaires
 Google Books — Chargement...GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)599.64Natural sciences and mathematics Zoology Mammals Land Ungulates BovidsClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne: (4)
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1
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 (