Prayer ceremony for Yellowstone buffalo: What a blustery wind can evoke
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This winter, the buffalo in Yellowstone have suffered enormously, mostly at the hands of the government. To date, at least 1,598 buffalo have been killed, others have been sent to quarantine or are being held in capture facilities. Hundreds more have been dying from the harsh Yellowstone winter. This is a record number of killings. From a total of 4,700 buffalo counted in the fall, the number fell to 3,000 by the end of winter. Since then, at least another 400 have been killed.
This is a travesty, one that has been completely unnecessary. I'm not going to talk about why this is in fact a travesty; there are a million places where the sordid issues and non-issues have been sorted out. I have certainly written about it many times this winter; others have made what seems like a lifetime making the case against the slaughter of wild buffalo.
Instead, I want to focus on the prayer ceremony in the context of the buffalo and in the context of the struggle to end this travesty. While I cannot speak directly to the specifics of the ceremony itself - out of respect for our Lakota friends who asked that the prayer part of the event not be recorded (to which I must assume written recording as well) - I can speak directly to the atmospherics of the prayer ceremony as they relate to where we are now.
Just over 100 people came down to Stephens Creek for the prayer ceremony on a cold and very windy day. Walking with a friend to the spot of the prayer ceremony, which was within view of the capture facility, the wind kept bringing to mind the thought, "Are you sure you want to be here? This is a hard place to be." And, it was hard. Not quite in my view were buffalo being held. All around us were elk and buffalo scat, though neither in sight. You can't get past the idea that these buffalo are almost certainly dead or captured. In a stunning landscape, I found it impossible to ignore the contrast of such beauty and such horror. In me, I felt quite a bit of sorrow and yet at the same time the usual sense of captivation by a place, a place where every inch draws me in.
In the significant group of people who formed the prayer circle were friends and strangers. For me, they were mostly strangers. While we are all drawn together by the buffalo, we are dysfunctional in our familial and community relationships. Who are these people who care as I do about them? What brings us here? Why have we wandered together without knowing each other? It can't help but remind me of what former Yellowstone ranger Bob Jackson talks about when he mentions the familial structures of buffalo herds and how they have been torn apart by the way Yellowstone slaughters animals and sends others to quarantine facilities. Humans too are a scattered and chaotic bunch, and yet here we are trying.
And, yet less so than before. There were familiar faces, people in Buffalo Field Campaign that I've been getting to know, hugging me, telling me how proud they are of us in Bozeman for putting a bison advocacy group together, telling me in quiet whispers how much I belonged in Montana. There were faces in the crowd becoming familiar, not quite so strange. Can a herd be reconstituted after there has been so much stress, so much forced movement? I think that it is possible. From the Lakota and other indigenous tribes who have struggled to maintain their traditional ways following the wake of centuries of genocide, to the buffalo who were wiped off the planet as a chapter in that genocide, and from all of us who have been scattered about, there is hope. And, what better place for hope to be redeemed than in the magical land of Yellowstone.
Chief Arvol Looking Horse spoke before the prayer ceremony in Lakota, which was then translated into English. Besides the occasional familiar word, like tatanka, for me, it was a struggle, much like the struggle he talked about. Hearing through a strong and cold wind, distracted by a large circle of people, faced with an imposing though gorgeous landscape, and right next to the buffalo capture facility made concentration difficult. I could sense, though, that there was a call to change, a call to make right our relationship with the buffalo. All of that could be expected, but the feelings of place, of people, of connection to land and animal - all that one can feel in a moment - you cannot prepare for that. You hear in another language, but that's merely a sign of a larger struggle of connection. It could be powerfully clear in moments, even if I could not catch or remember every word.
I mention that we were able to see the capture facility, though it is currently closed to the public. For this ceremony, the Park Service, represented here by three rangers, allowed us access within several hundred yards of the facility. Two of the rangers showed an active interest in the ceremony, and all to some extent participated. It's hard to understand the conflicts of people enforcing policies that make little sense. I wonder if they could hear people in the crowd talking about what was happening. I could hear, "Worst superintendent ever," and "Biggest interagency nightmare ever." We hear all the time that no one who is a ranger actually supports the buffalo slaughter. Yet, it happens, and some of these rangers carry it out, perhaps out of fear of losing all that they've fought so hard to attain for themselves professionally. And, yet, how is that fear broken or the power that produces that fear?
Since moving to Bozeman at the end of December, I knew that the winter was going to be very rough for buffalo. I knew that the census of 4,700, which was a very high total, meant disaster for those buffalo who have been reduced by policy makers to a disease control issue. Unfortunately, I was right. It didn't take me long to get involved, to meet Buffalo Field Campaign, to meet new people in Bozeman interested in this issue, and begin organizing. It's been wonderful to have the support of Buffalo Field Campaign and the encouragement of members of that group. They are out there witnessing this, suffering as the animals they care about are being destroyed. I've become convinced that they need much more support from the local communities around them if they are going to make it. Seeing more than 100 people at a prayer ceremony suggests that the potential is there. And yet, it's hard not feeling that all efforts are too little, too late no matter what we accomplish in the future.
It was hard not feeling sad. That was reinforced when just before the prayer ceremony began, a Lakota said that the buffalo skull that was to be used in the ceremony had been a Yellowstone buffalo killed on March 5. Somehow, they had attained the skull. In simple honor and yet with a scent of defiance, he reported, "Now, we're bringing him back home." I wanted to cry.
Yet, we were called by our Lakota friends to go with "some peace of mind" and to be happy. It was a hard thought for me, though I think I got "some peace of mind" from the notion of "some." There was still something profoundly beautiful about this place, about this circle, about the spirit of support for a creature that has had a pretty rough 200 years. To be told that by people who are still suffering some of the worst conditions on the earth, the Lakota people, perhaps gave me a little more. And, yet, not full peace of mind. In me was a raging sense of loss, a sense of agitation about the challenges ahead, and a mind consumed by organizing support for the buffalo. When a Lakota woman, who was part of the ceremony, said to one of us nearby, "You are true buffalo warriors," I was struck by the distinction of peace of mind with being a kind of warrior. What an interesting thought; there was perhaps some peace of mind in that.
And, as we filed off, many to go to a lunch, my friend and I to return to Bozeman, the organizing continued. I spoke with Mike Mease of Buffalo Field Campaign about organizing ideas in Bozeman with our new group. At the same time, I was disappointed that I wasn't able to meet contacts with Gardiner's Bear Creek Council. Can prayer and the business of organizing be of the same spirit? I don't see why not. It can feel disjointed to be part of a cathartic experience and then instantly turn one's mind to the business of empowering people to take action. But, for me, I hardly have felt more alive in life than when I'm engaged in that process. It can, at the best of times, feel very soulful. And, besides, I don't sense time to reflect by myself when there is energy to act.
Cold, blustery, and difficult, but it all seemed very necessary. I'm thankful for the Lakota and Chief Arvol Looking Horse for coming so far to pray for the buffalo and for bringing home to Yellowstone a more beautiful moment than so many that have happened at Stephens Creek. I am thankful to have been part of it. Yet, the buffalo keep dying. For those that are still living, many of us feel the call to keep acting. It isn't that the buffalo are the everything of existence, the be all and end all of action, it's just the place where some of us have wandered. It is connected to atrocities of all types, and doing something about this - if done with a heart and mind toward all the others - can change some other dynamics as well; however, it is something deeply experiential that draws us in. Those are difficult thoughts, but the wind and the right moment can bring them home.
Now, it's back to work.
Amen.
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i mean, unless you consider that over four thousand u.s. soldiers have died needlessly over in iraq. or that our economy is spiraling out of control. or that by the end of the century, what used to be florida could be prime ocean front real estate in georgia. or that we're on the verge of world war iii.
but no, you're right. an intelligent person, such as yourself, mr. macdonald, should, for the greater human good, focus their time and energy on saving the buffalo herd in yellowstone. granted, they aren't in any imminent danger of extinction, and with this being the birthing season, their numbers will rise again, but still -- we must all stop and pray for the buffalo. i mean, i too, cry myself to sleep at night thinking of the horrors occurring down in yellowstone, that is, of course when, i can sleep. it just -- it just -- it just tears me up inside thinking about it.
you're a good man, mr. macdonald. thank god there are people like you who have the resources, and lack of conscience, to be able to ignore the real issues affecting the world, and can instead focus on something as trivial as saving the overabundant buffalo herd in yellowstone.
save the buffalo, save the world.
amen to that.
The fight against oppression, the fight against hierarchy, the fight against arbitrary boundaries is the same wherever it is. And, you had better be more intelligent than to trot out the same BS utilitarian nonsense. Your scale is frankly only harmful and does no cause any good.
If you know me, you know I have worked on all kinds of issues of injustice - from the dead in Iraq to homelessness on the streets of cities to looking at atrocities no one bothers to notice (like genocide in the Congo). Would you have us rank injustice?
I'm not asking you or anyone else to take on the buffalo as THE cause celebre. I ask that people take on injustice.
You criticize the use of my energy?! What a waste to write a comment like this - the same old divisive nonsense.
I have no use for people who turn the fight for justice into a petty game of slicing up a pie.
And, if I sound angry, I am. I don't need anyone mocking me and telling me where I should put my freaking energies.
For instance, he cites the problem of global warming above as a larger problem. What are the steps to solving it? I'd say that winning over apolitical and conservative people to an environmental cause is a huge step, and one of the most effective ways is getting them interested in conservation of whales, pandas, polar bears, or the great buffalo that they once saw on a strip to yellowstone. It's pretty easy to prove that a big chunk of public support for the environment started with someone's love for wildlife.
The critical argument above about priorities best applies when some people are actually saying "this is the most important problem" and then it turns out that they're demanding everyone's full attention for something small.
And, had a very good laugh at the person you think is me. I was angry when I thought you were another person on the left trying to promote their own cause at the expense of all others (a poison I've experienced too many times in social movements); I lost interest when you shared more about yourself and your beliefs.
I have a lot more I would say if you were someone worth the time to share it with, but some causes call us less than others (or is it my laziness? hmmm). And, you, don't move me at all now that you've laid your cards on the table.
My own ill significant other, my own little baby, and my own job make dealing with your caricatures and your bogus worldview even less worth my own personal time.
Cheers and best wishes and health to you and your family,
Jim
and if you would like to be specific about atrocities inflicted on the native people of america, then i would like to point out to you that it was not done solely by european invaders. warfare and, let's call it "land-grabbing" among the tribes of north america is well documented. the lakota themselves were from what is now iowa, minnesota, and wisconsin, and when they acquired horses, and learned to ride them, they moved out onto the great plains and displaced tribes that were there before them. the land in dispute during red cloud's war, for example, had previously been crow land. and then there are the many instances of members of one native tribe fighting with the united states government against another native tribe (crow scouts fighting with custer, pawnee joining patrick connor against the cheyenne and lakota, and so forth).
in simplistic terms, whites stole from indians, and indians stole from indians, and both killed whomever got in their way. i find it difficult to say that one injustice is greater than another. it doesn't make it any more right just because two warring factions share the same skin color. sad though it may be, it is human nature to be territorial and to take what you can from whom you can . historically speaking, what happened on this continent was inevitable, and will likely happen again unless people miraculously learn to live in harmony with one another. and therefore, i find the so-called "cause" of the bison to be irrelevant in relation to the "Lakota's struggle against genocide by Euro-american colonialism."
i understand that the bison is important to the culture of many native american indians, but i also understand that the bison in yellowstone are in no danger of extinction, and that while their numbers were greatly reduced this winter, the population is still relatively high and will rebound again in a year or two without the intervention of people like jim macdonald and the buffalo field campaign. when the governments storms into the lamar or hayden valleys and starts slaughtering bison there, then i will gladly step up and stand side-by-side with mr. macdonald, and his people, and fight for the buffalo's survival. but until that time, there are much greater injustices occurring in the world that he and people like him could use their considerable time and energy on.
In addition what U.S. colonialism of the North American continent did was very destructive to the ecosystem we all need to live in. Here specifically the destruction of the bison and the prairie ecosystem went hand in hand with the plow and the cow. The dustbowl and near extinction of many prairie flower species are another adverse effect of industrial agribusiness. Bison were slaughtered wholesale to drive the Lakota onto reservations where they became dependent on the refined flours, sugars, and alcohol of the government subsidies program. Nothing exceptionally nutritious (understatement), though it filled the stomach and the hunger pangs went away..
The descendents of the Lakota today are asking for their treaty land in Nebraska and surrounding states returned to them. Collectively we the people of the U.S. can grant them this wish if we can let go of any learned animosity we may feel culturally towards the indigenous peoples of this continent we call "home", and recognize that this soil of north america that supports our feet once was the home of somebody else and remains the desired home of the living descendents of the Lakota and other tribal indigenous nations..
This site details the recent Lakota secession from U.S. and debunks several responses attempting to disprove and discredit the secessionist potential of the Lakota;
http://memes.org/lakota-secede-u-s-and-all-treaties-not-rumor
The reward for returning the land to the indigenous peoples could be in the form of a returned and restored ecosystem, with millions of bison roaming the plains and rockies, salmon populations recovered and all sorts of wild and edible plants growing on their own without the need for petroleum derived pesticides, herbicides, to maintain the current industrial factory farming approach..
NOTE; The return of indigenous treaty land is not conditional of anyone (immigrants, recent or otherwise) needing to leave the north american continent. Most of the treaty land is either occupied by the military (Nevada Test Site = Newe Sogobia, Treaty of Ruby Valley, 1862) or mining or logging corporations. In the Lakota region land use is mostly large corporate industrial (GMO corn/soy/etc..) agribusiness and/or cattle ranching, as small family farmers were driven off their plots into large midwestern cities by the consolidation process of agribusiness. If anything the Lakota would probably invite small sustainable farmers to return to the plains and share habitat with the bison..
If anyone out there would like to further understand the ecological problems caused by monocultura agribusiness growing GMO corn for cattle feed in the plains region and the dependency on petroleum coming from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, etc.. my suggestion is to take a few moments to read the article by Richard Manning and possibly check out his book "Grasslands" from the local library..
http://www.prairienet.org/gpf/bookreviews/grassland.html
and
http://www.wesjones.com/oilweeat.htm
Peace and blessings to all defenders of the bison. We all appreciate what you are doing, even if we'll only realize this thanks in the future. Dependency on petroleum for agribusiness and the U.S. occupation of Iraq are indeed directly linked. We need a way out, and the bison may be showing us the path..
this romantic notion that buffalo could be returned to the plains so that the lakota could once again hunt as in the old days is totally unrealistic. i'm sorry, but those days are gone . . . FOREVER. more and more people are going to move inland as the coastal areas become flooded due to global warming and all that land that you want back is going to be a very precious commodity.
not only that, but as globalization of the world continues, and people interbreed with one another, there will come a day when there won't be separate races. no more black, white, asian, lakota -- we'll all be a blend of each other. and when that day comes, who owns the right to those treaty lands then? who will be left to revere the buffalo as in days of old?
let go of the past, be thankful for what is left, and quit treating one life form as if it somehow more holy than what it really is.
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yours is not a social movement. it's a bowel movement. you are nothing more than another liberal, white, american, middle-class male with nothing better to do than to whine and complain about how hard a life bambi has, and to think up stupid names for your kids like Summer Sunshine, or April Rayne, or bridge over the River Kwai.
no wonder most of the world hates us. people all over the world are suffering, starving, wondering if it's going to be a land mine, stray bullet, suicide bomber, or just good old-fashioned premeditated murder that ends their life instead of old age; and you have the luxury of getting angered because you initially thought i was another one of your kind trying to steal your thunder? you mean, you people don't even get along with each other?? jesus christ!
i'm the one who's laughing now. how on god's green earth do you take yourself seriously?
i won't pray for buffalo, but i will pray for you.
by the way, i love the censorship here. disagree with your point of view, or offend you in some way, and you take the comments down. obviously you people don't believe in free speech. shows what kind of people you really are.
nice. very nice.
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