Ken Burns' Documentary Explores the Bison's Slaughter and Redemption in The American Buffalo

 

Ken Burns' Documentary Explores the Bison's Slaughter and Redemption in The American Buffalo

Sometimes it appears as if the Earth, deeply affected by the tragedy of the American buffalo, regurgitates the remnants of this magnificent creature. The ongoing discovery of buffalo bones emerging from the earth is a testament to their historical significance. My own connection with this story began in 1999 when I unearthed my first buffalo skull at an elevation of 9,000 feet in the mountainous terrain of southwest Montana. Radiocarbon dating placed the buffalo's death at around 1770, a time when these creatures still roamed the American landscape in abundance, with an estimated 30 million of them.

During that era, legendary hunter Daniel Boone was encountering American buffalo, scientifically known as Bison bison, as far east as Kentucky and North Carolina. The Native American populations inhabiting the area where I found the skull remained largely unaware of the encroaching Europeans, most of whom they had heard of but not yet seen. Little could they have imagined that these newcomers would eradicate the herds that had sustained them for countless generations in just over a century.

My quest to unearth the buffalo's past continued as I discovered more and more bones. Buffalo vertebrae emerged from the banks of the Yellowstone River, their distinctive hump-like spinous processes a testament to the species. Further exploration led me to find two buffalo skulls in a Yellowstone tributary, one protruding from the riverbank, and the other nearly complete, submerged in ankle-deep water, with juvenile crayfish inhabiting its sinus cavities.

In Fort Benton, Montana, I embarked on an interview for Ken Burns' latest documentary project, "The American Buffalo," which is set to premiere on PBS on October 16. Throughout his prolific four-decade career, Burns has been a storyteller, delving into the narratives that have shaped America's identity and sometimes haunted its soul. Exploring the intricate and centuries-long story of the buffalo's near-extinction provides fertile ground for Burns to excavate.

Burns confided that he and his team had contemplated the subject of the American buffalo for three decades before embarking on the documentary. Some projects take time to mature, he noted, and he keeps numerous ideas in his mind. Prioritizing them is not an organized process, he mentioned; rather, ideas are like numbered Ping-Pong balls in a lottery machine, bouncing around until one drops into the heart.

It is a testament to the richness of the buffalo's story that a two-part, four-hour documentary on the American buffalo can focus on more than just the animals themselves. The film briefly touches on the species' evolutionary history, spanning millions of years and continents, giving little more than a minute's consideration. Notable facts, such as the buffalo's remarkable cold tolerance surpassing that of Tibetan yaks, remain unmentioned.

Instead, the documentary transcends into a human story nested within a narrative about animals. As Burns put it, "It's the story of us," encompassing both the uppercase U.S. and lowercase us humans.

Burns prioritized collecting the perspectives of the humans entwined in the buffalo's tale. He emphasized the importance of centering Native American experiences and learning to "get out of the way" to tell a more inclusive story. Native Americans had a profound, 12,000-year-long relationship with the buffalo, and Burns acknowledged that "maybe they understand some things."

The documentary explores these Native American experiences through archival photos, Native artwork, and footage of present-day buffalo herds. Historical figures' voices, including quotes from the Crow medicine woman Pretty-shield, the Cheyenne prophet Sweet Medicine, and the Kiowa chief Lone Wolf, provide historical context. Modern commentary is contributed by tribal members, adding depth to the narrative.

Throughout the film, living writers and historians provide insights, adding a brisk pace to the storytelling. The documentary seamlessly weaves the buffalo and the Indian narratives into a single thread, recognizing the shared history of suffering, manifest destiny, and the struggle for survival.

In the early 2000s, while researching a book on the American buffalo, I visited a late Pleistocene kill site in Folsom, New Mexico. There, hunters skillfully corralled and slaughtered at least 32 bison in a narrow canyon, methodically processing the animals. This efficient hunting technique served as a glimpse into the ancient relationship between humans and buffalo.

The arrival of Europeans in the New World led to a drastic shift in the equilibrium that had existed for 10,000 years between Native Americans and wildlife, a period often referred to as the "period of Native America." However, the European arrival in the 18th and 19th centuries marked the collapse of Indigenous lifeways on the plains and the near-extinction of the buffalo herds. This collision of two narratives led to profound consequences for both the buffalo and the Plains Indians.

The documentary does not shy away from exploring this pivotal moment in history. Instead, it intertwines the stories of the buffalo and the Indian, recognizing the complexity of their shared fate.

The era of unrestrained buffalo hunting eventually came to an end when the United States ran out of buffalo. The last major slaughter occurred in the winter of 1881–82 when the Northern Pacific Railroad reached eastern Montana, tapping into the last stronghold of the northern buffalo herd. Between the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers, hide hunters exterminated the remaining million or two buffalo. Some held onto the hope that more buffalo would come from the north, refusing to accept their disappearance, while others had to face the reality that the buffalo were gone.

By that time, the Plains Indians were similarly confined to reservations, and Burns' documentary refuses to see this as mere coincidence.

Today, the buffalo no longer faces genetic extinction and has made a remarkable recovery. There are an estimated 400,000 buffalo in North America, with around a quarter-million in the United States. The majority are privately owned by ranchers and Native American tribes, but public herds exist in places like Alaska and Arizona, where they live freely, interacting with natural predators and surviving without human intervention.

Ken Burns sees the buffalo's story as unfolding in three acts. The first act explores the buffalo's history, its relationship with Native Americans, and its near-extinction in the 19th century. The second act delves into the efforts of a diverse group of individuals to save and protect the buffalo. In this act, the film also exposes the bigotry of historical figures like William T. Hornaday and Theodore Roosevelt. These individuals played a pivotal role in both saving and exploiting the buffalo, and the film doesn't shy away from the complexity of their motivations.

The third act of the buffalo's story remains outside the documentary's scope, focusing on current efforts to further restore and preserve the buffalo population. These efforts, often led by Indigenous people, aim to create a more balanced ecosystem that supports the buffalo in their natural habitat.

Ultimately, the success of this endeavor relies on social rather than scientific factors. Whenever attempts are made to provide room for buffalo to roam freely, they encounter significant human resistance. Ken Burns' documentary is expected to contribute to the ongoing struggle to protect these iconic animals. In his quest to tell the story of the American buffalo, he touches the hearts of those who watch.