I certainly get the history and relevance of importance of the Bison to the American Indian and why there was a 'protocol' put in place to slaughter bison, not for food but to push back Native Americans onto reserves and restricted zones.
However, to suggest that the 'Wild West' was won by this one action is a little far-fetched.
There is no doubt of the importance of the Bison to the survival of the American Indian, however, to ignore forceful removals, killings, mutilations for reasons not just for mining, land for settlers to settle on or to sell for profits, the exposure to the 'white man's illnesses/diseases(small-pox), alcohol(moonshine), and to insinuate that killing bison was the real reason the west was won is a little far-fetched, ignorant and rather an easy way out.
It is thought that 70 to 90% of American Indians died as a result of the Western Man's diseases, smallpox was the biggest, along with the others: measles, influenza, whooping cough, diphtheria, typhus, bubonic plague, cholera, and scarlet fever.
My point is, the killing of Bison certainly did impact the survivability of the Indian,
however, the bigger picture must be looked at.
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