Quote:
Originally Posted by Feuer Frei!
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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That is why I put it the term in parenthesis to imply that I do not agree the idea or the term.In the United States though you will find many that do feel that the West was some how won.
The killing of the Bison had a massive impact on native tribes by wiping out the thing that had the most important effect on their way of life you have a huge impact.The plains Indians where nomads and followed the movement of Bison by killing them off wholesale you in effect kill off the natives.It was not the only thing this is true but it was a very important factor.If you want to control or even destroy a race you have to wipe it and everything about it out wholesale.Killing of the Bison was a very important factor.
You can force people to move but if they see a way to live as they wish (having Bison to hunt) they will do so.By killing of the Bison you take away their ability to sustain themselves in manner that outside the control of the white man.The killing off of most of the Bison was the closing blow.