Bison, People, and Plains 

I wanna genuinely thank you. Your work has made me appreciate native history and culture much more than I did before, which is a real shame seeing how I’ve lived in Texas and New Mexico my whole life. Your Chaco Canyon episode really hit me hard because I visited some of those sites as a young child. These people, their cultures and histories should be required curriculum in our elementary and high schools. We focus too much on the frontiersmen and pioneers and too little on the amazing people and civilizations that were here before.

I would absolutely ADORE an episode on indigenous fire regimes. In Southern Oregon, where I live, fire exclusionary policies have devastated our forests. Their composition has drastically changed from the drought and heat resilient pine stands, to overstocked mountaintops of Douglas-fir. This has resulted in a significant intensification of fires, and the deprecation of habitat and harvest-able tree girth and quality. I have a cursory understanding *that* local tribal groups used fire as a management tool, but the details, and broader context both within the local region and the entire continent is wholly lost on me.

We are covering bison in my class this very week! From a small reservation school in the PNW, thank you! My kids always enjoy your videos.

Bro I was getting ready for bed! Now I HAVE to stay up another 45 mins to savor this!

A few years ago my brother and I were on a road trip in the Black Hills of South Dakota. He looks at me while I’m driving and asks if we’d see any bison in the Hills, I say “Probably not, they’re gonna be more in the plains, not up here.” Less than five minutes later I’m proven very wrong and we get a view of one of these beautiful creatures up close (without aggravating it, thankfully.) I’m so glad these animals are starting to come back in larger numbers!

Ancient Americas kino just back on the menu boys 😍

You, miniminuteman, and Stephen Milo all helped me realize I wanted to pursue anthropology and archeology. I’m currently finishing my freshman year of college and couldn’t be any more appreciative of the research and work yall do.

Bison east of the Appalachians are a fascinating and under-studied topic. Its unclear when they arrived, and they don't have a substantial presence in pre-columbian trash pits. But we do know they were there. In the Northeast and Midatlantic, troupes of between a dozen and fifty individuals frequently occupied savanna and river-bottom ecosystems west of the fall line. Its a really unique niche chapter of natural history that I hope gets more attention in the future.

You sir gained another subscriber. I am Plains Ojibwe and Plains Cree from Manitoba. I love bison. My reserve has herd back home. We have two spirit bison as well. I like learning about Indigenous American history. I like learning about my tribal neighbors and tribes far from me like the Amazon and Central America. I just found this channel.

Our reservation in town just got some bison a month or so ago and it brings me so much joy every time I drive past them in the fields ❤

Great video! Thank you for going into detail about Head-Smashed-In. That was really fascinating. I love this format of doing a deep dive into an animal resource.

Now THIS is how you start a weekend

I grew up in Calgary Alberta and I remembered going on a field trip to Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump. I don’t remember hardly a details though. I remember being surprised that it didn’t look like a very long drop, but I guess piles and piles of bison over so many years built up the base. I think they taught us about funnelling the bison, but your explanation really clarified it for me. I have a separate memory of sitting in a Teepee at the Glenbow museum and trying pemmican. Another class field trip.

Bisons, Buffalos, Elks, Moose, Caribous, Bears, Cougars, Wolves, And Eagles are some of the most respected Non Humans by loads of Amerindian Tribes yeah.

Can’t thank you enough for always making videos of indigenous North/South America! Great work as always!

I am persuaded that the die off of the mega fauna was greatly influenced by the Younger Dryas asteroid impact, with the immediate physical carnage, and the consequent return to ice age conditions contributing to their disappearance. Amazing content as always, thank you.

Oh shit! My favorite channel

a video on the stone walls and chambers of New England would be incredible. Ceremonial stone landscapes (CSLs) everywhere in NE, including dolmens, standing stones, balanced rocks, etc

this video is so good, I was genuinely enthralled from start to finish

Awesome late night release from one of the best channels on RU-vid!!!

Had no idea that the call for bison conservation started all the way back in the 1900s, I would’ve thought that was a much more recent thing. I guess seeing such an iconic, special animal disappear so fast horrified even non-indigenous people back then.

Man I can’t express enough how much your work is appreciated. it’s hard to find legit information on Native American History, and a lot of the videos out there go about talking about these things in a mysterious/stereotypical kind of way. The way you go about presenting the information during your videos shows how realistic, curious, insightful, and respectful you are towards the cultures/people/topics you decide to cover. Your channel has been a gem for a while and it doesn’t seem to be letting up soon so thank you for that. if only everyone had your level of consideration!

Anyone who claims that Plains Indians over hunted bison should remember that it was Europeans who nearly drove them to extinction within just 100 years.

You have my subscription because you are one of a few people that I know that know how and when to use the word "wont!" It made my ears perk up when I heard it. Thanks! And after seeing the description of the Bison Jump exercise it is likely that we can ever truly grasp the complicated process used. Yes, it had to have taken a hundred life times to get it done well.

I appreciate your videos and the format you retain. Your videos have improved my life and perspective.

Thank you for the episode!!!!

I absolutely love your content and get so excited when a new video drops. Keep up the amazing work!!

I grew up just down the way from a ranch that had a bunch of bison on it. Always thought they were cool, but I heard some stories of them being pretty destructive when they got out of control a few times and busted through fences. Always been my fav animal, definitely a sort of awesome symbol of the West.

Excellent, with emphasis on facts, not popular or racist or Hiollywod portrayals.

Wooo A new Video and about bisons Let's go

Please tell me more about the crazy speed of those prairie fire. Love a Texas Panhandle resident who was stuck in town due to the fire at the end of February. But for real, it was burning 2 football fields a second.

Incredible episode. Fantastic work, as always.

Amazing episode. And i'm extremely excited about the next episode. I've been hoping for videos on the indigenous peoples of the Great Plains for a while

I love this channel and this episode particularly

been waiting for this topic🙏looking forward to the next one

Currently binge watching all your videos ❤

wooo! great new video! glad to see you make another! keep it up!

Thank you for always making great videos and sharing your thoughts🌵❤️

I needed a channel like this!!!

finally.....I have been waiting since the beginning of the month....am hooked

Thank you for another excellent video! I didn't know how interested I was in this subject matter until I discovered your channel.

Thank you! I like the way the word

Applause! I visited HSI Alberta as a teen, and it has stuck with me ever since living in alaska and hunting forest bison there gave me even more respect and awe of our ancestors. this was a very great episode of your wonderful channel. thanks!

I also hope we see more RPGs in the future based on or focused on the Pre-Columbian American Southeast as well as on Cahokia. Imagine an alternate history video game in which Cahokia survived or one where a Cherokee-Creek Confederacy was formed and was able to establish an independent recognized Native American sovereign state that modernized & industrialized.

gracias por tu trabajo!

Thank you for another extraordinary video! I don't think I've ever heard of bison corrals before this. The idea of trying to manage a thundering herd of hundreds of terrified one-ton bison is daunting, to say the least. These communal hunts must've been incredible. God be with you out there, everybody. ✝️ :)

Always fascinating and entertaining. Thank you for your wonderful work.

This video was an absolute banger. Bison are a huge part of the iconography here in south dakota, and i know a few ranchers that have them. They are awesome animals!

Great video! I’ve been to Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump twice and I want to go back. It’s an amazing archeology site and seeing the topography in person really gives you an idea on why it was used as a jump.

Amazing detailed video, I really enjoyed learning about all the tactics involved!

You know do you think you can do a video on the extinct animals that the native Americans would have encountered and hunted?

OMG Im so happy you included sorces! Im making an Atlas for a class and theres this whole thing im doing about the relation of humans and "cows" in art during history

Growing up I was lucky enough to live close enough to be able to visit HSIBJ several times. Looking back it was really a key core memory that must've kickstarted my love of archaeology and history. Thank you so much for this look at it! It's been a couple decades since I've been able to visit, but I need to go back.

I LOVE BISON, thank you for this video! Since I first watched your videos about 1 1/2 years ago (which you may remember from me commenting that "Paracas" sounded like "Pirakas"), I've grown to officially LOVE learning about history. UNFORTUNATELY, Europe, Oceania, and especially Africa are SO AWESOME in that regard that I've kind of shut myself off from learning the history of the Americas and Asia (unless if, for the latter, Madagascar and/or Mapungubwe are involved), but maybe watching your videos again will change that!

Absolutely adore all your videos, great narration. Many thanks from England.

I hope you really enjoyed your trip to Peru! I didn't get to go this year but I hope you do another trip in the future and can't wait to see some videos and pictures. Keep up the great videos.

Please do the fire episode. That sounds fascinating!

Excellent. Another science communicator to add to the list. Excellent work, people like you are what we need more of.

Thank you so much for each video, you have taught us all so many incredible things! You are an inspiration and have one of the best channels out there! ❤😊❤

Good day to all. Thanks, I love the information and bove all the bison.

Another enjoying able and informative video!

The genus bison is currently considered a synonym of bos (the genus that includes cattle, yak and gaur) based on the fact that it sits within bos genetically, unfortunately there is a bit of complication in the fossil record as *"Bison"* (the genus) is proposed to be the direct descendant of a completely different genus (leptobos) while there are bos species already knocking around.

Absolutely amazing stuff. Living wholly around bison is such a knotted and quirky way of life, but louds great.

Awesome video!

I fucking love bisons. That's my comment. That's it.

Great video, as usual

Thank you appreciate the documentary fascinating story of the bison

For those who speak french or german , arte made a documentary of the history of the bison, and used this history to tell the storie of the natives and the storie of the american colonisation, very interresting

I love learning about animals and histpry, especially bizon amazing video!

absolutely fascinating thank you for this video and the knowledge you have provided

Thanks!

Best history youtube channel.❤

Definitely my new favorite AA video!

Thank you. Havre, Montana, has a pretty cool Bison jump, too. Tours were available when I was in college in the 80s. Not sure if those are still available.

I always wanted to learn more about native people on the plains so I really appreciate these videos!

love your content dude. would love to see that indigenous fire regime episode!

In just 45 minutes, you've told me more about the American Buffalo than I could ever want to know in a Whole LIFETIME. Now when there is embarrassing pause at a party, I can restart the glee & merriment, thanks to you, by telling them all about the Historical Glories of that Noble Beast, the American Buffalo !!! I can assure you, sir, that there is a Special Place In American Buffalo Heaven just waiting for YOU !!! God Bless You !!! ❤🎉❤🎉

The americas have a wealth of history that is barely known outside of academia. Thank you for creating something like this

Respect shone through ❤❤.

Thanks

Fascinating!

Good info.

I've just started watching your videos and love them so much! Would you consider making a video about the Chickasaw tribe, if you haven't already?

omg im so excited to watch this !!!!!!!! i love the plains XO !!!!!!

It makes sense that the Bison weren't domesticated. The hunt would have been a group activity that involved multiple tribes and ritual behavior. Domestication and farming represent a paradigm change in religious practice and power structure and I would think society would resist this change rather than adopt it unless necessary.

This is phenomenal content. Thank you for your efforts and dedication to historical accuracy. There is so much false mythology and speculation concerning American bison out there. You clearly did your research! Thank you for educating us on this beautiful facet of American history!!!

After watching this video. Im just thinking how did you gained this knowledge? Who told you our secrets? because you did a great job at covering the topic. I love it. Respect man.

Thx for this. I don't know why but I've always loved and respected buffalo.

Awesome episode! Still hoping for a video on the paleo Indians of the Northeast!!

1:57 does Mr Bison from Street Fighter have a separate genus?

Fascinating. There’s an area not far from me with a wild heard. They are majestic and intimidating up close (but not too close)!

I’ve been to Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump in southern Alberta twice in my life. Once as a child on a road trip with my grandparents and again as an adult with my GF as I insisted we go there as we were planning on driving more or less past it on a road trip we went on last summer. Each time I was struck with awe at the ingenuity of the practice. I highly recommend to anyone to actually visit some of these sites, at least the one I went to had a great little museum to accompany the archeological site as well as many trails to explore. Next time I go there I will make sure I have more time than I did when I was last there. We were on a tight schedule and I didn’t get to appreciate the site to its fullest as a result as we needed to make it to the campground in the mountains in time.

I remember reading an account of a European explorer encountering a bison herd that stretched from horizon to horizon & took the afternoon to pass. I can't remember where I read that unfortunately.

I'm British and 'old' ! and for some strange reason my two favourite animals are North American Bison & Armadillo's. I was mighty disapointed when seeing an Armadillio in Florida, that it was so small. And told the big one's were in Texas. {Where else?}. A very enjoyable program. Some 25 year's ago I use to import Native American, South Western & Western Artifact's, Pottery & Gift's in to the UK to sell at Country Music Festival's. I've alway's had a facination with the West, particulartly with the Native American's.

9:43 Thank you! Both for talking about the ridiculousness of those two reasons why they weren't and one of the big real reasons they weren't. Though it should also be noted that domestication is rarely a conscious process, people don't generally decide "I'm gonna go domesticate those deer," they engage in practices which, cumulatively over time, lead to domestication. It's not a conscious thought that "They're so abundant, we don't need to domesticate them," is subtler than that. Had the natives remained isolated, I rather suspect bison would have been domesticated as the demands pressures from increasing populations of settled people caused that industrialization you talked about to shift into something else. I could see the corrals becoming less pens to exhaust and kill your bison, and gradually shifting into more permanent structures. If following the herds wasn't an option without horses, it might be more practical to stay in one smaller area with a captive herd, culling more sheathe individuals to minimize the risk up both the hard and the handlers, in other words, artificial selection.

I would definitely be interested in the fire methods video.

You care about such beautiful things, how do you go about making it so that you can dedicate your whole focus to such beautiful things? How can you create more space for beautiful things to exist and be appreciated in the future?

It’s a simple Principle; Ancient Americas calls, I answer. With Respect ✊, Gang Gang🫡 Knowledge Is Power

Heck yeah new video 🎉

You absolutely need to talk about the Pueblos and Mesa Verde cliff dwellings. Maybe a special in Taos where people still continue to live?