One
of the symbolic animals of the American West that I really admire is the bison,
sometimes known as the buffalo. I’ve never seen large herds of them on the
Great Plains—in fact, when I’ve seen them in the plains states they were
domesticated and being raised for their meat. Where I have seen them in the
wild is in Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding areas of southern
Montana. They always seem so benign that they deceive tourists. Sometimes they
seem more statuesque than living, sitting or standing so still for great spans
of time, usually near a geyser or a colored mud pot. Nearly every year someone
in the park is trampled and killed by a charging buffalo. I can easily imagine it,
walking along a park boardwalk, getting close to that statuesque creature just
to see if it is really alive and then suddenly it proves to be more alive than
you ever were, trampling you into a bloody mound in the mud of a hot spring.
I have never been the
tourist who even begins to get so close to those extra-large cattle. I live
where moose and bear have both wandered through my lawn, so I know they aren’t
just larger versions of a stuffed toy. Sometimes I wonder if in that moment of
charging the buffalo collectively remembers all the slaughter and carnage our
species inflicted upon them and suddenly its rage can no longer be contained in
some symbol we used to stamp upon our nickels. When I am envisioning this (for
I have never seen a tourist succumb to such stupidity near wild animals) I can’t
help but hold a great amount of respect for such a noble creature that
represents a different era and a sense of freedom that no longer exists in the
way it once did. Now they are confined to a few farms, and a national park and
its surroundings. It doesn’t even roam free on our currency anymore. I probably
am more reminded of loss when I see the bison, but I’m glad there are a few of
them still around, still taking moments to exalt themselves above human
stupidity. I am a great admirer of the American bison, a reminder of a
beautiful, violent and tumultuous history.
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