The buffalo, through its instinctive wisdom, had a sophisticated social system that we adopted. Grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles, mothers, second mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, all actively contributed to the well-being of the young. It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a herd to raise a good buffalo calf. The pipe and its moral teachings were brought to us by the White Buffalo Calf Woman.
Most religions have a parallel figure that brought moral teachings to the people.
The Christians have Moses. Capitalists have Santa Claus. In our own dependence upon the buffalo for sustenance, the killing was with proper ceremony, asking for forgiveness of the Creator and asking for the buffalo's surrender. There is also prayer for the release of the spirit, that it may live again. These rituals provided the necessary checks and balances against reckless and unnecessary killing.