Bison bison

Bison are an animal native to North America. They were integral to the survival of many people that once lived there. 
== Pre-1492 ==
Many people lived off of bison. They ate the meat and used its body parts for clothing and items. In the Great Plains and canyon areas, people would scare bison off cliffs, massacring entire herds. This enabled them to have plenty of meat to store for the upcoming winter. While some tribes hunted them as they would any other animal, many nations were dependent on them. As such, bison played an integral role in their religions.
== Post-1492 ==
With the introduction of horses, hunting bison became easier. Many hunters could ride their horses into the midsts of the herds and shoot multiple animals. This was used in addition to the cliff scaring, which was also changed sometimes to allow horse-including tactics.
Along with pronghorn, bison were shot repeatedly by white immigrants and their descendants in order to harm the original people. Sometimes they gathered meat and hide, but sometimes they didn't. Bison price went so low that cattle meat was more expensive. As the other cultures starved to death, it became easier to eradicate them.
== Modern ==
In modern day bison herds are carefully monitored. All except GMO variants are born with disease. CSU enabled GMO bison herds to thrive, and we now have a bison meat industry, starting guesstimated 2010. Bison herds in Yellowstone, private ranches, and other areas are not allowed to leave their reserve, keeping them from populating the continent. The reason is due in part to their disease affecting cattle, but probably other insidious reasons as well. Bison who leave their reserves are killed. Some places, such as midwest States (Kansas, Oklahoma) have a large patriotism towards bison (often called "buffalo" there). However, bison have only recently been placed in Oklahoma, they have been thriving in wooded and mountain areas in Colorado for much longer.
== Media ==
In Spirit: Stallion of The Cimmaron, Spirit encounters some bison as a foal, who playfully roar at him and allow him to touch their face and look into his eyes.
Category:Bison bison
Category:Bison