The Sacred Relationship Between Native Americans and the American Buffalo

Students will view select video clips from Ken Burns’s The American Buffalo to gain understanding of the sacred importance of the buffalo in Native American identity and life. Students will answer thematic and content-based questions after watching each clip and then discuss key takeaways as a class.

To culminate, students will have the option of writing a news article or video/radio segment about the buffalo and their relationship with the Indigenous people to demonstrate understanding.

Learning Objectives:

Students will aim to:

• Develop an understanding of how Indigenous identity and life is intertwined with the American bison;
• Examine how the buffalo and Native Americans depended on each other for survival;
• Understand the rippling effects of the near-demise of the buffalo on Indigenous people.

About the Author

Bernadette Whitetree is a proud member of the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town, and the Muscogee-Creek Nation of Oklahoma. She has been teaching for ten years, seven were spent in the 5th grade, and the last two years she has been teaching middle and high school. She has enjoyed having the opportunity to teach a high school Native Studies class. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and watching cooking shows. She also has served on the JOM board, Community board, and is currently serving as a board member for the Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town.