Bison: Portrait of an Icon

by Chase Reynolds Ewald, Audrey Hall (Photographer)

An up-close look at the remarkable, distinctive bison and its cultural significance in the American West.

Winner of the 2021 National Outdoor Book Award and the PubWest 2021 Book Design Award: Silver Winner, Photography Books.The first book of its kind, Bison: Portrait of an Icon tells the story of the bison—its history, majesty, cultural significance, and comeback story—through the stunning, dramatic photography of Audrey Hall. Even more, woven throughout these visually captivating photographs is an extended essay by author Chase Reynolds Ewald. Brought back from the brink of extinction, the bison today—with its rugged, primitive build, its remarkable speed and hardiness, its primeval wooly hide, and its sheer strength—is an icon as distinctly American as the bald eagle.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published March 23, 2021

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I have mixed feelings about this photography collection. On one hand, the photos are absolutely stunning-- especially the wide, two page spreads of big beautiful skies, mountains, and plains that the bison roam. In regards to the pictures, I would have loved to have captions about approximately where each photo was taken, and information about the occasional other species thrown in.

The essays are where I have a bit more of an issue-- or rather, what isn't in the essays. I like how the author(s) talk about all the different groups and initiatives that are doing their part to help rebuild the bison population; they highlight a variety of tribes, farms, etc. that are doing vital work. That's great! That being said, I feel like they decided to just gloss over the reality of exactly why the American bison almost went extinct-- it's acknowledged that this happened as the settlers came, but they fail to mention or explain that one of the biggest reasons the bison were over-hunted was a direct attempt at trying to destroy and colonize Plains tribes by exterminating their main food source-- the bison-- as well as attempting to eliminate the cultural and spiritual impacts the bison have. Rather, it's worded as if American settlers simply hunted a lot of bison for the sake of survival instead of what really was: a form of genocide. The way some of these pieces were written also make it sound like Plains cultures are a thing of the past, cultures that don't exist anymore-- which is just not true.

With those concerns aside, this book does give some information here and there on how important the bison are to the land, their ties to the land, and their ties to Indigenous culture, though I feel like the historical representation could have been a bit better, a little more thorough. As I mentioned at the beginning, the photos are magnificent, and I do recommend taking a look at this book for that reason alone if you're interested.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this impressive and hefty volume, photographer Audrey Hall brilliantly captures the spirit of the American bison and the landscape of the American West. Woven among her images is a beautifully written essay by author Chase Reynolds Ewald, sharing the bison’s history, cultural significance, and recovery from the brink of extinction, as well as insights from ranchers, wildlife managers, policymakers, and artists.

According to Ewald, “Like many North Americans, bison are the descendants of immigrants. Somewhere around 200,000 years ago, small herds of bison grazed their way east across Beringia, the broad grassy steppe that connected eastern Asia to Alaska when the sea level was three hundred feet lower than it is today,” becoming the first American bison.

The American bison goes by many names. “To scientists and park administrators, it is bison. To many native people, it’s buffalo. To the Lakota, it’s Tatanka.”

Paintings of the prehistoric bison have been found on the walls of caves at Lascaux, dating back as early as 15,000 B.C., and its image remains popular in artwork today. According to artist Terrance Guardipee, when creating a work of art featuring buffalo, “I’m honoring the animal that has sustained my tribe and family for thousands of years. That is what makes me who I am as an artist. I honor my ancestors as truthfully as I can. Hopefully they see me doing it and look favorably upon me.”

This informative and compassionate work of art also includes a forward by natural history presenter and filmmaker John Heminway and an essay by Montana Poet Laureate Henry Real Bird.

A magnificent tribute to this majestic creature.

[TL Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. :) The photographs are beautiful and draw you into the subject. The accompanying text shares informarion, history, anecdotes, natural history, and more of this iconic species. The balance between photos and text is well thought out and there is enough info for anyone looking to learn a lot, but not so much to put off those enjoying the photography aspect.

[Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really nice large format book with photographs, poetry, and prose. A lot of information about bison, how they were nearly exterminated, but have been saved. The only missing information is where the photos were taken.

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice book with beautiful photos.

[Tissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The care Chase put in writing Bison needs to be commended. As I said, I was expecting a visual book and I got the full experience. There are personal anecdotes, historical touches, cultural and artistic perspectives – they all come together and paint a 360° picture of the bison.

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