Buffalo Hunt

by Russell Freedman

Examines the importance of the buffalo in the lore and day-to-day life of the Indian tribes of the Great Plains and describes hunting methods and the uses found for each part of the animal that could not be eaten.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Animals, Native American, American History, Childrens, Art

32 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1988

About the author

Russell A. Freedman was an American biographer and the author of nearly 50 books for young people. He may be known best for winning the 1988 Newbery Medal with his work Lincoln: A Photobiography.

He grew up in San Francisco and attended the University of California, Berkeley, and then worked as a reporter and editor for the Associated Press and as a publicity writer. His nonfiction books ranged in subject from the lives and behaviors of animals to people in history. Freeedman's work has earned him several awards, including a Newbery Honor each for Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery in 1994 and The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane in 1992, and a Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal.

Freedman traveled extensively throughout the world to gather information and inspiration for his books. His book, Confucius: The Golden Rule was inspired by his extensive travels through Mainland China, where he visited Confucius' hometown in modern day QuFu, in the Shantung Province.

Reviews

[S10_Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buffalo Hunt depicts how Native Americans hunt wild buffalo and the animal's many uses. They would hunt them on horseback using a spear or bow and arrow and use the meat for food, as buffalo meat is delicious. Warriors would wear buffalo head masks as a display of power. Native American medicine men used buffalo skulls to attract more buffalo to the land. And women would skin the buffalo to make clothing or build tipis (not actually spelled 'teepees').

But the book's main focus was the thrill of the hunt. Native Americans dressed in wolf skins to not frighten the buffalo or would herd large groups of buffalo off cliffs. The book had engrossing illustrations of these events and surrounding the kill, an event that already seemed exciting from the writing (if one finds mass animals extermination riveting). Women would judge men based on how well the men hunted, how many times a man needed to spear a buffalo to kill it. And the Native Americans used every single part of the buffalo as food, often eating their brains right out of the skull.

While it was interesting to see how certain traditions lined every part of the hunt, it was this tradition that was ultimately their downfall. As they would not update their weapons, pioneers with their advanced weaponry killed off the buffalo. While 'a skilled warrior could shoot a stream of arrows faster than a man armed with a musket could reload and fire,' there were too many white hunters ready to kill the buffalo for sport or money. The sixty or seventy million buffalo had been wiped out, and only a few hundred remained twenty years after the height of the hunt. And it seems that Native Americans have trouble keeping a lot of traditions alive today as the world modernizes. But the book remains a tremendous reminder of how life used to be.

I would use this as a text for a middle school or high school history class. The illustrations are quite authentic and help set the reader in the time of the book. Students tend to have vague stereotypical views of how Native Americans would hunt and live, and this gives specifics for students to learn of this proud culture.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freedman approached his subject with great respect for the Native Americans and for the Buffalo. He shows through paintings mostly done in the 1800s how the Indians admired the Buffalo and how central the animal was to their culture. Doing a good job and not wasting unnecessary arrows or spears on one animal was the sign of an excellent hunter which led to increased status. Having enough knowledge to successfully lead the tribe in a hunt was the greatest status. All parts were used and not wasted. Once Whites came along with repeating guns, enough Whites could shoot too many and the Native Americans tried to stop the slaughter, mostly failing at this. The book ends sadly, with mourning the lost Buffalo which also led to the decline of the Native Americans as well. While well done, it isn’t one of Freedman’s best. Recommended.

[Danielle Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my boys and they were just as interested as I was. The book gave fascinating details on both the buffalo and the Indians. And we appreciated the glimpses of iconic artwork to go along with the story.

[Phoebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read to kids - decent, but had to cover up some of the pictures given their graphic nature.

[Michelle Moses · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love children's history books and this one in particular didn't disappoint. It can be read in under an hour and gives you a clear image of the main idea.

"Buffalo Hunt" helps you understand how very important buffalo were to the native americans. It walks you through everything from the spiritual importance of buffalo, to pre-, during and after hunting. It wraps up by explaining the extinction of them and how that affected the natives.

One of the best things about the book are the illustrations. Russell Freedman has included pertinent artwork, most of which originates from the 1800's. He is also thorough in including the museums where the originals can be seen.

[Rose Goodwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has beautiful pictures that go along with the factual print. The uses of the buffalo and how the hunted is described very well. It has a table of contents and an index. There is also a description of the ilustrations. I really enjoyed learning about this and learned new things about the buffalo. I lived in Alaska and was fortunate to see these great animals living in the wild. This would be a great book for history or when learning about preserving animals and the environment.

[Krosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does an ok job of trying to capture the importance of the buffalo for many Native American tribes, though it does go into some detail for individual tribes it does tend to generalize as well. A good starting point for upper level elementary students. Many beautifully done art works are included throughout the book.

[Vandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

great llustrations and compact story...pictures make it alve

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informational read for late elementary to early junior high.

[Mckinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely done with illustration and photos. Interesting.