Buffalo

Appears in

Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America

Published 2004

About

The scientific name of buffalo is Bos bison, commonly known as bison, which in turn is used interchangeably with American buffalo, or buffalo for short. The largest terrestrial mammals on the North American continent, buffalo were the center of life for the Plains Indians. These majestic animals provided them with food, clothes, and shelter, and they served as a basis for the Indians’ spiritual life.

When the Europeans arrived, they found buffalo on the plains in awesome numbers, their estimated total varying from 30 to 70 million. Pushing west to find a way to the Pacific coast, members of the Lewis and Clark expedition reported that upon reaching the heart of buffalo country, they encountered buffalo in such numbers that the animals were beyond counting. Other reports record that during the “running season,” buffalo herds congregated into such masses as literally to blacken the prairies for miles.

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