By 1902, poachers had reduced the buffalo herd in Yellowstone National Park to about 25 animals. Buffalo from private herds—including 18 cows from Michael Pablo and Charles Allard of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation—were used to replenish the herd. Today there are about 3,000 wild buffalo in the Park.
Shown above is the buffalo display at the visitor’s center in Canyon Village. According to the display:
“Buffalo, the common name for bison were—and still are—important to many Native American tribes. The majority of the meat was dried and made into jerky, which could later be crushed and mixed with berries to make pemmican. Hides used for teepees were waterproofed by smoking them over fires. Horns were worked into bow supports, ladles, spoons, and cups, while hooves made rattles and glue.”
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