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When approaching the topic of the decimation of the bison, who are the primary actors? In class, we always discuss who the players are in the environmental histories we read. According to Andrew C. Isenberg in The Destruction of the Bison, more than one actor played a role in facilitating the death of the bison from the western plains from 1750-1920. Isenberg argues that the actions of mankind in the West, although often considered the sole cause, were not the only causes for the demise of the bison. Isenberg instead argues that the volatility and instability of the environment as well as the invasion of the Euroamericans and activities of the nomadic Plains Indians all contributed to the overhunting of one of the West’s most symbolic creatures.
Drought and the natural environment of the Plains contributed to the changing population of the bison. Fires, drowning, wolves, and competition from other grazers also effected the bison depending heavily on the grasslands of the Plains. As a result, certain periods of time allowed for an imbalance between the mortality of bison and their natural increase, therefore causing even more destruction when hunting entered the picture. Isenberg ultimately rejects the assumption that “nature is essentially stable and orderly.” (11) Instead, he asserts, “The western plains… were prone to frequent and pronounced economic instability.” (11). It appears that the author of this environmental history awards mankind some slack despite the harsh reputation humans get when it comes to negatively impacting the environment.
Using traveler journals, precipitation records, government documents, and Indian accounts, Isenberg attempts to place mankind within a natural cycle of environmental and natural occurrences. My younger years of schooling included lessons on how the white man invaded the Plains and hunted the bison to extinction for economic exploitation and for sport. I learned that the white man ultimately destroyed the lifestyles of the dependent Plains Indians in the surrounding area. Never before have I read a history that placed some of the blame on the Native Americans themselves. Isenberg does, however, acknowledge the destruction of the western native societies along with the bison, “The trade in bison robes was destructive both to the herds and to the nomadic societies.” (107)
Isenberg argues that the culture of the nomadic Plains Indians, then introduced to the horse and able to expand their distance and food options, significantly effected the bison as well as the supported the economic desires of the Indians. Euroamericans, on the other hand, sought bison herds for their fur. The consumerism and economic exploits of the Euroamericans combined with the already high dependence of Plains Indians on bison as a main food source contributed to the bison’s demise.
After reading Isenberg’s work and his inclusiveness of the environment in his discussion, I agree with Sean’s statement: “human’s influence on the harming of natural environments is in itself natural, and a consequence of the advancement of human societies.” I believe that mankind interacts with the environment similarly to other animals when they extract from the environment to survive. However, I think mankind can learn from the destruction of the bison. There exists a certain balance that must be maintained between utilizing the availability of resources for practical and economic reasons and their general availability and actual population. Not only must we remain conscious of this balance to ensure the protection of our environment, but also to ensure the survival of the human race.