White Man 's Shame

by tempeste

The life of an Indian
was in harmony with the land.
The great bison was revered
and roamed the north grasslands.

Symbol of sacred life and abundance,
unity and endurance.

The annual buffalo hunt
was celebrated in song and dance.
Hunters were armed with wit 'n courage,
bow 'n arrow and lance.

Dried, the game provided food
during the long winter stand.
Bones became knives,
horn and hooves became utensils.
It's hide used to make tipis, clothing
and other essential.

Nothing was wasted of the sacred buffalo.
It provided wellbeing to the Indian popolo.

But then came the White Man
and the slaughter began.
The ground was bloodstained
the stench of carnage insane.

Only fifty years later
where animal life once had been teeming
laid now a graveyard of bones gleaming.

The bison came very close to extinction
while the native populations died of starvation.

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Western writing prompt entry

Writing Prompt
Write a rhyming poem with a western theme. Can be a story or poem, any length, but must rhyme.

"Kill Every Buffolo You Can for Every Buffolo Dead Is An Indian Gone"
was a well known saying in that period.

Some staggering numbers.

1500. An estimate 30-60 million bison roam North America, mostly on the great plains.

1830. Mass destruction of the bison begins.

1860. Costruction of the railroad accelerates haman settlements and killing of bison.

1870. An estimated 2 million are killed on southern plains in one year.

1872-1874 . Anaverage of 5,000 bison were killed every day of these three years. That's 5.4 million bison killed in 3 years.

1884.The bison population reaches it's lowest point. Around 352 wild bison are left in the USA- including 24 in Yellowstone.

1910. Due to conservation efforts, bison increase to 1,000 in the USA.

2017. Today there are 500.000 bison in the USA, including 5,000 in Yellowstone.

popolo : I think it's a word most people are familiar with ..it means people..it rhymed with buffolo.

motto : a saying

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A poem about Life in the Far West

White Man 's Shame

by tempeste

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