'Rivers of bones': rituals of life, death and hunting in the American west

Communal bison hunts were used by Native Americans for upwards of 11,000 years on the great plains to procure meat and other goods for the winterIt ’s still morning, a slight chill in the air. You feel the rumbling of the earth before you even see the mass of bison pounding across the prairie toward the precipice, and toward you. As you stand beside the rock cairn, boughs of sage or juniper in your hands, and in the hands of your friends flan king you on either side, and across the way, you see the others draped in wolf skins, who lured the animals to this final moment. Your comrade starts the yelling just a moment before the bison reach you, and you join in, urging them towards the edge, reminding the beasts not to turn, before they thu nder past, hurtling into the arroyo.Below there are more people, to finish off the bison who survived the fall, and to start separating the useful from the non-useful, and hauling it nearby where even more people are waiting to butcher the sections properly.Continue reading...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - August 17, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Holly Norton Tags: Science Archaeology Native Americans Animals Source Type: news