Analysis Of Buffalo And Longhorn By Toni Greene

The Native Americans of the plains struggled to survive as European settlers began to colonize larger amounts of North America. Battles between the colonists and Native Americans left many tribes weak and unable to defend their nations. The population of the buffalo that once used to run in large herds throughout the area dwindled close to extinction due to mass hunting. By the late 1800’s the plains tribes had been stripped of their lands, their resources, and their rights. They were sent to live on reservations, leaving the their lives fractured and them dependent on the government for their necessities (Berlo and Phillips 1998, 142). Many of the leaders who revolted against this treatment and were associated with hostile acts against whites were sent to military forts like Fort Marion where they were held as prisoners and continuously pressured to convert to Christianity and live more modern lifestyle (Greene 2013, 52). Regardless of this dismal time for …show more content…
She describes, “Instead of seeing the drawing as concerned with transformation of the domestic economy, I believe that it is about a much older concern - gaining and displaying spiritual power, or “medicine,” as the Kiowa call it.” Greene goes on to explain why this viewpoint seems more accurate. She begins with the way that he is dressed. In the drawing he has his hair down and is naked other than a breech-clout. In his hands he hold the two peace pipes. This outfit represents a man that is on a quest for power who is using the pipes to appeal to the spirit world. The two animals that face him, the buffalo and the longhorn, represent different spiritual powers. The return of power from the spirits to the man can be seen in the breath that they breathe towards him (Greene 2013, 45). This drawing depicts the man receiving spiritual power, in a traditional way, from traditional