The American Bison: A National Symbol

Though nearly hunted to extinction as Americans pushed westward in the 19th century, the bison continues to be showcased on currency and celebrated as the official mammal of the United States. From the Department of the Interior’s official seal to wall murals to diverse examples in museum collections, the bison is a symbol linking inextricably tied to our American identity.

Buffalo horn headdresses were traditionally worn by male Lakotas while participating in the Buffalo Dance. This fine example is crafted from bison hide and horns and is adorned with brass bells, painted leather, trade cloth, and ermine tails. It was generally believed that the animal parts from a headdress transferred powers and abilities to the person who wore it.

This bison rawhide and sinew bag, from the Nez Perce, was used as a waterproof storage container for meat and other types of food. Rawhide is animal skin that has been scraped clean of flesh and then left out to dry. The rawhide is lightweight and waterproof once all the moisture is gone, which made it a popular material for many common products.

Native American drums were and are made from wood and animal skin. This Nez Perce drum was made from a cottonwood log and bison hide with the heads of the drum laced together using rawhide strips. The drum was made for interpretive use at Nez Perce National Historical Park by Elmer Paul, an experienced craftsman and Nez Perce tribal member who was familiar with the traditional ways of the Nez Perce. To learn more about Paul, visit this website.

Bison horns were used historically to craft tools, utensils, weapons, and adornments. This bison horn dipper dates to the early twentieth century and is recorded as belonging to a man named Attack Him. This tool would have been made by submerging the horn in hot water until it became soft and pliable. The horn could then be cut and shaped into the desired form.

This tumpline, dating to the 1890's, is made from smoked bison hide. Tumplines are used to help carry heavy loads on the back of an individual. The strap was placed across the top of a person's head just back from the hairline who then leaned forward to allow the back to support the heavy load rather than the shoulders. Among the Nez Perce, women often used tumplines to help carry loads of wood, hide bags, and even children. They were also used on horses to carry heavy items when traveling.

Bison hide was often used for coats, which were derived from sleeveless robes worn by indigenous peoples of North America. Commercially-made bison coats became popular during the early settlement period of the American West and the great bison hunts of the 1860's-1880's. This style of coat was even adopted by the US Army for use on the frontier during the 1870's. Such coats had tailored sleeves, a black cotton lining, button loops, and side pockets.

This projectile point also came from an archaeological excavation conducted in Montana at the Mill Iron site, which is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Mill Iron is a bison processing site believed to be approximately 11,000 years old. This projectile point would have been used to kill the bison being processed there.

Cutting tools are among the many types of artifacts found at the Mill Iron site. Based on the worked edges, as can be seen on the right side of the image, this chopper demonstrates heavy use and was probably used to break up large bison bones.

One of the broken bone fragments found at the Mill Iron camp processing area was a mammoth rib fragment. It is possible that mammoth bones were still available and used by ancient tribes sometime after their extinction around 10,000 years ago, which could explain why a mammoth bone was found at Mill Iron. Both ends are broken with one end exhibiting a drilled conical shaped hole. Based on this finding, it has been suggested that this artifact was used as a socket to hold the foreshaft of a spear, possibly to kill bison.

The extinct bison ancestor, Bison latifrons, first appeared around 500,000 years ago in North America and survived until around 20,000 years ago. These long-horned bison were the largest and heaviest bison species to ever live on this continent. This 3-D image of a fully rendered Bison latifrons was created by the Idaho Museum of Natural History Virtualization Lab. This was done by scanning skeletal bones, primarily from Bureau of Reclamation collections that have been curated at the museum. The cranium in the 3-D scan is known as Gigantobison II or "Mary Lou." It was found in 1954 at the American Falls Reservoir in Idaho and is one of the largest known Bison latifrons craniums found to date.

This commemorative bison statue,  "The End and the Beginning,"  was created for the centennial of Billings, Montana, in 1982. This sculpture symbolizes the beginning of a new era in the country while reflecting on the past. Railroads, as indicated by the railroad ties in this bronze sculpture, had a major role in opening the West to settlement and development during the mid-1800's. However, with the coming of railroads, the era of bison, mountain men, and nomadic tribes came to an end.

In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt signed legislation that allowed for federal funds to purchase land that would be suitable for the conservation of bison. This legislation was the first time in American history that the U.S. Congress allocated tax money to help conserve wildlife. This photograph of the bison was taken in the 1940's at the National Bison Range, which was established in 1908 and has played an important role in the successful recovery of this animal from near-extinction. Today, 12 states support approximately 10,000 bison in herds on lands managed by the DOI.

The bison design on this Secretarial ceremonial flag was the DOI seal from circa 1937 through the 1940s. This flag features seven stars, which signify the seven bureaus of the DOI from the era when this flag design was first adopted. The bureaus represented are the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Mines (no longer in existence), Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Geological Survey.

President Theodore Roosevelt was an avid collector of bronze sculptures. He was primarily interested in representational art and would often buy sculptures as souvenirs of his travels or to commemorate a significant moment in his life. This bronze bison, created by Tiffany & Co., is displayed on one of Roosevelt's bookcases in his library at his Sagamore Hill home, now Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. Roosevelt preferred western-themed works of art, such as the bison, which he wrote "equally lends itself to decorative use and which possesses the advantage of being our own."

Interior Secretary Oscar Chapman authorized the arrowhead as the official emblem of the National Park Service (NPS) on July 20, 1951, based upon a suggestion from a Park Historian named Aubrey Neasham. This painted wooden arrowhead depicts the NPS design that is widely recognized today. The design incorporates a Sequoia tree and a bison representing iconic flora and fauna; mountains and water denoting scenery and recreation; and an arrowhead signifying the park system's historical and archaeological values.

This Yellowstone National Park sticker from 1927 features an iconic image of a bison. On the back of this sticker is a list of rules and advice for visitors to keep in mind while visiting the park. Such rules and advice include "Keep out of the ruts," "Horse-drawn vehicles have the right away," and "The park is yours, help us take care of it." This historical object not only provides historical information about the National Park Service, but also about park visitors and activities in an era with horse-drawn conveyances.

This miniature sterling silver souvenir spoon from Yellowstone National Park has a raised figurine of a bison hunched over a small patch of grass perched at the top of the handle. The widest portion of the upper handle contains "Yellowstone Park" written in cascading style descending vertically in single letters. The bison on this spoon not only shows how this significant symbol was widely used for marketing purposes, but also highlights Yellowstone as a prime location for viewing bison.